When first introduced, Home Depot's self-checkout could not deal with anything less than about 1/2 pound. The scale couldn't detect it, and the whole process would freeze. Of course, they had no one working the front of the store, so you just had to walk out and go to Lowes. (Which I did and never went back)
Lowes had a "do not bag this item" button on day one. It took HD 3 years to catch up and they lost a HUGE amount of market share.
I use whatever is most convenient, usually the self checkout. I look at it this way, if I can get in and out with less hassle then I am more likely to come back.
monark192 wrote:failboat wrote: I feel bad using the lines when buying beer. But not that bad. I'm not gonna wait in the regular line with all the schmucks with full carts.It is now illegal in Calif to buy alcohol in self checkout lanes. Prior to 2012, it always required an employee to check ID or hit OK on their end to verify age, delaying the process and usually making the regular lane quicker.
Illegal, as in, really illegal? Call the cops and get a citation illegal? Only in CA.
I think every state makes an employee verify the age before allowing you to continue to check out, mine included. Thats why I almost feel bad about buying beer at self-checkout.
I don't see why there cant be an employee at that kiosk all the time anyways, just like any other open register. It really irks me when they step away for a few minutes and I'm the shiny happy person waiting for them to verify my ID. I feel like that's not my problem.
z31maniac wrote: Quit buying your groceries at Wal-Mart and you can avoid many of the complaints in this thread.
Surprisingly, my local walmart does NOT have working self checkout machines. They have them, but they have never been turned on the few times I have been in that wretched hive of scum and villany
I have 3 Walmarts near me, but only 1 has the self check outs. When I've complained about the lack at the other 2 I was told that Walmart was going to phase them out.
carguy123 wrote: idiots shop at Walmart
QFT
i always go to real checkout lines unless i'm that guy running in for a sandwich for lunch. i feel the need to support the workers and hate that the self checkouts count for "we always have at least 6 lines open" BS.
self checkout took someone LOCAL TO ME's job, you know there was a cost-benefit analysis that figured they could eliminate 4 carbon based life forms and pay for the machines within 4 years then beyond that - profit. i could really care less about hong in china making parts for self checkout super number one time savings machine or billy bob in a shop down south assembling said parts. i care about my local people having work first.
I won't use the self checkout lines. First, it puts people out of work. Second, If I'm going to do the work for them, then I want a discount to go with it.
carguy123 wrote: I have 3 Walmarts near me, but only 1 has the self check outs. When I've complained about the lack at the other 2 I was told that Walmart was going to phase them out.
Are the stores that lack the self check in lesser neighborhoods? I suspect that the reason for removal is theft is too high.
Self check increases the honor system. Sure, there is a risk trade-off in saved wages but when the risk outweighs the benefit...
the one walmart near me is in a decent area..
And I agree that the self checkout lanes hurt the local economy.. that is why I almost always use it
At my local Winn Dixie, the regular lines can be 7-8 deep and the self check lines almost empty. Maybe these losers are so tech challenged they are afraid of them? Not my problem, I'm in and out.
Our Lowes has self checkout.
When I moved to Atlanta, I was amazed by these "self checkout" registers. By the time I moved from it, i hated them.
For one, they always end up having a longer line with people that have more than $100 worth of groceries they are buying
Second, the "one" attendant is never there whenever I run into a problem. My bag of air of potato chips can be off a squirrel's fart and the machine will notice it and won't let me proceed. Then I have to wait as the attendant is going to get the "correct" WIC cheese for the woman with the crying baby, complaining that she needs another pack of Virginia Slims.
I absolutely love them, but you have to remember when it's the right tool for the job. Our Kroger & Ingalls (another grocer) have them. When you're just picking up some basic stuff, they're fantastic. OTOH, if you're buying a basketful of gourmet weirdness for a dinner party, the regular lines will be better. Ours have been here long enough that the people who don't know how to use them have stopped trying.
One of the Wal-Marts in our area eliminated their self-checkout, most of the time we go to the other one now (about 1mi. further away).
jrw1621 wrote:carguy123 wrote: I have 3 Walmarts near me, but only 1 has the self check outs. When I've complained about the lack at the other 2 I was told that Walmart was going to phase them out.Are the stores that lack the self check in lesser neighborhoods? I suspect that the reason for removal is theft is too high. Self check increases the honor system. Sure, there is a risk trade-off in saved wages but when the risk outweighs the benefit...
No, the ones without self check out are the nicer ones in nicer areas. Fancy people demand real people to check them out even if they have to wait an hour in line?
So do the anti self checkout crowd also boycott ATMs? I mean really, it is the exact same thing. Oh and vending machines and self serve gas stations?
Here in Oregon it is for some silly reason against the law to pump your own gas. When I go to Washington and use one of the empty self serve stations with one guy locked up in a box I always feel a bit weird. There would be at the minimum 3 people working at the same station in Oregon.
ditchdigger wrote: So do the anti self checkout crowd also boycott ATMs? I mean really, it is the exact same thing. Oh and vending machines and self serve gas stations? Here in Oregon it is for some silly reason against the law to pump your own gas. When I go to Washington and use one of the empty self serve stations with one guy locked up in a box I always feel a bit weird. There would be at the minimum 3 people working at the same station in Oregon.
Or computer terminals at Libraries, DIY mail stations, or any number of other things. Probably not.
I used to be the attendant for a self-checkout machine when I worked at a grocery store in high school and the beginning of my college years. I didn't consider them hard to use.
Now every time I try to use one at the local grocery store, the thing goes out of it's way to screw things up.
Computers 
I love self checkout machines, especially when I have memorized how they work. You don't even have to listen to the chick instruct you on what to do if you are fast enough. Swipe your stuff, a couple of memorized button presses, swipe your card, and go!
Depends on what I'm getting. 20 items or less? Self checkout. More? Attendant. The lines also affect the decision. I really know how to work the things though, so it is usually about the same amount of time.
Fun story about the checkouts: The first time we saw one was about 4 or 5 years ago now in Terre Haute, Indiana. We were driving from Chicago to Owensboro, KY to a funeral and stopped at a Meijer to get snacks and dinner for later--it was probably about 11:00PM and nobody was in the store. We get some snacks, a bucket of chicken, and one of those 4 packs of crappy wine for Mom and Dad. The one open attendant lane had a person with a ton of items, so we decide to meander over to the self checkouts. When we scan the wine, the attendant comes over to ask Dad for ID. Dad at this point is 53 with gray hair that is going silver and his two teenage sons standing right there. He slowly points to his hair. Apparently not good enough for the attendant, Mom just pulled out her ID to avoid the argument.
I've gotten lots of free E36 M3 at the self check. When the machine is screaming at me: "PUT THE THING IN THE berkeleyING BAG!" Who am I to argue?
carguy123 wrote: I have 3 Walmarts near me, but only 1 has the self check outs. When I've complained about the lack at the other 2 I was told that Walmart was going to phase them out.
THAT SUCKS. Partially because when i'm in Walmart it's for 2 things. Hot Wheels and fruit punch. Fruit punch I could care less about- but the last thing I want is some minimum wage clod mangling all my cards more than they already are.
Anti-stance wrote: Why, because people in general are inconsiderate. One more reason I am ready to move away from society.
Yep. I've seen this more times than I care to remember... Unfortunately, at one of the supermarkets I frequent, the self-checkout IS the express line and on a normal day there may be 2 or 3 normal lines open.
I always treat a self-checkout as a race to see how fast I can get through it. The damn computer is never fast enough.
Apparently some of you have actually used self-checkouts that work. I will choose to use them if the warm-body lines are crazy long and I don't have a basket full of a week's groceries. Even in those scenarios, the self-checkout usually fails. I've had some decent experiences where the attendant is very much used to the failings of the machine, and is quick to render assistance. I remain ideologically opposed to the idea as it replaces a human with a machine and the customer loses.
1988RedT2 wrote: Apparently some of you have actually used self-checkouts that work..
That right there is most of it. HomeDepot is a prize example of making them not work. At least in my experience. The weight factors are wrong for almost everything, so the machine balks for almost every item, requiring manual override from the non-existant supervisor, for each item.
Many others are just baffling or difficult. I never have figured out what the "alternate id" is that the one grocery store wants. Since I can't figure the answer out, it won't let me play.
All the grocery stores seem lousy when it comes to produce. God forbid they have a sticker I could put on the bag of apples or carrots I selected. No, I'm supposed to do a 100 step drill down and guess the right type at checkout, complete with no reverse for the times I make a mistake.
I don't use computers because it puts typewriter repairmen out of business.
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