Self serve Groceries

Just got home from shopping at the BJ's club. They've installed half a dozen "self-serve" registers there so the customers can do their own check out. You Zzzing your card, Zzzing all you items, and pay by Zzzinging your credit card. Has anyone else seen these in their area? It's kinda neat but I'm sure it will be sending quite a few Bj's employees to the unemployment line.

Somehow, I don't think this would work too well where I live ;~)

Adam.

our Wally world put them in long ago cause they couldn't keep enough cashiers. I hate them. okay if you have only one or two things, but then you still have to wait at the end to pay. I can't imagine how bad it's going to be at Christmas!!!

Some stores have these where you can enter your credit card or enter cash. Most grocery stores I've been in now have them.

I don't think they're a bad idea. I write checks usually at the grocery store, so it isn't useful for me. When I'm paying cash or if I would be in another store and use credit, I think they're a great idea (much easier than waiting on the cashier to figure out what onions or type of apples you've picked out).

Jennifer

Three of our grocery stores have these and I also hate them!!! I for one couldn't figure it out, neither could most of the people I've seen use them, so the cashier had to come and do it anyway!! Actually our K-mart has them too, I guess they might be okay if you only have a couple items and are paying by cc. They seem more trouble than convenient to me.

Our Kmart has them and no one uses them. I too use checks just about everywhere.

K-mart put them in here too, I don't like them at all. I stopped going there because they are all self check. I don't do good with changes, give me the cashiers thank you!

I use the self-scans at WalMart and Kroger when I have a few items AND I'm paying cash or debit card AND I have no coupons or price-match items. (That constitutes maybe 10% of my shopping experiences.)

They are handy for the times I zip in for a couple items, and want to get through the checkout as fast as possible.

We have them here too, but they do take checks and coupons.

basically there are 6 registers, and one cashier who will take coupons and checks...if you are paying with debit card or cash, I dont think you need the cashier.

I dont like them, my children on the other hand think it is neat...and beg me to go thru them, I try not to very often as they do drive me crazy....like when you're trying to scan produce or something like that where you have to find the code....

We don't have them here, wish I had.
What happens if someone won't zap all the things?

My friend in Sweden (Göteborg) told they just got some there.

The grocery store I work at has four of them designated as Express Only. There is a cashier assigned to these to assist customers as needed. It has an area to set the groceries to be scanned that "weighs" them, it is a weight sensitive surface. As you scan the items and put them in the bag, it keeps a running total of the weight then put in the bag. The bottom of the bag also rests on a weight sensitive surface. I do know that our systems will take cash, credit and debit cards. I'm not sure about checks. We are gettting more and more people using these all the time. And since they are desiganted for Express Only, it really has reduced the lines in the Express Lane, which always seemed to be the longest line anyway.

Sharon

Since I work in facility that is forever "improving" as technology permits... I have to admit these sort of conviences really irk me. How much do you spose those self serve registers cost a grocery chain? I bet it's over $50 thousand each.

Geez - that's probably only 2 full time jobs - or 3 or 4 part timers. Four or six registers per store and just think of all that money these outfits are saving! What ever happened to the good ol days when every item had a price tag on it - and the chashier had to punch in the price?

Let's face it - nobody wants to stand in line and wait while the cashier searches for the price tag and enters them in one by one by one, then argues with the customer because he/she entered the price wrong (hitting the wrong number button or the decimal in the wrong place)....

I'd rather try to fiddle with the automated checkouts by myself than watch the cashier screw up every other number they push on the keypad and have to argue about the price.

-Jennifer

They have them here Sue, but most of the time they are down and waiting for service........how's that for convenience!

"eyes"

What I'm waiting for is the day I can order up my groceries online, then zip through a drive-thru where I slide my debit card through the machine while they're loading my pre-packaged order in my trunk. Until tele-transporting comes to fruition, that is - then I won't even have to bother with the drive-thru lane.

I don't remember the last time I had someone actually key in the price of each item; that method was certainly laborious and prone to error and argument. Everything is scanned now at WalMart, Kroger, et al.

I read somewhere that we were running out of barcode numbers, although I think the crisis was avoided by some mathematical genius :)

In the stores where I shop, the self-serve aisles are limited to (I believe) 20 items - which targets the "in and out" group of shoppers. There is still a clerk in attendance, but it takes only one for four kiosks. They keep an eye on would-be shoplifters, help those who need it, and take care of credit card authorizations, etc.

Like it or not, the big retailers do know how to squeeze efficiency out of every process, whether it's in their ordering/shipping/warehousing area, or in the more visible (to us) parts of the buying experience. And we consumers demand this cost-savings mode of operation.

When someone gets a salary increase, that means costs go up for whatever item/service that person produces. As the employee receiving the increase, we're happy; as the consumer seeing the prices go up, we're irate. So the companies are forced to do everything they can to balance this juggling act between appeasing their employees and their customers.

I've got to admit, I don't know what our Walmart would have done without these. they honestly couldn't keep enough cashiers, and those days were horrid!!!! so at least this takes some of the overflow, but the lines with real cashiers are always longer. At least the machines show up for work.
Evert, the only thing I can think of that keeps someone from not scanning all items is that you have to empty your cart onto a conveyor belt and the weight of something not rung sends alarms. And there are people around, no one can do this in total privacy. More items are stolen from cashiers ringing things wrong for their friends than through these self serve registers.
And when Christmas comes and the lines are out the door, I may just go back to them at that point.

I have never seen this in any store here and that maybe because of the union. I'm sure if it was suggested all the cashiers would walk out.

I go to a small (not chain) grocery store and must admit I pay alot more, but the whole experience is worth it. They have an amazing selection of products that are unusual and when I what to check out the cashiers are very nice and friendly and know you by name...it seems worth the extra money to me for the friendliness.

We can order online from several grocery stores, SAFEWAY http://www.safeway.com/ and ALBERTSONS, and i think they have a 7 dollar delivery fee. (but there's a special where it is 4.99)
When I lived in San Francisco 20 some odd years ago, I used to have my groceries delivered, only because I didnt have time - I was working 16 hrs a day. But I think it is a great service for our older people, the ones who can't get out much etc.,

This message was edited Wednesday, Nov 13th 4:47 PM

This message was edited Wednesday, Nov 13th 4:55 PM

The Shoprite here has about 6 of the self serve stations. I rarely go to the grocery store for only a couple of things - it never ended at a couple. I have been trying to limit my grocery visits to once a week. I guess I have a strange outlook on the self serve check outs. I already have a full time job and I don't want another one at the grocery store.

excellent point elsie!! if they gave us a discount for using it, then that would work for me!!

Two of the 3 major grocery stores installed these a few years ago. It took most people several tries to get the hang of them. They all take every payment form, including food stamps, cash, credit, debit, check, etc.

They didn't put any cashiers out of business, because they were installed when everyone had "help wanted" signs posted, and a severe shortage of help. Now, of course, there are many fewer jobs, and the self-service aspect is becoming more resented.

I can take them or leave them; I usually only get a few things at a time, anyway, and almost all the produce is marked with a label that includes its product code.

My main objection to them is the actual format. Since I am handicapped, it is difficult for me to pay, retrieve my cane, walk over to where I get my change, grab it, go back to my purse, put my cane down, put my money away, retrieve my cane again, walk over to where the food is bagged, etc.

Good point Lupine, they aboviously arent catering to the handicapped people, I can see how it would be impossible even for someone in a wheelchair.

Add another vote for "don't like them". I think they are kind of cool to use and my daughter loves to scan the groceries. I agree with elsie though. Food prices are the same or more, so why should I serve myself when the store is supposed to be serving me. I also don't like the idea of any cashiers being replaced by machines. I trust the cashier over the computer any day. It is rare for me to come out of a store where everything rang up the right price. Invariably, one or more items that were on sale rang up at the regular price. When the price was stamped on the product, I think there were far fewer errors, and besides that, you knew exactly what it cost with out trying to read the fine print on the shelf!

There's no way I can scan and bag (plus pay) as efficiently as the cashiers do. I'd rather wait in line and have personal service. If I just have one or two items, I might consider the auto-registers, but otherwise they're not my cup of tea.

They've been talking about the "DIY" checkouts here, but none have materialised yet, at least not near me.

We can order groceries on line though. I never do as i take my 91 year old mum shopping every week - don't think she'd like not doing it in person. My daughter sometimes does though - and then has to go to a store anyway to replace the things that they sent wrong or were out of stock :(

we have them here also i think they suck and avoid them

There was an on-line grocery service available in our area a few years ago. The cost was (I think) 10% + cost of items. But of course you had to use the one store that it supported, and you could only specify a certain day for delivery: then someone had to be there; no way to say, for instance, 6-9 pm delivery. It didn't last a whole long time. I never used it, but a few of my friends tried it a couple of times: it wasn't worth it for them.

Our Fry's Grocery (belongs to Kroger's) has them...but just as soon as I realized there was no cashier, and Bag person to talk to that was OUT! If you live alone then you look forward to taking to ANYONE...so until they put a "talking machine" in I'll stand in line, thank you!! LOL Jo

I love them; especially if I only have 2-3 items.
I'm in and out in 5 minutes.

Paul

LOL Jo - I know what you mean...It gets kinda boring having a one way conversation.....

I find myself talking to the machine... and although I like the convenience of doing it without a big long line I dislike having to bag the groceries myself. I think they will get smarter as time goes by... and eventually there will be no clerks.

Retail Clerks union makes it so that a grocery clerk makes a pretty good union wage and so that they have good benefits, vacations, insurance, etc. - although the take-home pay might be not so much the benefits alone make a union employee expensive for companies who hire them.

What irritates me the most is when all the clerks are kids and they are carrying on other conversations while they are supposedly checking out your groceries. This makes for lots more mistakes...

just my 2 cents
Janie

Janie threw in my 2 cents too! Jo

LOL Jo, our self-serve machines DO talk. They say "pass the item along the tray." "Please place the item in the bag." "Please remove the last item and scan again." Borrr-ring !!!

I talk back to them. I say "I DID place the item in the bag, you fool!" "I haven't scanned ANYTHING yet!" "Leave me alone!" Yeah, I know, I need to get out more and talk to other grown-ups :D

LL You are a hoot...and I know what you mean...I talk to machines too...ut don't really expect an answer. LOL Jo