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I see your point but I actually prefer self checkout. I can't believe how slow the cashiers go now. I used to hand ring groceries when I was 17 and I went seriously, 10x faster than the ones now who have scanners. Maybe they are all stoned. We had counts on our register to see how many $$ per minute we rang up and if you were on the slower side, they said something to you.
I see your point but I actually prefer self checkout. I can't believe how slow the cashiers go now. I used to hand ring groceries when I was 17 and I went seriously, 10x faster than the ones now who have scanners. Maybe they are all stoned. We had counts on our register to see how many $$ per minute we rang up and if you were on the slower side, they said something to you.
It was easier in a way then too. If someone bought 20 of something, they used to be able to put the price in and put 20 as quantity. Today because of the computerized stocking systems tied to the items that get scanned, you'd have to scan the item 20 separate times. Some items take awhile to scan too, if they are packaged so the bar code is somewhat bent, and they have to enter all the numbers by hand. I don't find them particularly slow. I usually prefer a cashier, but I like the self-checkout lane that has a full conveyor belt sometimes, like when I'm getting stuff for both my mom and me because it's easier for me to keep track of our items.
I assure you quite thoroughly, from a combination of technical, development and behavioral expertise, that the systems are not perfect and it's not all that often truly 'user error.' Not unless you consider inability to perform non-intuitive, badly-designed sequences with no graceful error handling your fault.
I totally agree. I've designed systems- not for self-scanners but in the insurance business. A well-designed system is intuitive and anticipates common user errors and is programmed so that they don't shut the system down or generate a useless error code. Example: I tried to use a shiny new credit card to pay for my gas at Costco and it asked repeatedly for a PIN. I entered the number on the back of the card but that wasn't it. An employee pointed out that I was using a MasterCard and Costco doesn't take MC. So why didn't the error message say that? And why couldn't the scanning system ocnjgirl described have a way to let people know that they could input the sticker code from a piece of produce?
I'm one of those "older folks" at age 66, but I know user-hostile systems design when I see it.
I see your point but I actually prefer self checkout. I can't believe how slow the cashiers go now. I used to hand ring groceries when I was 17 and I went seriously, 10x faster than the ones now who have scanners. Maybe they are all stoned. We had counts on our register to see how many $$ per minute we rang up and if you were on the slower side, they said something to you.
I am a cashier for a major grocery store chain, & I do not take drugs nor have I taken drugs.
It was easier in a way then too. If someone bought 20 of something, they used to be able to put the price in and put 20 as quantity. Today because of the computerized stocking systems tied to the items that get scanned, you'd have to scan the item 20 separate times. Some items take awhile to scan too, if they are packaged so the bar code is somewhat bent, and they have to enter all the numbers by hand. I don't find them particularly slow. I usually prefer a cashier, but I like the self-checkout lane that has a full conveyor belt sometimes, like when I'm getting stuff for both my mom and me because it's easier for me to keep track of our items.
Yep. I was one just a few years back. Cashier work is highly on transaction per hour and scans per minute now. Bagging is an after thought or left to a bagger especially in grocery stores. I could count back cash and do pretty well unless I ran into bent barcodes or bad reads in general. Some barcodes even laying flat don't read.
It has never failed to surprise me how willing people are to take the blame for badly-designed systems, be they roads, cars, VCRs, computers, belt buckles or transaction terminals. It's a technological equivalent of "if they printed it, it must be true" - that is, "the computer/screen/system must be perfect, so you/I must be an idiot."
If a large majority of people don't have an issue using something, then yeah it probably is user error for those few who seem to constantly have problems.
I use self check out at every store I go to. I get in and out quickly, as do all the others I see using them. I get that that tech is going to glitch or malfunction every now and then, but if there is a constant problem of being too slow, error messages, payment not going through, etc... Then yeah, it's probably the person using the machine and not the machine itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkpunk
I wish this would happen more often but nah. Only Sam's Club has the hand held scanner.
Not for every single thing though. Those are normally exclusive to produce and bakery items like say single cookies and donuts.
I'm not sure what you mean. Like no, a box of crackers don't have a product code sticker on them, but that isn't what the person I was replying to was talking about. They asked why the machine doesn't prompt people to put in the sticker code for their apples. They do.
I'm not sure what you mean. Like no, a box of crackers don't have a product code sticker on them, but that isn't what the person I was replying to was talking about. They asked why the machine doesn't prompt people to put in the sticker code for their apples. They do.
Some produce such as bags of grapes, onions, carrots, potatoes, etc. would and depending if they are priced by quantity or by weight would be weighed. However apples would likely be under the list by item and you weigh it or key in how many you got. I never seen a bag of produce apples in any store I've gone to...
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