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> Mainly because I support the idea of automation and want it to work well. I must be missing something. Where is the automation? It's just the customer doing

> Mainly because I support the idea of automation and want it to work well. I must be missing something. Where is the automation? It's just the customer doing all the work instead of an employee.

ricardobeat 7y ago
I don't know what it looks like in the US, but here in Europe it is often faster / more convenient to use the self-checkout. The lines are shorter, it's easier to bag everything, and it's easier to keep an eye on all the prices. Plus there are random inspections every now and then, and usually cameras on each machine. To top it off, they don't take cash, only debit cards, so it's very easy to find any wrongdoers. I wonder if the anonymity of cash is part of the 'problem' here.
- swsieber 7y ago
  U.S. resident here: every where I've been the self check out mostly supports cash. Sometimes there will a machine or two in "card only" mode, presumably due to running out of bills/coins.
  - michaelmrose 7y ago
    Machines that take cash require 10x the maintenance and are much more expensive. Having some without even the ability to take cash is a cost saving measure. If it looks like it could take cash but isn't right now it is probably jammed up or broken. This happens all the time.
- mb_72 7y ago
  "Europe" covers too many countries and supermarkets to make such a generalisation, I feel. In Estonia at our local supermarket the self-checkout lanes / machines are often extremely busy, and also introduce the chance of getting stuck behind a number of people who have problems using the machine or who are just slow. We know who are the fastest operators at the 'manual' check-out, and it's easier to watch prices as they are scanned when one doesn't also need to be doing the scanning.
- gambiting 7y ago
  I don't know which part of Europe you're referring to, but I've used self checkout machines in both Poland and the UK and pretty much all of them always accept cash. There's no issue with anonymous purchases using self checkout machines at all.

> Mainly because I support the idea of automation and want it to work well. I must be missing something. Where is the automation? It's just the customer doing all the work instead of an employee.

ricardobeat 7y ago

I don't know what it looks like in the US, but here in Europe it is often faster / more convenient to use the self-checkout. The lines are shorter, it's easier to bag everything, and it's easier to keep an eye on all the prices. Plus there are random inspections every now and then, and usually cameras on each machine. To top it off, they don't take cash, only debit cards, so it's very easy to find any wrongdoers. I wonder if the anonymity of cash is part of the 'problem' here.

swsieber 7y ago
U.S. resident here: every where I've been the self check out mostly supports cash. Sometimes there will a machine or two in "card only" mode, presumably due to running out of bills/coins.
- michaelmrose 7y ago
  Machines that take cash require 10x the maintenance and are much more expensive. Having some without even the ability to take cash is a cost saving measure. If it looks like it could take cash but isn't right now it is probably jammed up or broken. This happens all the time.
mb_72 7y ago
"Europe" covers too many countries and supermarkets to make such a generalisation, I feel. In Estonia at our local supermarket the self-checkout lanes / machines are often extremely busy, and also introduce the chance of getting stuck behind a number of people who have problems using the machine or who are just slow. We know who are the fastest operators at the 'manual' check-out, and it's easier to watch prices as they are scanned when one doesn't also need to be doing the scanning.
gambiting 7y ago
I don't know which part of Europe you're referring to, but I've used self checkout machines in both Poland and the UK and pretty much all of them always accept cash. There's no issue with anonymous purchases using self checkout machines at all.