Self Checkout Line Complaint

[Dreamstalker]

Sometimes if I have my light on there's nobody in line, but the second I shut it off (break/bathroom break/manager needs me to do something else) a crowd appears. We can't close down if someone's started putting their crap on the belt, but have to wait for a lull I'll shut down if someone just leaves after plopping stuff on the metal platform at the end...they didn't put it on the belt

I've thought that someone should invent a conveyor belt material that either sprouts spikes or becomes electrified when the lane light is off...

[Monterey Jack]

This. And THEN when they get to a register that doesn't happen to have a line, which happens more often than they realize, they either ask if I'm open (Is my light on???) or they exclaim how it's such a miracle that they've walked up to a register with no line (OMG this never happens!!! Actually yes, yes it does.).

You wouldn't believe how often customers will walk by a register with no line...to one right next door with three or four people waiting. It's like people just plain can't accept that, if a register is open, there are periods when there's a lull and no customers are waiting. And multiple customers will do this in a row!

[notalwaysright]

You wouldn't believe how often customers will walk by a register with no line...to one right next door with three or four people waiting. It's like people just plain can't accept that, if a register is open, there are periods when there's a lull and no customers are waiting. And multiple customers will do this in a row!

As a customer, I have probably done this. But at the store I like if no one is waiting the cashier will turn around and chat with the cashier behind them. I used to just move on (there are seriously like 30 registers) but now I know, if they're just hanging out they are open.

The other day I went to a self check out, right when a huge horde all wanted to leave at once. I swear, the guy behind me was SO impatient, and even worse when I whipped out like 5 bulk food bags that have to be weighed and number punched in. But guess what? I was done before anyone else because I actually know what's going on.

[wolfie]

I've thought that someone should invent a conveyor belt material that either sprouts spikes or becomes electrified when the lane light is off...

Probably simpler to add an extra setting to the belt switch (I assume it has "off" and "on until the light beam is blocked") and a diagonal light sensor (to catch anything on the belt). With this new setting, if it detects something being placed on the belt, it runs in reverse for one full belt length after the sensor detects "empty".

[Dreamstalker]

At triple speed so whatever it is gets catapulted across the store

I swear I've seen belts like that someplace...

Ours have three switches, and I have no idea what the middle one is for or if it even works. The only sensors they have are right at the end before the 'pinch point' where the belt loops back underneath, and they don't always work (the sensor on one register is permanently blocked by something so that it only works if you keep toggling the switch, and another only works if a finger is actually on the switch when it is in the on position). I was expecting that when the POS units were replaced the entire thing would be ripped up and redone.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You wouldn't believe how often customers will walk by a register with no line...to one right next door with three or four people waiting. It's like people just plain can't accept that, if a register is open, there are periods when there's a lull and no customers are waiting. And multiple customers will do this in a row!

The local Walmart Inbred Carnival has two banks of four self-checkouts. Out of the four, one will be closed, another will have its "assistance needed" light flashing while the attendant is staring off into space, and a third will be in use by somebody with a heaping cart of groceries.

These are the ones the customers will generally line up at, leaving me to get stuck with the open self-check with no line. Hahahahaha.

[DerangedHermit]

You wouldn't believe how often customers will walk by a register with no line...to one right next door with three or four people waiting. It's like people just plain can't accept that, if a register is open, there are periods when there's a lull and no customers are waiting. And multiple customers will do this in a row!

It's especially funny with the way my store has self-checkout.

       S      | |  | |   O   D    O
              | |  | |   O        O
       S      | |  | |   O    D   O

The S's are mini-registers just for our portable scanners; there are two lanes with belts immediately to the right of it, then there are two columns of three selfscans with bagging areas. The ones with bagging areas are 12 items or fewer, mostly because of practicality issues. People ignore the two belt lanes all the time if the store's busy and will line up at the bagging area ones with a big cart. I sometimes send them to the belt lines, though if they come into the area being obnoxious, I'll let them stay on the bagging area selfscan and they'll realize why it says "12 items or less" very quickly.

Also, I hate the displays that they put in the middle of the selfscans, especially the one filled with disgusting cookies only old ladies eat. There's not usually enough room for two carts to get through, and everyone gets pissed off at being blocked by the display.

[Legacy_of_Torment]

Oh dear Lord, ANYONE who's ever used self checkouts knows that they're anything but fast when there's a queue of clueless ahead of you. And it's safe to assume that 9 out of the 10 people ahead of you are clueless, so suck it up and wait or just go to a manned checkout. It's not rocket science!

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket to get some food for dinner. I walked straight past the clogged self checkouts, with the giant queue to... the manned checkout bang next to it, with zero queue. I said to the cashier, "Don't they know you're open?" She replied, "I've tried telling them that they can come here, but they won't. So I've given up."

What kind of moron prefers to wait in a humungeous queue rather than walk straight on to an empty checkout?

[Estil]

Why on earth would self-checkout lanes be fast lanes!? What a delusional concept.

In practice the self-checkout and the "express" lane (especially if not consistently enforced) are more like the slow lanes. :P

[EricKei]

Me! Lately I've been very tempted to post daily (both about customers AND co-workers) but I wouldn't want to flood the boards.

Actually, many people here would probably enjoy that ^_^ If you wanna keep the volume of posts down to a manageable level, you can always write them up (and later tweak them) in a document on your desktop, and just post another once the first has fallen off of the front page or wherever it's posted. If you mean that you're worried about the actual posts being too long, don't -- we consider "TL;DR"-type comments to be four-letter words around here

In the meantime, welcome to CS!

[Ironclad Alibi]

What kind of moron prefers to wait in a humungeous queue rather than walk straight on to an empty checkout?

The same kind of moron that drives through the cones closing off the forecourt instead of diving two blocks to a gas station that is actually open.

The same kind of moron that says they're in a hurry because they're late, and spends the next 20 minutes complaining about inconsequential stuff.

And there are many more.

[Evannah]

The same kind of moron that drives through the cones closing off the forecourt instead of diving two blocks to a gas station that is actually open.

The same kind of moron that says they're in a hurry because they're late, and spends the next 20 minutes complaining about inconsequential stuff.

And there are many more.

Reminds me of the time this bloke got mad because of the queues (as I remember, I was only actually serving A customer. There WERE no queues). He told me he'd got a bus to catch, it'd be my fault if he missed it, blah blah blah. Then he ordered another cashier on because of 'his bus'. He was so rude. She finished his transaction for him and the jerk went outside, got in his car and drove off...