Frustrations of Self-Checkout

[pltkcelestial18]

Since learning how to run the self-checkout at work, they really like making me work over there and I end up closing a lot of times. I get that unless you're a regular and use the self-checkout regularly, you're not going to understand it as well as me, but sometimes people just don't listen or read the instructions >.<

When you scan something, it tells you to set it in the bagging area. No where does it say skip bagging then set it in there. If you're gonna put it in the bagging area, then do so and then it will allow you to scan something else. Whenever people skip bagging then put the item in the bagging area, it informs me that the weight is off.

When you set produce on the scanner it's not gonna scan itself. There's an option called item lookup (no it's not the Alt ID option, that's for looking up your shopper's card). Use it. And you can type in the name of stuff. We do get quite a few non native English speakers, but we have just as many English speaking people who choose not to type stuff in and just go looking half ass for the picture.

If you leave something on the scanner too long, it tells you to remove items from scanner. Listen to it and remove the items so you can continue checking out. Don't look around all confused. Listen or read what it says.

We also often get people who will scan their shopper's card halfway through the order then wonder why something didn't discount. Or something's supposed to be buy one, get one free. It sometimes doesn't take off all your discounts until you hit the button that says "Pay Now". I occasionally have people voiding stuff and then scanning it again so they can see that it's discounted, but it tells me whenever someone voids something. They don't even try to ask me about it or try to hit the pay now button. Again, I guess this comes back to the customer's just not knowing the machines, but you should just try to hit "Pay Now" and see what it does. Generally, when a customer asks about something not getting discounted, I don't say anything and just hit "Pay Now" and when they look at the screen, the light bulb goes off.

We also get people that try to stick money in the machines before hitting "Pay Now" and they complain to me that the machine won't take their money. We also get people who run their credit or debit cards before hitting "Pay Now" then just stand there looking around like "why isn't it going through?" When you're paying at the SCO, you have to hit "Pay Now" and then tell it that you're paying with a card. It even tells you when you hit "Pay Now" to select your method of payment. If I see a customer standing there looking confused at the pinpad, I'll walk buy and hit the card button without saying anything.

[rose_metal_nz]

I am soooo glad to have been reading your guys' threads about SCOs. We only recently started getting them in NZ (I live in the CBD so most of my local stores are more modem/upmarket, so therefore get them before the most the rest of the country) and it's prepared me to be much less of a SC
Of course, doesn't hurt that I *read* each screen & menu option, does it?

[ariekain]

I see a lot of what you mentioned. There's always some customers who walk up to the self checkout and just stand there staring blankly at it, and then they yell "Is there anyone who can help me?!"

There's instructions on the screen that are fairly simple and easy to read and understand. Most of the time, it's people who are proficient in English. I don't understand them.

And I do get all sorts of customers who refuse to move out of the way when I come over to help them, so I have to reach awkwardly to actually get to the screen. There was a particularly winning gentleman who asked for help then kept slapping my hand away when I tried to fix the problem for him. I guess he really didn't want my help.

[NCO]

I don't work at a grocery store but I sure do feel your pain. Self checkouts arrived in my town 10-12 years ago and back then it was great. They were too intimidating for the vast majority of local dimwits so us halfway intelligent types (who finished at least the 9th grade) could breeze in and out.

Now they're the prime camping spot for SC's who go into a store with the primary objective of holding up lines.

[kpzra]

I would hate it when I had control of a machine to add money to it and someone would exit that screen to try and use it. When they exit the machine would go into close mode so they still couldn't use it, but the fact that they would start pushing buttons on a screen that was not a welcome screen would piss me off. Of course, the light off, closed sign up, and the cabinet on the machine open with me sticking my head in it MUST mean it was open and ready.

[emax4]

I like them, but I try not to use them at certain stores. I don't like when I've gotten my receipt and within two seconds, the automated voice says, "Please remove all bagged items..." I know it's only programmed, but it just makes me feel rushed.

[Sedorna]

I've had an interesting type of self-checkout customer. I'm not sure whether they're just clueless, or really bad thieves. Basically the customer (and I didn't see who it was, since I was busy auditing a U-Scan-It order to really notice) scanned all their items, swiped their credit card, and walked off with their items.

Yep, they abandoned the machine that had their credit card information on hold, leaving it open for dishonest -- or just plain carelessly lazy -- people to add their items on. Fortunately, the people behind were honest, and I was able to complete the order. (It was under $25, so they didn't have to sign.) Now, I know some stores you don't have to approve the amount if it's under a certain amount, but still. You'd think they'd notice the lack of receipt or something.

[Chromatix]

I am firmly of the opinion that SCOs are only a good idea if you assume that customers are both honest and conscientious.

The very existence of this site, however, suggests that this is a false premise. I knew they would be a complete clusterfark as soon as I first heard of the concept, years before the first ones were actually installed.

[pltkcelestial18]

I've had an interesting type of self-checkout customer. I'm not sure whether they're just clueless, or really bad thieves. Basically the customer (and I didn't see who it was, since I was busy auditing a U-Scan-It order to really notice) scanned all their items, swiped their credit card, and walked off with their items.

Yep, they abandoned the machine that had their credit card information on hold, leaving it open for dishonest -- or just plain carelessly lazy -- people to add their items on. Fortunately, the people behind were honest, and I was able to complete the order. (It was under $25, so they didn't have to sign.) Now, I know some stores you don't have to approve the amount if it's under a certain amount, but still. You'd think they'd notice the lack of receipt or something.

oh I've had that happen before. It actually just reminded me of this lady I had come through once. She had gotten two pints of ben & jerry's ice cream and 2 pints of blue bell but scanned one of the blue bell pints four times, dropping in a pint into the bagging area each time she scanned it. I noticed it and voided two off and rang up the 2 ben and jerry's for her. I wonder if some of the customers don't realize we can see everything they scan.

[UncleImpy]

I feel your pain - the only thing about SCOs is that I wish they had an option for 'Im removing this full bag and starting a new one'. Invariably every time I take a bag out to put in the cart (or out of the way), the machine pitches a fit and I have to wait for the attendant to tell it no, the customer isnt stealing.

Makes me wanna just go back to a cashier.

[ariekain]

I wonder if some of the customers don't realize we can see everything they scan.

I'm pretty sure that, for some, that fact goes right over their heads. Yes, we're standing at the attendant station just because we can. It serves absolutely no purpose, none at all.

[emax4]

I feel your pain - the only thing about SCOs is that I wish they had an option for 'Im removing this full bag and starting a new one'. Invariably every time I take a bag out to put in the cart (or out of the way), the machine pitches a fit and I have to wait for the attendant to tell it no, the customer isnt stealing.

Makes me wanna just go back to a cashier.

Thank you! Someone else has the same issue. At least they don't yell at me to put an item in a bag if I don't want to (gallon of milk or tea). I've also found $1 or $2 left in the change big from someone that was too much in a hurry. Ironically, earlier that night that I found the money, someone else had left $1 from the parking machine where I worked at.

[pltkcelestial18]

I feel your pain - the only thing about SCOs is that I wish they had an option for 'Im removing this full bag and starting a new one'. Invariably every time I take a bag out to put in the cart (or out of the way), the machine pitches a fit and I have to wait for the attendant to tell it no, the customer isnt stealing.

Oh yea that gets old quick. When I notice someone come through SCO with a lot of stuff(usually late a night when we don't have any other registers open), I'll either go over there and help them or stand by the attendant station and keep the machine quiet.

Thank you! Someone else has the same issue. At least they don't yell at me to put an item in a bag if I don't want to (gallon of milk or tea). I've also found $1 or $2 left in the change big from someone that was too much in a hurry. Ironically, earlier that night that I found the money, someone else had left $1 from the parking machine where I worked at.

I've had people leave as much as $20. I'm always walking around the SCO stations and if I happen to see any bills left, I'll stick it in my register and put a note on it. Probably about half the customers are honest and will give me money left at the stations. I've also had customers come back and I've had to tell them I haven't found any money and there's nothing I can do about it. Usually at that point I just call a manager or supervisor over and they tell them the same thing: There's nothing the store can do about it. The other night a lady asked for I think like $4 back on her debit card, forgot it and then came back and asked me about it later. She said it was for parking the next day. I'm thinking "really? why would you forget money that you knew you needed for the next day? And would you really expect someone to actually turn in $4?" Sure it would be nice, but I think when most people see just a few bucks left, they'll take it, but if it's $20 or more, they'd probably be more likely to turn it in.

[Skeen]

I love SCO's. Unfortunately around here we only have them at the blue and gray hardware store, and that's probably due to the many reasons given in this thread.

But we had them where I went to college. I used them all the time. Probably the only time I had any difficulty was when I woke up around 3AM with a high fever and tried to buy Sudafed. The noises those SCO's make when you're off your head with a fever are really surreal.

[Gidgetdigit]

I love SCOs, too. Even better is the self-scan feature at my local supermarket. You scan your card, pick up your designated scanner, and scan and bag your items as you go through the store. When you check out, you scan the bar code over the register, then scan your card, and your receipt comes up, ready for payment.

It's the simplest thing to do, and the SCO registers repeat the directions for how to check out with Self Scan over and over again. I can check out $150 of groceries in 45 seconds. It's awesome, yet so many people are baffled by how it works. Heck, even my eight-year-old can do it (though she has problems scanning the bar code over the register because she isn't tall enough).

I also don't get, if you are not proficient with the language yet, why you would go to an SCO and try to follow the directions. That's what regular registers are for. I was in Italy, and they had completely different PLU codes and ways of weighing and pricing produce. I knew I wouldn't understand the spoken directions, so I just went to a regular cashier.