Community Chat

[Porcelain]

Most big retail companies have wanted to do this for a long time. So Covid is probably as good an excuse as any. But self checkout is just temporary. It's not the end goal.

In the very near future there won't be any checkout at all. The rfid tags attached to the products you have in your cart/bags will ping automatically as you leave the store and the total will be automatically charged to your credit or debit card.

They already have an Amazon store like that up and running. People who have tried it said that it eerily felt a little like shoplifting.

[Mimi 1883]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

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@Jordan2 wrote:

I am old school, I like to checkout with a human being! I am not confident in my ability at self checkout, I'll only do it if I have to and when I only have a couple of items. I also feel this takes jobs away from people who need one, usually there is only one worker at the self checkout to help if you need it.

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This is me.  I want someone to do the work. I do not want to do it.

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@SeaMaiden  Agree. I wish there were even gas station attendants to put gas in the cars. 

[on the bay]

I now get pick up thanks to @Kachina624 , recommendation-thanks again!

And if you have pick up, the ones at our Walmart are so friendly and wearing masks and you just open your trunk. I rarely wait more than 5 minutes for them to come.

But before that I started using self check out because I liked that I had more control over how packed and that I was the only one loading the groceries, not a checker who had also been exposed to everyone elses that they had touched or breathed on. 

At first it may be hard to get used to slef checkout but then you get like a pro and can whiz on through or go at your own pace.

And there are employees near by with masks to help with anything you need help with.

So, if you are wary about self-checkout, maybe just give it a try and see if you like it.

[Mominohio]

They better have real belts and lots of space if this is what they are going to. 

Many of our local stores in general took out the long belt self service registers and replaced them with the tiny little self service areas that you can barely fill 4 bags on. Every time you move a bag to continue they were thinking you stole something and locking you out, and you had to wait for an employee. 

They finally started limiting the self checkout to like 12 or 15 items. 

Most of our big stores have over 20 regular checkouts, but rarely more than three or four are open. 

I am to the point where I don't mind doing a self checkout (well before covid anyway, now I'd rather not touch the screens) but they have to make it conducive to large carts full of merchandise.

[HerRoyaLioness]

Always use self check out when I don't have a full cart.  I think it is a great idea, although for various reasons, they will still need some cashiers.

Forgot to add that the grocery store I go to the most has a couple long-belt self check outs and it works good for those who have more items and have another person with them to bag the groceries.

[catter70]

I try not to use them. All this kind of thing will just keep putting more people out of work.

[Diamonds22]

Yesterday was my first time out in 3 months because of the virus & I stopped by CVS & they had all self checkouts, no cashier except to help someone that was having trouble in self checkout. Evidently this has happened in the last 3 months because they didn't have them before. Also I am finding more & more stores are having self checkouts & less cashiers so be prepared as this is the way of the future.

[willdob3]

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@lovesrecess wrote:

Walmart is testing a store with self check-out only. No cashiers.  They will increase this model if this one is successful. The article didn't mention the location. The WM near me has 28 cashier checkout lanes......and I have never seen more than three open....the self check-out area has six spots. The experimental store will mean everyone bags their own stuff....even if they have a huge basketful of items.  Do you think their experiment will work and we will be losing even more chances of a live person checking our groceries?

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@lovesrecess  I’m unlikely ever to walk into a WM again. As long as I can order online and pickup or use delivery there is no reason for me to go into a store (any store) again. 

If I were so inclined, I would not go to a store with self checkout only. I never used that option at any stores in the past and would not want to in the future.

[FancyPhillyshopper]

First, I live in Philly and there are probably eight Walmarts in driving distance.

DH almost always uses self-checkout lane at Walmart when he is picking up a few items.

However, when we do major pet food shopping, and have two carts full, we always go to a cashier even if we have to wait a while in line, because they are faster and efficient with large loads.

One of our Walmarts in a more low-income area originally had self-checkout, but had to get rid of it due to scams, theft and so forth.

Most Walmarts here now have plexiglass at check-out and the cashiers wear gloves and masks.

[Peaches McPhee]

There are always plenty of complaints and reservations whenever a store does anything new.  I remember a long time ago,when they went to scanning of UPC codes.  There was a unroar because the unit price was going to be on the shelf, not on the item itself.  People got used to this, and we will get used to checking our own items too.  Because we have to.