Stop the presses! SCOs Suck, Apparently >_>

[EricKei]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...out/50553020/1

It seems that at least some grocery chains are finally beginning to figure out that SCO stations are the antithesis of customer service...But they had to conduct STUDIES to figure this out....

[fireheart]

Down here they fall in between. The problem is trying to work out which machines will let you take out cash amounts smaller than $10.

[bhskittykatt]

I always have trouble using my own bags with the machines. For one, only about half the grocery stores have SCOs that have a "use my own bags" option, which means if it doesn't have that you have to fight with the scale.

Another thing is the credit some stores issue for using your own bags. It's nice, except the person running the SCOs often is running their own line, and when I try to checkout, the SCO makes me wait for "cashier assistance" so they can count my bags and give me my credit. This sometimes takes a while if there's no dedicated SCO cashier. I'd rather skip the credit and be on my way, but no, the machine makes me wait...

Thirdly, while it is technically possible to do a bottle return from an SCO, it's a pain in the ass, and it's better to have an actual cashier do it. (Hell, they have enough trouble with it as it is...I've memorized the code to tell the cashiers, since the new ones always have to spend time looking it up and figuring out the correct procedure.)

[tropicsgoddess]

The SCO is good but sometimes it's a pain in the ass. I'm not just talking about the idiot in front of me that can't figure out for the life of them how to use it. The annoying thing about SCO's is that sometimes the scanner doesn't always work right and it doesn't always read the cards unless you swipe them a second time or veeeery slowly and if any issues arise you have to wait for an available cashier to come out and help you.

[Sheldonrs]

The only times i have trouble with the SCOs is when some asshole with a cart load of crap decides to put half of it on the scale for MY MACHINE!!!
Then the SCO monitor has to clear it so i can continue.

[mikoyan29]

If I have a handful of items that will fit in one or two bags, I will use the SCO. If I don't, I will use a regular line. So I like the idea of the SCO for the express lanes but not so much for the other lanes. Especially since I have to bag my own groceries as well.

[fireheart]

If I have a handful of items that will fit in one or two bags, I will use the SCO. If I don't, I will use a regular line. So I like the idea of the SCO for the express lanes but not so much for the other lanes. Especially since I have to bag my own groceries as well.

Seconded.

Old Store has six of them where two bigger lanes used to be. from what they've discovered, it really cuts down the express lines a LOT.

[Chromatix]

No SCOs here in Finland. Long may it remain so.

We *do* have automatic ticket machines at railway stations. Big problems resulted when the backend system was replaced a few weeks ago. The redesign was done by a couple of mega-consultant firms - what a surprise.

[mattm04]

All the store stores in my area that have SCOs have actual human cashiers open when the SCOs are open.

Most of the problems I observe are SCs who don't do what it wants. If is says put the item in the bag/on the belt, that is the only way it will work. They then of course complain to the cashier or manger about the horrible machine when the error was their fault. If you don't like them that much, and talking to a cashier makes you feel better, don't use it.

The worst are the SCs who make it know to everyone that the will not use them because they care so much about the cashiers who are apparently only seconds away from begin laid off if you use one.

[Shangri-laschild]

Where I live, the lines for those are always much shorter than the other lines. I love it makes it quicker for me.