How is this supposed to be better?

[Dreamstalker]

If you forgot your store card, the selfscans had a courtesy card you could enter. No more. Now, if you forgot your card you're supposed to call the attendant over and we have to manually scan one All this does is further take our attention off all the kiosks, and some days it's impossible to jump around like that (too crowded; I just have to find a good vantage point in a corner and stay there until things clear out).

FEM last night told me that DM wanted to know why card use was so low in this district (maybe store, I don't know). We get a lot of people who are out for a run or quick errand and didn't bring their full wallet/keyring, some people from out of town who will only be in once, etc. I think some customers have been listening to the paranoia claims stores can track what you buy and even if you have a card to tell the cashier to use the store card (because Dog forbid we find out you buy a lot of rice pudding). I'm still confused how changing the procedure will tell them why the store card gets used so much on self-scan...exit polls of customers would make more sense than that.

I did have a couple customers ask what happened to the courtesy card, so I gave them the simple explanation. Most of them thought it was a dumb idea as well.

[DerangedHermit]

Thankfully, they didn't do that here - they must have put something in the bigwigs' dirty water up there. I don't know why they don't do the phone number thing like every other competitor in my area.

[Dreamstalker]

Ah, so it's not just us that doesn't do that. The explanation that ASM once gave me for not using a phone number is either:

a) complaints about 'violation of privacy' (around here, I can kinda see that actually)

and/or

b) the fear that a customer can steal someone's gas points. That baffles me...if all they have is a phone number, what can they do? We used to be able to use a code that would let the customer enter their phone number, but that's been disabled finally

[Skittles88]

The thing that I don't get: people are SO worried about their purchases being tracked through a rewards card, and yet they all pay with credit cards. And use Google. And have smartphones.
Like really the only reason they track purchases is so they know what to put on sale and whats selling better etc etc.

[Aethian]

I love how one store is tracking my purchases. I got butt loads of coupons for stuff I really buy.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The thing that I don't get: people are SO worried about their purchases being tracked through a rewards card, and yet they all pay with credit cards. And use Google. And have smartphones.
Like really the only reason they track purchases is so they know what to put on sale and whats selling better etc etc.

Just another example of those kinds of people dreaming so small.

The store already has all the information they need. The customer willingly gave that when they filled out the application for the rewards card.

[ComputerNecromancer]

FEM last night told me that DM wanted to know why card use was so low in this district (maybe store, I don't know). We get a lot of people who are out for a run or quick errand and didn't bring their full wallet/keyring, some people from out of town who will only be in once, etc. I think some customers have been listening to the paranoia claims stores can track what you buy and even if you have a card to tell the cashier to use the store card (because Dog forbid we find out you buy a lot of rice pudding). I'm still confused how changing the procedure will tell them why the store card gets used so much on self-scan...exit polls of customers would make more sense than that.

Oh, but customer won't do the exit poll, or will get annoyed.

Yeah, still makes no sense.

Around here, they still use the phone number thing.

And for the record, at every store I deal with, even only occasionally, one of the two following numbers will work:

(area code)-123-4567
(area code)-234-5678

The second is required because *some* self-checkouts actually check the format of the number (123 is not a possible phone exchange)

[Gilhelmi]

The thing that I don't get: people are SO worried about their purchases being tracked through a rewards card, and yet they all pay with credit cards. And use Google. And have smartphones.
Like really the only reason they track purchases is so they know what to put on sale and whats selling better etc etc.

Um, I am one of those people (sort of). I only pay cash these days. I do not have a smartphone, nor will I get one. And I do not trust the government. (they know I do not trust them, so I am free to tell anyone that I do not trust the government)

[Dreamstalker]

The "Forgot My card" (manager card) button was working perfectly fine...no phone number needed, just press it and go. Of course, it was a bit of a pain to find the button; it was located under the produce menu. Customers had been telling me that it should be easier to find...it'll be easier if they don't have to look for it because it doesn't exist

I sort of got an explanation from MOD. It's to make sure an associate is always in the SCO area...which one is. I still don't get it. This nonsense still means we can't watch everything, and given how glitchy our SCOs are (and that some people will intentionally or unintentionally steal shit) you need to be able to cover all four at once. As long as we only have one person for four kiosks, someone is going to have to wait more than three seconds no matter what.

MOD said that is supposed to keep SCs from yelling and throwing things...like they weren't before

[DerangedHermit]

I sort of got an explanation from MOD. It's to make sure an associate is always in the SCO area.

They should install the bag rack self-checkouts in more of their stores - they pop up with a cashier assistance message every five seconds.

Either that or switch the selfscan voice to Samuel L. Jackson...

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Either that or switch the selfscan voice to Samuel L. Jackson...

COURTESY CARD, MOTHERFUCKER! DID YOU SCAN IT!?

[Tama]

This is the funniest commenting ever.

[mjr]

I'm not saying I agree with the removal of the courtesy cards, but consider this:

If the courtesy cards are just attached to a string, there's really nothing to keep the customer from detaching the courtesy card from said string, and just continuing to use it.

[Dreamstalker]

Before, there was just a 'forgot card' button. Now, the courtesy card is (or should I say is supposed to be) on the same lanyard as the assistant/audit cards. The idea being if you forgot your card "the self-checkout associate will be happy to scan a manager card for you". Not so sure about the "happy" part when said associate is being yelled at by people on the three other stations at the same time.

I say supposed to be because some bright spark punched the corner hole on the courtesy card way off from the one on the other cards, so they don't fit on a lanyard without--as happened yesterday--breaking the clip when trying to scan one but not the other(s). I have a few sturdy lanyards that will work, but I'll be damned if I'm going to bring them in and leave them. They want something that works, they pay me to go get it. Until then, all they get is a basic keyring (that I can put on my own lanyard when I'm there).

(edit: there is a second card floating around, doesn't seem to be registered to anyone and I suspect someone 'lost' the manager card and just grabbed one from a register)