Machine woe?

[Aethian]

So I handle our break room food stuffs and got a txt this morning that we were out if sugar. So I stopped at the Walmart that was on my way in. Grabbed the sugar, some bananas, and some unfrosted poptarts. Got up to the self scan, rang my items, and then tried to pay.

Yes that's right...tried. My total was 6.86 and I put in the penny with no problem. Put in the one with no problem, and then the machine wouldn't take my five.

So I flatten it out a bit more, make sure the corners are good, flatten it out some more all while trying to get the machine to take my money. I call over the attendant who fiddles with the bill and then tries it herself four times. Each time turning it the other way. When I suggest that she just accept the money on the main console she gives me a deer in the headlights glance before saying "All I can do is exchange your bill not take the money."

I swear I almost BSOD'd right there and then she went to fiddle with the main computer for a second before wandering away. I managed to fish out enough ones and stuck them in. While cursing softly under my breath.

Finally had my receipt grabbed my items and started to walk away. Where the lady just standing there with her arms crossed called down to me that I needed to pay for my items. I just waved the receipt and hightailed it work.


Now am I in the wrong or isn't there a way she could have taken my five?

[bainsidhe]

I suppose it depends on the setup. The old self-scan registers at *big box retail* had a till at the podium where the attendant could ring someone out on rare occasions. In your case, they'd simply suspend the transaction and then finish at the podium.

The new SCO I don't think has a till at the podium. They crammed more SCO into a small area, and I don't care for the new setup at all.

[raudf]

If she could have changed out the five to a working one, why didn't she?

Unfortunately, I know nothing about the self checks, so I couldn't answer that question. They didn't start using them at my store until after I'd quit.

[Aethian]

I dunno, but she said shed have to get someone to break open her drawer? So I thought they still had drawers. I dunno the way she was just kinda moving slowly around is what pissed me off more.

[raudf]

Ah, I didn't think she could open the drawer herself! There is no way for the peon to open a drawer at the Mart of Wal, without scanning something first. In fact, it's part of the training that if you were to ever be held up, you were to grab a pack of gum and scan it, hit cash and give them the money. Sounds like by the time she'd have gotten around to the CSM, you could have gone to their podium and gotten the change done from them.

And yes, the new ones do still have the till register. Friend of mine works the SCOs and she had an issue with a register during that time. She suspended the transaction and rung it up on the SCO register.

[Aethian]

That's just it. I asked if she could take the money at the podium console and she said she could only exchange the money.

[Dreamstalker]

Where I work, it's possible to reverse tender (any cash that has been inserted is returned) and save a transaction to recall/process as normal on a register.

Our SCOs do have a cash register, but it is only to be used as a last resort (some idiot selects "Check" as payment, pinpad isn't working, cash dispenser jams) as it doesn't have a scale and the hand scanner never works.

[pltkcelestial18]

The SCO at my store can take cash at the podium if for some reason one of the robots isn't taking cash. We're not like the mart of wal, though, where we can actually ring people up at the podium.

[Aethian]

I think after work I'm going to go back in there and ask. Because I haven't been told before they can't do anything and now I'm wondering if they are truly set up where they can't take money at the podium.

[Dreamstalker]

That's possible; they might figure that cash at the SCO pay station is an extra theft concern (I know at my store, that drawer doesn't get balanced as often as it probably should).

Also, it could be that someone just doesn't want to log on to that register for a single transaction. I try not to log on to the SCO pay station as not only does it mess with IPM (long signed-on period without a transaction) if I do end up being called to open on a register that's a delay as I have to go over there to sign off, which results in people thinking it's open and demanding to be rung up

[Aethian]

So I talked to a manager and it turns out that lady was just watching the counter to cover a beak. She wasn't supposed to have ALL the machines open since only two had money that could be used for transactions.

So yea...