5 ms·

Good move, but removing self checkout in SF is annoying

Larrikin 2y ago
I'm not an employee being paid to scan and bag my items and it's only time saving over a trained employee if it's less than a few items. Oftentimes not even then, if I bring my own bag and the scanner demands an employee come over after every item because the scale is off by a couple of grams. Completely awful experience if there's more than one alcoholic drink as well.
- gunapologist99 2y ago
  I agree. It seems to be ok if it's just a few items, and if the employee isn't being needed to supervise more than four self-checkout stations, like at Lowes or Home Depot. But stores that go overboard on this (like Walmart) are incentivizing us to actually spend less and definitely not fill a cart. An employee staring at us like we're robbing the store doesn't help either when we're trying to do things properly. I always feel like a SWAT team is standing by in case I put something on the wrong side, and the stores are happy that I feel that way because perhaps then I'm less likely to steal, but really I'm more likely to click "Buy Now" on a website. Best Buy is an example of a store that has processes that are mostly welcoming, even with relatively high-value and easily shoplifted items, and they don't have or need self-checkouts. Perhaps that's because their margins are higher or because they have such a short distance between their segregated checkout areas and the anti-theft associate standing by the door.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- lotsofpulp 2y ago
  I love self checkout because I always only buy a few things and the scanner pretty much never fails for me. And if it does, the employees are usually quick to fix it.
- zanecodes 2y ago
  Where I live, self-checkouts almost universally have a "Use my own bag" button, that prompts you to place your empty bag on the scale and then tares it after you press the button to continue.
  - redwall_hp 2y ago
    Scales are like two years out of fashion. Target and Walmart are using cameras and machine learning now. Almost no false positives, but someone's going to come and take a look if you bag something without scanning it. I noticed it once when I paid for pharmacy items at Walmart and later put that bag into the bagging area when I bought grocery items. It flagged it as an unscanned item and notified the attending associate. All in all, it's a superior experience to waiting in regular lines or having to talk to people. Ultimately, I want to just scan and pay with my phone without the kiosk bottleneck.
- jerlam 2y ago
  The time I'm saving is not waiting in line because some stores are ludicrously understaffed. Targets in my area don't suffer from this, but I know of one grocery store location that seems to have a single cashier, even on the busy weekends. This was true before self-checkout. I used to avoid this location at all costs, but with self-checkout it is somewhat bearable to pick up a few items. There isn't even someone at the self-checkout station to help you out if needed.
  - Larrikin 2y ago
    I guess I just don't understand this mind set, especially at a grocery store where many items don't have a bar code. At a poorly owned and and managed grocery store, that is chronically understaffed, as someone giving them money, you'd rather temporarily become an unpaid employee and waste your time looking up the product codes for apples and onions, using a system that's purposefully less efficient than what the real cashiers use, instead of just going to a store that doesn't make you work for them to pay them money. In places where it's as bad as you've described there's often a line and wait for self check out. I've just abandoned my shopping and went somewhere else if I have over a handful of items
    - jerlam 2y ago
      I wouldn't go out of my way to this store, but it is next to some places I frequent. I would not waste another 30 minutes of my time going to a completely different store in some attempt to avoid being an "unpaid employee", my time is valuable.
- kylebenzle 2y ago
  The trade off is you save money, items cost less, and you save time as there can be more self checkouts open compared to people available.
  - Larrikin 2y ago
    Are there any studies that show stores didn't eliminate employees and raise prices anyway?
nephy 2y ago
It’s unfortunate, but they have to curb rampant shoplifting somehow. I can’t think of a better solution off the top of my head.
- gunapologist99 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - chomp 2y ago
    The greater Houston area is over 8000 sq miles, it’s larger than New Jersey. I count 17 Targets in the north west quadrant alone. You're gonna have to be more specific about where in Houston does or does not have a shoplifting problem.

I'm not an employee being paid to scan and bag my items and it's only time saving over a trained employee if it's less than a few items. Oftentimes not even then, if I bring my own bag and the scanner demands an employee come over after every item because the scale is off by a couple of grams. Completely awful experience if there's more than one alcoholic drink as well.

gunapologist99 2y ago
I agree. It seems to be ok if it's just a few items, and if the employee isn't being needed to supervise more than four self-checkout stations, like at Lowes or Home Depot. But stores that go overboard on this (like Walmart) are incentivizing us to actually spend less and definitely not fill a cart. An employee staring at us like we're robbing the store doesn't help either when we're trying to do things properly. I always feel like a SWAT team is standing by in case I put something on the wrong side, and the stores are happy that I feel that way because perhaps then I'm less likely to steal, but really I'm more likely to click "Buy Now" on a website. Best Buy is an example of a store that has processes that are mostly welcoming, even with relatively high-value and easily shoplifted items, and they don't have or need self-checkouts. Perhaps that's because their margins are higher or because they have such a short distance between their segregated checkout areas and the anti-theft associate standing by the door.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
lotsofpulp 2y ago
I love self checkout because I always only buy a few things and the scanner pretty much never fails for me. And if it does, the employees are usually quick to fix it.
zanecodes 2y ago
Where I live, self-checkouts almost universally have a "Use my own bag" button, that prompts you to place your empty bag on the scale and then tares it after you press the button to continue.
- redwall_hp 2y ago
  Scales are like two years out of fashion. Target and Walmart are using cameras and machine learning now. Almost no false positives, but someone's going to come and take a look if you bag something without scanning it. I noticed it once when I paid for pharmacy items at Walmart and later put that bag into the bagging area when I bought grocery items. It flagged it as an unscanned item and notified the attending associate. All in all, it's a superior experience to waiting in regular lines or having to talk to people. Ultimately, I want to just scan and pay with my phone without the kiosk bottleneck.
jerlam 2y ago
The time I'm saving is not waiting in line because some stores are ludicrously understaffed. Targets in my area don't suffer from this, but I know of one grocery store location that seems to have a single cashier, even on the busy weekends. This was true before self-checkout. I used to avoid this location at all costs, but with self-checkout it is somewhat bearable to pick up a few items. There isn't even someone at the self-checkout station to help you out if needed.
- Larrikin 2y ago
  I guess I just don't understand this mind set, especially at a grocery store where many items don't have a bar code. At a poorly owned and and managed grocery store, that is chronically understaffed, as someone giving them money, you'd rather temporarily become an unpaid employee and waste your time looking up the product codes for apples and onions, using a system that's purposefully less efficient than what the real cashiers use, instead of just going to a store that doesn't make you work for them to pay them money. In places where it's as bad as you've described there's often a line and wait for self check out. I've just abandoned my shopping and went somewhere else if I have over a handful of items
  - jerlam 2y ago
    I wouldn't go out of my way to this store, but it is next to some places I frequent. I would not waste another 30 minutes of my time going to a completely different store in some attempt to avoid being an "unpaid employee", my time is valuable.
kylebenzle 2y ago
The trade off is you save money, items cost less, and you save time as there can be more self checkouts open compared to people available.
- Larrikin 2y ago
  Are there any studies that show stores didn't eliminate employees and raise prices anyway?

nephy 2y ago

It’s unfortunate, but they have to curb rampant shoplifting somehow. I can’t think of a better solution off the top of my head.

gunapologist99 2y ago
[flagged]
- chomp 2y ago
  The greater Houston area is over 8000 sq miles, it’s larger than New Jersey. I count 17 Targets in the north west quadrant alone. You're gonna have to be more specific about where in Houston does or does not have a shoplifting problem.