Most of my gripes have been about customers that I have had to deal with, but this is about one that I have to stand behind.
At most stores now they have a small section in the express area for U-scan. U scan is the wonderfully amazing system that removes the cashier and instead trusts you to scan things and place them in your bag. I have wanted to write a “how too” and post it on a sign hanging over the U-scan for some time now.
1) If you are technologically illiterate then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Anyone that can read and follow simple instructions can do it, but if you are afraid of technology then you should probably leave scanning items up to a trained professional.
2) If you think you already know more than the machine then perhaps U-scan is not for you. There are some little rules that if you ignore will slow your entire process down.
3) If you buy a lot of produce then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Unless there are really good item code stickers on everything, you are probably going to be stuck no knowing what to enter. This is best left to a professional.
4) If you are paying with a gift card, some cash, and a credit card then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Paying with a credit card is Uber fast. Paying with cash that is close to exact (i.e. your bill comes to $18, you pop in a $20) is good and fast. If you have an $42 bill and plan on paying with quarters and dollars that you found on the street….please find a tall building, climb to the top, and do a concrete swan dive.
5) I don’t really have a point 5, but a list with only four points looks silly. I guess this would be a good time to point out that this is an EXPRESS lane. That whole 15 items or less applies here more than anywhere. 20 is not 15. In fact, as much as I like the u-scan, I don’t go there with more than about 10 items, or 2 bags worth of stuff. More than that clogs up the bagging shelf I will discuss later.
Now, if you are not one of the 4 people listed above, then please continue.
Ok, first off, there are some things to know. Some things are hard to enter into the register. Fresh veggies and bulk food for example require a code. If you don’t have that code, it is very difficult to enter. Make sure all clothes and other strange items have a tag on them. It is safe to assume that every box of cereal has a bar code, but watch out for hardware and other items that you don’t buy as regularly. It is all about comfort. I use the u-scan all the time, so I have no fear of fresh fruit, because I put the forethought into making sure that there is a sticker on my bananas (it’s #4011 in case you were wondering). At first I would suggest buying only a few items and paying with a credit card, as that is a simple transaction and can help you learn the process.
The process:
1) Touch the screen anywhere to begin. I suggest a random corner to avoid the middle of the screen getting worn out as fast.
2) It may ask you to select a language.
3) Scan an item.
4) put the item in the bag. Please note, there is a scale under the shelf where the bags are. The system has an assigned weight for everything. If you scan a koolaid and then drop a frozen turkey into the bag it will know, and stop you. If you don’t put an item in the bag it will know and stop you. And MOST importantly, if you take an item off the shelf before everything is paid for, it will stop you. This rule is the bane of the people from category 1 and 2 above. They don’t READ THE FREKIN SCREEN when it tells them to put the item in the bag. Then, when the first bag gets full, they don’t read the screen when they take the bag and put it in their cart, and wonder why the “dumb machine” is not letting them keep going. It is stopping you because you can’t read. READ THE SCREEN, READ THE SCREEN, READ THE SCREEN!!!
5) Once you have bagged the item, then scan the next item and bag it. Repeat as necessary.
6) Hit the “end order” button. The machine is not magical, it can not see that your cart is empty.
7) Pay the machine. I don’t suggest a check unless you have it already filled out for everything but the amount. I don’t even suggest cash unless you just got your money from the bank. This thing scans in the money like a vending machine. If you carry your money balled up in little wads stuffed in your sweaty cleavage it will not take it. I would 100% support making these machines credit / ATM only.
8) NOW (an at no other time previous to now) you can remove your groceries from the little shelf. If you ignored my advice prevous to this, and have more items that will fit inside two bags, you will have to use a third bag. To do this, remove a full bag from the holder, sit it next to the holder on the shelf, begin filling the third bag. If you have filled the fourth bag, and there is no more room on the shelf, then please seriously consider employing Jack Kevorkian, as you are terminally stupid.
In fact, not only do I support a Credit card / ATM only, I have a better idea. If the sign says “15 items or less”, the moment you scan the 16th item it adds a $20 “stupid tax”. If you scan a 20th item it will add a $50 “pain in the ass tax”. For every item over 20 it adds a $10 “I’m an ass, and I have no concern for the people behind me that have a legitimate right to use this machine, so I’m going to help lower their bill” tax. The $10 from that last tax is deducted from the people behind them in line. So, if SC scans 24 items, they are charged that $10 tax 4 times, so the next 4 people in line get $10 deducted from their bill. I think that would make the U-scan a lot more friendly place to visit.
I hope this helped.
At most stores now they have a small section in the express area for U-scan. U scan is the wonderfully amazing system that removes the cashier and instead trusts you to scan things and place them in your bag. I have wanted to write a “how too” and post it on a sign hanging over the U-scan for some time now.
1) If you are technologically illiterate then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Anyone that can read and follow simple instructions can do it, but if you are afraid of technology then you should probably leave scanning items up to a trained professional.
2) If you think you already know more than the machine then perhaps U-scan is not for you. There are some little rules that if you ignore will slow your entire process down.
3) If you buy a lot of produce then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Unless there are really good item code stickers on everything, you are probably going to be stuck no knowing what to enter. This is best left to a professional.
4) If you are paying with a gift card, some cash, and a credit card then perhaps U-scan is not for you. Paying with a credit card is Uber fast. Paying with cash that is close to exact (i.e. your bill comes to $18, you pop in a $20) is good and fast. If you have an $42 bill and plan on paying with quarters and dollars that you found on the street….please find a tall building, climb to the top, and do a concrete swan dive.
5) I don’t really have a point 5, but a list with only four points looks silly. I guess this would be a good time to point out that this is an EXPRESS lane. That whole 15 items or less applies here more than anywhere. 20 is not 15. In fact, as much as I like the u-scan, I don’t go there with more than about 10 items, or 2 bags worth of stuff. More than that clogs up the bagging shelf I will discuss later.
Now, if you are not one of the 4 people listed above, then please continue.
Ok, first off, there are some things to know. Some things are hard to enter into the register. Fresh veggies and bulk food for example require a code. If you don’t have that code, it is very difficult to enter. Make sure all clothes and other strange items have a tag on them. It is safe to assume that every box of cereal has a bar code, but watch out for hardware and other items that you don’t buy as regularly. It is all about comfort. I use the u-scan all the time, so I have no fear of fresh fruit, because I put the forethought into making sure that there is a sticker on my bananas (it’s #4011 in case you were wondering). At first I would suggest buying only a few items and paying with a credit card, as that is a simple transaction and can help you learn the process.
The process:
1) Touch the screen anywhere to begin. I suggest a random corner to avoid the middle of the screen getting worn out as fast.
2) It may ask you to select a language.
3) Scan an item.
4) put the item in the bag. Please note, there is a scale under the shelf where the bags are. The system has an assigned weight for everything. If you scan a koolaid and then drop a frozen turkey into the bag it will know, and stop you. If you don’t put an item in the bag it will know and stop you. And MOST importantly, if you take an item off the shelf before everything is paid for, it will stop you. This rule is the bane of the people from category 1 and 2 above. They don’t READ THE FREKIN SCREEN when it tells them to put the item in the bag. Then, when the first bag gets full, they don’t read the screen when they take the bag and put it in their cart, and wonder why the “dumb machine” is not letting them keep going. It is stopping you because you can’t read. READ THE SCREEN, READ THE SCREEN, READ THE SCREEN!!!
5) Once you have bagged the item, then scan the next item and bag it. Repeat as necessary.
6) Hit the “end order” button. The machine is not magical, it can not see that your cart is empty.
7) Pay the machine. I don’t suggest a check unless you have it already filled out for everything but the amount. I don’t even suggest cash unless you just got your money from the bank. This thing scans in the money like a vending machine. If you carry your money balled up in little wads stuffed in your sweaty cleavage it will not take it. I would 100% support making these machines credit / ATM only.
8) NOW (an at no other time previous to now) you can remove your groceries from the little shelf. If you ignored my advice prevous to this, and have more items that will fit inside two bags, you will have to use a third bag. To do this, remove a full bag from the holder, sit it next to the holder on the shelf, begin filling the third bag. If you have filled the fourth bag, and there is no more room on the shelf, then please seriously consider employing Jack Kevorkian, as you are terminally stupid.
In fact, not only do I support a Credit card / ATM only, I have a better idea. If the sign says “15 items or less”, the moment you scan the 16th item it adds a $20 “stupid tax”. If you scan a 20th item it will add a $50 “pain in the ass tax”. For every item over 20 it adds a $10 “I’m an ass, and I have no concern for the people behind me that have a legitimate right to use this machine, so I’m going to help lower their bill” tax. The $10 from that last tax is deducted from the people behind them in line. So, if SC scans 24 items, they are charged that $10 tax 4 times, so the next 4 people in line get $10 deducted from their bill. I think that would make the U-scan a lot more friendly place to visit.
I hope this helped.
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