Self-Scan Stupidity

[Jonneh]

In addition to regular checkouts, the store I work at has self checkouts for customers to serve themselves. Rather than working a checkout today, I was the self checkout attendant. These self-scans have security features to ensure people don't steal anything. One of them is that all scanned items must remain on a large scale/bagging platform until the machine receives payment. If you remove things, I get a notification on my palm pilot-esque attendant device, and the till repeatedly tells you to put your items back on the platform. You cannot do anything (scan more items/pay, etc) until everything is restored to normal. Apprently this guy couldn't see why things are this way. After scanning all his items, SC bagged them all up and put them in his cart before paying and then tried to pay...

SC: Excuse me, I need your help. This thing will not let me pay.

Me: That would be because you took your purchases off the bagging platform before you paid. As soon as you put them back on, you will be able to complete your transaction.

SC: Oh, okay. Thanks.

Me: No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know. *goes off to assist other customers*

Not even two minutes later, SC calls me back over.

SC: EXCUSE ME! I put my can of soup back on and its still giving me problems. These machines are f****n useless!

Me: So you only put one item back on the platform rather than all of them? I'm afraid you're going to have to empty your cart back onto the platform if you wish to continue...

SC: Are you f****n kidding me?! I already loaded my cart up! *Blablabla complaining about how it's more work to unload and do things the right way.*

Me: I'm sorry sir, but if you're not going to follow instructions, there is nothing more I can do to help you. *leaves to help other customers again*

That was the last thing I said to this guy. While swearing and complaining under his breath, he unloaded his purchases back onto the platform, paid, and reloaded them into his cart in a visibly angry manner. After his receipt printed, he purposely knocked the receipt printer to the ground and stormed out of the store.

Sadly, this kind of thing happens all the time at the self-checkouts. People just seem to act suckier than normal when they go through there rather than an actual cashier.

[XCashier]

Me: I'm sorry sir, but if you're not going to follow instructions, there is nothing more I can do to help you.

Ooh, PWND! That was a pretty gutsy thing to say to the Almighty, Always-Right Customer.

While swearing and complaining under his breath, he unloaded his purchases back onto the platform, paid, and reloaded them into his cart in a visibly angry manner. After his receipt printed, he purposely knocked the receipt printer to the ground and stormed out of the store.

Oh, naturally, SC gets called out for his stupidity so he amps it up with spoiled brat immaturity! Would be nice if such jackasses could be instantly banned, but they're usually out the door before any action can be taken.

[AngloSaxonViking]

I hate self-checkouts (from the PoV of a shopper). They scan slowly, they can't reliably handle my own bags (it only has to weigh them), they panic and demand store assistance over so many items - light items (box of aspirins), age-restricted items, and so on, forcing me to stop scanning till the attendant has been and logged in. Total wate of time and money. The store should never have invested that huge amount of money in them.

I don't understand that people queue to use them - if you have to queue, go for a real person. You'll be on your way much faster.

[Beki710]

I don't mind the self-scan that much I will only use them though if I'm not in a rush because I'm pretty sure the ones we have locally are designed to see you are in a rush and instantly break! Unfortunately because my local store only has 3 of them, they don't have a specific person just to oversee them so when one does go wrong it's a case of trying to flag someone down to come help!

[Dreamstalker]

Our self-scans have scales on both the scanner platform and belt...I really hate the latter scale system because if it's a produce item that is moving ever so slightly as it is put down (peppers, bananas or another item that does not sit flat) the belt will sense an 'incorrect' weight and send it back.

Then you have the SCs who try to swipe their credit/debit/EBT card before finishing their order and think that it will magically run it....yes it will but you still need to choose the payment method! I love the ones who call me over because of this problem but don't tell me what they did, so all I see is that it's 'frozen' on the payment method screen.

There is a manager specifically for the self-scans, but customers tend to just flag down anyone they see (who might or might not be able to solve the problem, if it requires a manager key/card it's not a matter of 'don't want to help' it's 'really, I'd love to but can't').

[starsinthesky]

I used to love the self checkout, then I would get stuck behind morons who needed their hands held to check out, so I went back to regular lines, stuck behind those morons.

[ariekain]

I get a lot of customers who come to self checkout who are angry from the minute they walk up. When they are asked why, they usually say something along the lines of "I don't appreciate you forcing me to use self checkout."

There's a lot wrong with that. It's not like employees stand around with cattle prods directing traffic, and it's not like we don't ever have any regular registers open. Yes, we are totally forcing people to only use self checkout. The funny part is that, in most cases, the complainers walked past several empty lines on their way to self checkout.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Ah, yes, the Sucktomers who think that a self-checkout stand should work the way they demand it should, because they said so. I had someone like that at the wholesale club, Mr. I-Hate-Self-Checkouts, who refused to use it the way it was supposed to, always complained they needed to be re-programmed, and tended to swear a whole lot about it.

After my initial experiences with him, I only did the bare minimum to help him, since he also insulted one of the best managers at the store by calling him "incompetent."

[Bloodsoul]

The only major problem I've had with self-checkouts are when they thing I've improperly added or taken away something when all I was trying to do was open a bag to eventually put stuff in.

[Tama]

This is why I only use them to buy candy or small items of not very much importance.

Though it never failed when I was younger. I'd have shit-tons of change to pay for a $5.12 (two packs of Oreos ) purchase.

I'd get into an EMPTY SCO.

Someone would get behind me and get all huffy that I was putting pennies in....urgh. SCOs just make people...

[manybellsdown]

I actually love the self-checkout. True, I do sometimes have issues like if I move the bags around to make room it thinks I've removed items and bleeps at me. But I love the speed and convenience and I don't have to make small talk or get asked the same question 5 or 6 times (do you need carryout? No, already!). I'm kind of antisocial.

[Kittish]

A couple of the grocery stores around here have SCOs and I get along with them just fine. I get my purchases rung up and get out of the store MUCH more quickly then I do if I have to stand in line for an actual cashier. But then, seems like most of the people around here are intimidated by the whole concept of self check out and avoid the things, so I never have to wait for one to be available. Seriously, at either store that has them, they can have over half of the regular lanes open and have one or two customers at each, have all four self checks open and NO ONE at all using them and people will go stand in line at a regular cashier. I go through the self check and I'm usually done and out before the cashier finishes with the original person they were helping. And this is with a full grocery cart, not just one or two items.

[code-monkey]

I think they are fantastic in theory. In practice, not so much. All the ones I have seen no matter what store look almost identical, I think they are all mad by NCR. Just today I was using one, finished my transaction picked up my bags and left then heard the ever so familiar "Unexpected item in bagging area". The receipt printer had spat the receipt into the bagging section holding the machine up. I really think they need to hire some useability engineers to work on them. Another common problem with the ones at my local corner shop is the "Remove item from bagging area" button decides to appear/disappear at will, and considering the bagging area is big enough for only one bag, it means I normally have to stack one bag on top of the other while packing. GAHHHHHH!!!!!

[MoonCat]

I don't like them a lot but I use them anyway because they're still faster than waiting for a cashier. The ones here are dumb - there is no way to adjust for using your own bags, so you have to perform a little sleight-of-hand: Scan your first item, then pop it into your bag and plop the bag down on the bagging platform, in front of their rack of plastic store bags. From there on you can fill the bag without any problems from that.

But they also get hung-up at every little thing, usually when I'm holding the next item (& always something heavy)....putting up a message about "attendant needed" or whatever; or the coupon thing doesn't work right...after scanning it I put the coupon through the proper slot and then it gets hung-up for several minutes until the SCO attendant does something from their station. Something almost always goes wrong with them.

[Kristev]

More trouble than they're worth, to me. I'd rather let a cashier do their job instead.