Community Chat

[Imaoldhippie]

How does self check out differ from pumping your own gas?

[reiki604]

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@Imaoldhippie wrote:

How does self check out differ from pumping your own gas?

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When you pump your own gas, it's a few cents per gallon cheaper than full service. If they did that in retail stores, I'd be more prone to self check out. As it is, unless you put me on payroll and give me an employee discount, I din't work for the store.

[Bookplate]

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@northiie57 wrote:

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@Bookplate wrote:

I won't use self-check out.  If a store can't be bothered to hire cashiers, I can't be bothered to shop there.  

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Bookplate ever think the store cannot get cashiers because they pay peanuts and they have tried to hire?  Money talks period.

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Yes, of course that is a valid point.  However, I don't believe the decision to reduce personnel and install self-check out stations stemmed from from a labor shortage.  In my area, CVS made this move years before the pandemic.   Rather, it's a corporate decision to save money on payroll, and unfortunately I believe it is taking over.  

[Still Raining]

Absolutely the best thing left after Covid is curbside pickup.  Why did we ever trudge through a store.

[MoJoV]

They have us pumping our own gas, checking our own groceries...were any prices lowered when they eliminated the "middleman"?   Certainly not. 

I like scanning my own groceries, hate pumping gas. Also like checking myself out at the library.

[sometimesQVCaddict]

If it makes you feel high class to use a cashier, knock yourself out! Trust me, everyone of all income levels use self check out.

Writing, emailing or calling companies repeatedly to express your displeasure in self check outs will just get you laughed at internally by whoever is unfortunate to receive it. Its also a waste of time, but again, go for it if it makes you feel better to do so. They are not going away, and will only be increased in number in the future.

Staff is needed to monitor these self check outs and/or assist shoppers when needed. So they still employ people for this job.

I personally prefer it as I can bag what I want in each bag & if eggs or bread get crushed it's my own fault! Plus it eradicate mindless chitchat which I'm not a fan of with the cashiers. Or the opposite of getting someone too busy on their phone or in a bad mood to bother even to say hi, and they just grunt out the total.

On a rare occasion or if I have a million things I'll use a cashier, but 9 out of 10 times I go for self check out!

[sometimesQVCaddict]

I don't use curbside or delivery for groceries as it costs 20-30% more for my items than if I physically go inside the store, plus I can't pick out my own stuff.(check expiration dates, check meats, fruits & veggies for freshness, etc.)

If I was disabled or like when covid was bad, I can see using this type of service though!

[gardenman]

One of the British YouTubers I follow Jasmin (known as Jazzybum on YouTube) went to the Amazon store in London and was surprised to find no checkouts at all. No manned checkouts or self-checkouts. You just sign in as you enter the store and then they have cameras watching you and the shelves as you shop. They monitor what you're picking up and then when you leave the store, you're charged for the items you took. She and her boyfriend picked up a bottle of hand sanitizer and were convinced they weren't charged for it, then the charge appeared a few minutes after they left the store. 

With modern technology fully implemented (limited entry to established online customers with up-to-date payment information) and close store monitoring and RFDI tags on items, checkouts just disappear. There is simply no need for them. That will be the future of retail for stores that can afford it. Shoplifting disappears in such stores. (Assuming people don't crash through the limited entry.) It's pretty impressive stuff. Expensive to implement, but cost-saving over the long term.

[KCDiva]

I love checking out my own groceries. I finally figured out the produce which I buy a lot of. I go home with a least half the number of bags they use and I pack it the way I want to. No problems at all. I prefer it.   

[occasionalrain]

I don't do weekly full cart shopping. I can always use the, 12 item limit aisle. I like self checkout, and pumping my own gas. I won't use curb side or instalacart unless I become disabled. I want to choose my own produce. I don't  want to be restricted to a list of items without the option of buying something I may come upon that appeals, or something new to try.