CycleChat Investigates - Self Service Tills

[FrankCrank]

I'm a fan of them here. I go regularly to the local supermarket, so ideal for a small basket of stuff.

Back in Thailand, we're slowly moving over to all this new technology. At petrol pumps, staff are on hand to fill up, and we always pay cash, but can see that all changing in the near future. Oh well, that's progress.

 

[Gwylan]

Dreadful, half developed, bugger's muddle.
The technology has not got there yet and I don't see why I should be a guinea pig whilst they sort it out.
Rarely goes without some hitch or another requiring an employee to sort it.
The fat they need an attendant suggests that the system is far from complete or suitable.

Forces me to work to suit the machine. Not the machine to deliver the service that reflects the needs of the store to collect money from me.

Also why do they need to video me whilst I'm doing that?
What happens to the video?
Where did I give them permission to video me?

I will not use them.

 

[oldwheels]

I detest the things as I always get in a fankle and have to wait for assistance.
Oban Aldi do not have them [yet ] but Lidl does and they are better for some items like yoghurt for example.
In Lidl I ask a staff member to open a till and they always do and a queue forms behind me immediately. If they will not open a till promptly I am prepared to leave a full trolley for them to deal with and go elsewhere.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I love them, purely for the reason I can do some shopping and not have to interact with anyone.

 

[Brandane]

I prefer them.
I wish "Lidaldi" would get them; I have never seen self operated check outs in any of their branches. And queuing to pay for shopping (in fact queing for ANYTHING) is another of my growing list of pet hates.
If Sports Direct had them (or even sufficient manned tills) then I wouldn't have walked away from a £90 purchase yesterday of a pair of trainers (Glasgow Argyle Street branch). I had tried them on, decided to buy; so the assistant who had gone and got the trainers for me then took them and put them behing the counter at the till, where only 1 person was on duty (at a bank of about 6 tills). I was told to join the queue of 3 people to pay for them. Fair enough; but the person in front of me was buying half the stock of T shirts in the place! And each one had to be removed from it's hanger, have the security tag removed, then scanned, folded and placed in a bag. Then, the customer notices that one of her purchases is the wrong size. So it has to be voided on the till which involved summoning a supervisor, while another member of staffed joined in the faffing around behind the till. No sign of any of them wanting to open another till - so I walked away. I suspect none of the staff could care less about the lost sale, but it's not just that. I won't be back in another Sports Direct, and in fact I am quite annoyed with myself for going into the place at all. Is it not part of Mike Ashley's empire? I won't buy anything he has a hand in if I can help it.

 

[steverob]

I wish "Lidaldi" would get them; I have never seen self operated check outs in any of their branches. And queuing to pay for shopping (in fact queing for ANYTHING) is another of my growing list of pet hates.

My local Lidl had some self-checkouts when it opened (~2020?) but took them out last year and put an extra standard checkout in their place. Co-incidentally (or not) my local Aldi then got some self-checkouts a few months later having not ever had them before.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I prefer them.
I wish "Lidaldi" would get them; I have never seen self operated check outs in any of their branches. And queuing to pay for shopping (in fact queing for ANYTHING) is another of my growing list of pet hates.
If Sports Direct had them (or even sufficient manned tills) then I wouldn't have walked away from a £90 purchase yesterday of a pair of trainers (Glasgow Argyle Street branch). I had tried them on, decided to buy; so the assistant who had gone and got the trainers for me then took them and put them behing the counter at the till, where only 1 person was on duty (at a bank of about 6 tills). I was told to join the queue of 3 people to pay for them. Fair enough; but the person in front of me was buying half the stock of T shirts in the place! And each one had to be removed from it's hanger, have the security tag removed, then scanned, folded and placed in a bag. Then, the customer notices that one of her purchases is the wrong size. So it has to be voided on the till which involved summoning a supervisor, while another member of staffed joined in the faffing around behind the till. No sign of any of them wanting to open another till - so I walked away. I suspect none of the staff could care less about the lost sale, but it's not just that. I won't be back in another Sports Direct, and in fact I am quite annoyed with myself for going into the place at all. Is it not part of Mike Ashley's empire? I won't buy anything he has a hand in if I can help it.

Our Aldi in Kendal recently got them.

May have put their sales up too, as when we needed just a few bits (we hate queueing) that we usually get their, we would default to Morrisons or Sainsbury (both with self-service checkouts) - not any more.

 

[Mo1959]

I prefer them.
I wish "Lidaldi" would get them; I have never seen self operated check outs in any of their branches. And queuing to pay for shopping (in fact queing for ANYTHING) is another of my growing list of pet hates.
If Sports Direct had them (or even sufficient manned tills) then I wouldn't have walked away from a £90 purchase yesterday of a pair of trainers (Glasgow Argyle Street branch). I had tried them on, decided to buy; so the assistant who had gone and got the trainers for me then took them and put them behing the counter at the till, where only 1 person was on duty (at a bank of about 6 tills). I was told to join the queue of 3 people to pay for them. Fair enough; but the person in front of me was buying half the stock of T shirts in the place! And each one had to be removed from it's hanger, have the security tag removed, then scanned, folded and placed in a bag. Then, the customer notices that one of her purchases is the wrong size. So it has to be voided on the till which involved summoning a supervisor, while another member of staffed joined in the faffing around behind the till. No sign of any of them wanting to open another till - so I walked away. I suspect none of the staff could care less about the lost sale, but it's not just that. I won't be back in another Sports Direct, and in fact I am quite annoyed with myself for going into the place at all. Is it not part of Mike Ashley's empire? I won't buy anything he has a hand in if I can help it.

Got them in our Aldi in Crieff.

 

[Low Gear Guy]

The poll is missing the option of I like to use them to get rid of the collection of pennies I found down the back of the sofa.

 

[Alex321]

Dreadful, half developed, bugger's muddle.
The technology has not got there yet and I don't see why I should be a guinea pig whilst they sort it out.

What is missing from it?

Rarely goes without some hitch or another requiring an employee to sort it.
The fat they need an attendant suggests that the system is far from complete or suitable.

Usually goes without a hitch for me, unless I have coupons.

Forces me to work to suit the machine. Not the machine to deliver the service that reflects the needs of the store to collect money from me.

I absolutely do not understand this point at all?

Also why do they need to video me whilst I'm doing that?
What happens to the video?
Where did I give them permission to video me?

When you enter the store. All the supermarkets that have self service tills will also have CCTV, and it normally covers all the checkout area, plus other areas.

I will not use them.

Your choice, of course (until they do away with manned till entirely).

 

[Mike_P]

I always pack after I have paid, avoids any annoying issues with the bag confusing the till if trying to pack as scanned. The exception to that is using the self scanners in Sainsbury's where items are cheaper doing that and it's useful to check an item is discounted as indicated. The other is you can see how far you are off being able to use £x off £y spend voucher. The classic a few years back was picking a cycling review of the year magazine which tipped the cost beyond £y but itself was less than £x.

 

[Illaveago]

I won't use them ! I'm not being paid as a member of staff so why should I. I said that I would leave my stuff by the till and walk out if I had to use them . They put the stuff through the till for me .
There is a member of staff there not doing anything so why should I ?

 

[classic33]

Used one years ago at the Owlcotes Centre years ago. The machine insisted the sandwich was £135, not the £1.35 on the price tag.
Staff were unable to correct it or void it, leaving closing the machine as the only option.

 

[farfromtheland]

Staff were unable to correct it or void it, leaving closing the machine as the only option.

Similar mass phenomenon in large supermarket here last week - all the auto tills went funny so huge queues at 'proper' tills.

 

[classic33]

Similar mass phenomenon in large supermarket here last week - all the auto tills went funny so huge queues at 'proper' tills.

That weren't me, I'm innocent this time!!