Self checkout woes

[AngryFaery]

I was working on feedback emails today and ran across this one.

The customer's complaint was that there was only self checkout available early in the morning. They asked to have one open because they had several by-the-pound items. They were turned down because it was too early. They put back all their items and went to a different store.

Nothing bad until they added this: I am the customer and the only reason you are in business. I am not obligated to change to suit you.

[CyberLurch]

On the one hand, I can see the customer's point of view. Those 'by the pound' items are kind of a pain to self-checkout with, and a lot of customers still have difficulty with those machines when dealing with even simple items. And, yes, there is a certain logic to their final comment - they ARE the customer, and they are the reason why a store is in business.

The problem is most stores don't staff adequately any more. That's the very reason for SCO - to reduce payroll. The result is SCO is often the only way to check out in some stores at certain hours.

It's not the staff's fault that management continues to minimize payroll to such extremes. And it's really not the customer's fault, either. They don't understand why this is so, and both the wage slaves and customers are stuck with the result.

It does suck that the customer chose you to vent his/her frustration at you, the person who does not have the power to change policy. He/she should direct such remarks at management. Not that it will change anything, but management is responsible, and they should own up to it.

I know, it'll never happen. But that's the way it should be.

[Luna Baby]

I only use the self checkout. I also routinely buy 'by the pound' items. It's a simple as keying in the 4 digit number on the sticker on said items. Some people just want to complain and have something to be miserable about.

[notalwaysright]

Wait, only SCO was open? It's the total opposite at the stores I've been to during off-hours. (early morning, late night) The SCOs are nearly always closed. Except at Target for whatever reason. I use SCO when I only have a few items, and use a regular checkout when I have lots of items, or stuff like clothes. I guess I like having the option of either. I really didn't want to use the SCO at Target for the stuff I had, and sure enough the computer started yelling at me. I had to walk over to the returns counter, where the SCO attendant was chatting with another employee to get him to come do an override so I could finish.

As to the last comment in the email, yes it's strictly true. HOWEVER, a great deal of customers are completely insane and unreasonable. So stores aren't just going to be like "this one person wants this, let's do it!" Just think of how horribly that would turn out. Stores will start caring when they get a hundred complaints, not just one.

[Javarod]

I very much agree with the customer here. I work 3rd shift at a WalMart and we only have the self check outs open, but there is a cash register at the attendant stand, and the attendant will ring you up if you ask, if its busy or if you need help ringing, plus we have a supervisor, a second cashier and several register trained stockers on as well. If this had been our customer, we would've happily opened a register up for her.

[katzklaw]

my husband hates self checkouts. he will go out of his way to find an open register, and even stand in a line when SCOs are open, instead of voluntarily use a SCO. for him it's a combination of that SCO represents a lost job for a real live person, and two... all of the "please remove item from bagging area" "unexpected item" "please wait" annoying BS, which ends up annoying everyone and running the ONE employee tasked with manning however many SCOs the store has ragged trying to fix ALL the registers at once.

however, he would not simply walk out if the only thing available was a SCO. he would (and has) check out, and make note of the time so as to not return to that store at that time of day again.

as for me, i'm a bit more ambivalent about them. if i'm alone, and i only have a few items, i'd as soon use one as not. basically whichever lane has no line...if that happens to be a cashier, cool. if it's a SCO, so be it. i've worked my fair share of jobs that required the use of a barcode scanner, so i can zip through the SCO pretty quick and easy usually. if i have many things, i use a cashier, and if i'm with hubby, i use a cashier.

[nutraxfornerves]

my husband hates self checkouts. he will go out of his way to find an open register, and even stand in a line when SCOs are open, instead of voluntarily use a SCO. for him it's a combination of that SCO represents a lost job for a real live person, and two... all of the "please remove item from bagging area" "unexpected item" "please wait" annoying BS, which ends up annoying everyone and running the ONE employee tasked with manning however many SCOs the store has ragged trying to fix ALL the registers at once.

I'm with him. I hate them. Here, you cannot buy alcohol vis SCO, so any place that sells booze has to keep a register open for that. Every supermarket sells alcohol, as do places like Target or Walmart. There have also been lawsuits having to do with SCOs not complying with ADA (disabled access) requirements.

One of the many things that doomed Tesco's attempt to come into the US was having only SCOs. Customers weren't thrilled to begin with, and when the California law came into effect, the stores were really screwed.

[MoonCat]

FFS, what an EW! You may not be "obligated" to change to suit a store, but reality is what happens OUTSIDE of your head - if something changes you either adapt or find another way to do what you need to do!

I agree that self-checkouts can be annoying, but then the ones at the stores here are OLD. They don't even have a "brought my own bags" setting.

[csquared]

if something changes you either adapt or find another way to do what you need to do!

And she chose the later. She went to a different store that offered the services that she wanted. That is the great thing about capitalism. The consumer has options.

One of the other great things about about capitalism is that merchants also have options. They can chose to not cater to certain market segments. Such as people who would prefer to pay higher prices to get a higher level of service. And this is the part that the customer fails to realize.
In terms that the customer should understand, "The store is not obligated to change to suite the customer."

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

SCO represents a lost job for a real live person

Eh, no. Corporate will cut whatever jobs it damn well pleases, SCO or not. If SCOs were taken out of a store, the store wouldn't get extra payroll to staff more cashiers. The people who used to use them would just become a line at the one open checkout, and then somebody else would be dragged away from their duties to open another register.

When the swamp remodels again, which I'm guessing could happen next year or so, the plan is for the service desk to be eliminated. Instead the first two registers will be enclosed and act as the "service desk." This way the person/people at those registers can ring up purchases of any size and do service desk duties, and we'd only need one cashier to start the day instead of a service desk person and an opening front-end supervisor. And us peons will spend our days putting away returns in between bouts of running registers because the lines at the "service desk" WILL get very lengthy very quickly.

[Roland]

Having worked in retail type jobs long enough, I feel like the skinflints in charge would gladly replace as many cashiers as possible if they could. They certainly don't want to pay any overtime, ever, and they'll lose their collective shit if the manager goes over budgeted hours.
How much of a factor that impulse is, I can't say.
On a customer only level, they seem too sensitive, and need to be reset by the attendant too often. Maybe the ones where I shop are just sucky. I don't know. I'd rather wait in line and use the services of a cashier.

[AngryFaery]

So many customers take any change as something that was done personally against them. I've been blasted enough by people complaining about much they dislike any change. SCOs, love them or hate them, are popular and aren't going away. I pretty much expect SCO only if its early or late anymore.

[EricKei]

They are going away at some stores -- Namely, the ones where they actually look at the books and realize how much stolen product gets lost because of them. Not nearly enough, though.

[Lace Neil Singer]

SCO represents a lost job for a real live person

Not at the supermarket where I used to work, it doesn't. There has to be two people working the self checkout constantly, cuz customers are so stupid, even tho self checkout was put instore years ago. People are still making ridiculous errors, like trying to scan two items, not putting items in the bagging area after scanning, and being confused about where to stick their money and/or take their change. Plus all the non customer related errors that happen on self checkout... unexpected item in the bagging area, anyone?

[Chromatix]

SCOs are still basically nonexistent here in Finland - thank goodness. Actually, we mostly don't even have express lanes. People just seem to self-organise into basket queues and trolley queues.

Maybe Finns just still have the sort of collective common sense that has been lost elsewhere.