It finally happened....

[Arcus]

The local Kroger recently got self-scam units...

My local store is getting those too. We are in a nicer area, so that means kids that think all electronics are toys. Everyone I've talked to is sure the first week will be kids running around using them like ray guns and shooting each other (and whatever tag just happens to be close to them.) I already know of two of the stockers that are planning on quitting the day those things go live.

This is going to be a mess.

[notalwaysright]

Oh yuck. I don't understand, the idea doesn't seem like it will save anybody any time. I mean, using the regular SCOs does take longer than a cashier would, but for a small amount of items, it's faster to have many SCOs for many customers, rather than long lines and a SC fighting over a $.40 coupon and holding everyone up.

But the scan each item and bag as you go thing... Well, I'd have to see it in a store I guess. Our stores are so crazy all the time, it would be hard to even keep track of the scanners much less the items and transactions. It only takes a fraction of a second to imagine the loses a store will take from people taking the bags, filling them, and dancing into the sunset.

[Dreamstalker]

This is exactly what happened/happens at my old job that does have the scan-and-bag things. Occasionally the scanner will trigger an "audit" at checkout (associate comes over and has to scan several random items)...it's far from foolproof and astute thieves will figure out in a nanosecond how to get around it.

[Mental_Mouse]

That happened to the store I shop at too. The store got people to start using them by closing all but one of the normal cashiers. Now you walk in and see 8 SCOs and one regular with a long line of people with huge carts full. ...

In other words, "Customers hate them, so we'll MAKE the customers use them!" And then they wonder why sales are down and shoplifting is through the roof.

[EricKei]

First thing I'm going to ask in this training is: have the other stores been using/proven them before now? (I suspect the answer will be no)

Pff. The answer will never be "No." The answer will be "Our CEO LOVES the idea -- therefore, it's brilliant! It's bound to work!" etc etc


The main issue with self-scans, aside from the obvious appeal to thieves, is accidental theft. I've used them three times already, and each time, I've caught myself (prior to reaching the register), realizing that I forgot to scan something simply out of habit. I don't even wanna think about the losses from someone doing that on purpose.

It is nice not to have to wait in a line, drag everything out of the cart, and then get it all back into the cart -- I just did our family Thanksgiving dinner shop last night. I did have the foresight to load up a shit-ton of digital coupons from their site, however. ("Look at how much money I saved!") -- I'm so glad that most of their coupons stack together, even when it makes no gorram sense for them to do so. I have given up on using paper coupons entirely; fuck that noise.

[catcul]

In other words, "Customers hate them, so we'll MAKE the customers use them!" And then they wonder why sales are down and shoplifting is through the roof.

They're trying to keep their *real* customers, AKA shareholders, happy. I'm afraid if I say anymore, I'll be into Fratching territory all the way up to my , I mean ankles.

[EricKei]

Cursing is fine, cat; the overwhelming majority of us are adults here Just as you don't go full Andrew Dice Clay on us, we cool
For those not old enough to remember, ADC's version would have come out more like "Ayy, mutha, you can curse up a storm if'n ya like, ya know? ! Just so long as you watch your filthy mouth, ayyyy!"

[Blue Ginger]

Kmart here in Oz has started putting there checkouts in the middle of the store and the self checkouts right next to the door. The self checkouts are rarely manned by anyone. Theoretically, the greeter several feet away could 'help' but that means there is no one at the door.

I've watched someone load a large amount of items into a trolley, walk around the back of the register 'pod' while their co-offender pulled out a random long receipt from somewhere, then walk straight out the door. They went straight past the greeter as they were distracted with another shopper. Easily $200 worth of linen, kids clothes, toys and shoes in that trolley. (Walking around the back of the register pod makes it look like you have gone through the line to the greeter at the entrance of the store.)

I refuse to go near the self check outs. I've somehow crashed them at 3 different stores now. (Big W, Coles and Kmart.) I swear I'm not Newton Pulsifer from Good Omens, but some tech just hates me. I crashed the whole Big W store. All I did was press 'no' with the store card question. It was down for nearly an hour.

At any store that only has SCO, or doesn't have normal registers manned, I tell the person that they will have to do it for me and I keep at least 3 steps away from them. When they complain, I just tell them 'I crashed a whole Big W store. Do you want me to crash your store too?' Most just give me a funny look and do the transaction for me.

Seriously, I've had 2 IT departments ban me from doing any updates, even one's that are a click here and here, then restart your computer. They would come at lunch to do my computer.

[EricKei]

Yer a wizard techbane, BG!...Congrats? *fizzle* *pop* *BOOM!* Noooo, my compooter!

[Blue Ginger]

My nerdy, tech understanding housemate has just pointed out that I could actually be a wizard. A wizard in the Harry Dresden universe though.

But I figure I'm more of a Wizzard. I'm like Rincewind, disaster follows me, goes ahead of me or I somehow bump into it. (I've been known to end up in the middle of protests, have walked around incredibly dangerous areas without noticing and avoided two riots by minutes.)

[EricKei]

Closest I've ever come to that was avoiding being part of a 12-car pileup when our car hit some bit of metal on the highway at 80mph and spun out in the median, only avoiding a flip because the muddy ground had such a good grip on our shredding tires. If I can ever find the damn pics, I'll post them -- One includes a car carrier truck that WAS part of said pileup.

[greek_jester]

Closest I've ever come to that was avoiding being part of a 12-car pileup when our car hit some bit of metal on the highway at 80mph and spun out in the median, only avoiding a flip because the muddy ground had such a good grip on our shredding tires.

Don't ever bother buying a lottery ticket, it sounds like you used up all of your good luck that day! I'd love to see the pics if you ever find them, though; sounds epic. I hope no-one was seriously hurt, of course.

[EricKei]

Nah, it was just myself and my brother; he was driving, and we were both fine (he had informal training/experience in how to properly handle spinouts). It helped that we were in a fairly heavy car ('95 Mustang). The friction from the spinout turned one brand-new tire into shredded rubber; we had to wait a good 45 minutes for what was left to cool down enough to change the damn thing.

In the meantime, we watched half a dozen cop cars, two fire trucks, and four or five ambulances speed by. The last one stopped to make sure we were OK, so we asked about what happened. When they told us about the pileup, we just told them not to worry about us Once we were back on the road, we just took the next exit so we could avoid the worst of the resulting traffic.

[mhkohne]

The main issue with self-scans, aside from the obvious appeal to thieves, is accidental theft. I've used them three times already, and each time, I've caught myself (prior to reaching the register), realizing that I forgot to scan something simply out of habit. I don't even wanna think about the losses from someone doing that on purpose.

It's even worse than that. When you have a path that can lead to accidental theft, then you've given every scammer who isn't a complete idiot a built-in defense. As long as a significant number of the items in their cart are scanned, they've got a more-or-less bulletproof way out of being prosecuted - 'oh I messed up! So sorry!'. LP may know what's going on, but there's no way you'll get a conviction if they've got at least 1/2 a brain cell firing.

So yea, I'm not a fan either (I like my grocery prices where they are, thanks. I've no desire to subsidise theives.)

[Mental_Mouse]

Blue Ginger: That bit of personal magic has many names (some of them unprintable), but I call it "the breaking touch". I've heard claims that it's the mark of a "natural" QA/QC tester.