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  • Shoppers 1 Corporate 0

    I regularly shop at a mid-sized branch of a large UK chain of stores.
    For a long time, the store was rigged up with normal cashier run conveyors, a couple of express lanes & four SCOs.
    There was occasionally a small queue, but on the whole things ran smoothly.

    When I shop, even if I'm just getting a few items, I always use a small trolley (cart) as I have difficulty carrying a loaded basket. Once through the checkout I split my load between bags & backpack to even things out.

    So, a couple of months ago i went to shop, and noticed that they'd installed more SCOs.. as in they'd ripped out all but 3 of the 10 - 12 cashier run checkouts and filled the space with SCOs. OK, may not have been so bad if some of them were the larger ones that could cope with a large shopping load, but they weren't.. they were all the small basket sized ones with a scale to place the items on once scanned; and positioned so it was awkward to use a trolley without having to place it in front of the unit & stretch over the trolley to scan stuff.

    I avoided them at first, & carried on using the other checkouts which now had queues stretching halfway down the shop, but one day, I was in a rush & tried the SCO, struggled through, took note of all the unhappy staff trying to help people who really didn’t want to try & struggle through that area & on the way out commented to a supervisor, "please bring the conveyors back, that was the worst shopping experience I've had in here!"

    Her reply was, "they’re being reinstalled, the amount of complaints we had has been staggering"

    Three weeks later, they were back And apart from teething problems of the first morning when some of the registers decided not to work, things are running smoothly again from what I can see. I did talk to one of the cashiers who said they’d had an horrendous time and were worried about what was going to happen when everyone had started their Christmas shopping, I just replied that I would have shopped elsewhere. More than likely a lot of others would have too,

    Nothing like corporate good ideas for losing customers eh?

    Shoppers 1 Corporate 0
    Arp happens!

    Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

  • #2
    A happy story!

    I was so afraid it was going to be about SCs scamming corporate for gift cards.
    Labor boards have info on local laws for free
    HR believes the first person in the door
    Learn how to go over whackamole bosses' heads safely
    Document everything
    CS proves Dunning-Kruger effect

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    • #3
      Sometimes corporations do listen to legitimate customer complaints. Mine does. And am so glad we don't have SCOs.
      "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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      • #4
        i don't know why but I haven't seen many SCOs in my state. When I lived in VA they had them at walmart and harris teeter.

        but none in ny. at first i figured it was some law but... the tops down the road from mom had them installed. she had to use it because the line was too long and she only had a couple of items. luckily for her i was there and was experienced with them.

        not sure if the others have them in or not. that's been the only one i've seen in ny so far

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        • #5
          I'm not sure what neck of the woods in NY you are, but out here in Queens/Long Island they're pretty common; most major grocery store chains have them, as do the large all-in-one-for-usually-a-cheepish-price ones.

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          • #6
            I like SCO's, but only for small loads (20 items or less), and I'm adept at using them so I usually find them quicker than going through a cashier line. I loathe shopping, so I try to get in and out as fast as possible.

            But there is no worse experience than getting behind someone in line who does not know how to work the SCO, and expects a cashier to do it for them (see this a lot, geez why don't you just get in the regular line with everyone else if you don't want to do it yourself?)

            I can't imagine a place where everyone has to use an SCO, willing or not.

            I'll bet the reason was, "If we invest in this capital expenditure, we can cut staff and save all this money!"
            They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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            • #7
              Capital expenditure, and "it eliminates line and cashier complaints from customers! Bonus~!"
              "Is it the lie that keeps you sane? Is this the lie that keeps you sane?What is it?Can it be?Ought it to exist?"
              "...and may it be that I cleave to the ugly truth, rather than the beautiful lie..."

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              • #8
                Quoth Cazzi View Post
                Her reply was, "they’re being reinstalled, the amount of complaints we had has been staggering"
                Can I borrow some of your fellow shoppers? Please?

                I regularly 'offer' to bring in a sledgehammer and 'remove' ours. . .

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                • #9
                  I suspect it was the little old ladies who have enough trouble with the bus pass reader on the bus, let alone a SCO
                  Arp happens!

                  Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

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