The Self-Checkout Nightmare May Finally Be Ending
(gizmodo.com)
from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 10:00
https://lemmy.world/post/10819249
from L4s@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 17 Jan 2024 10:00
https://lemmy.world/post/10819249
The Self-Checkout Nightmare May Finally Be Ending::Self-checkout is a failed experiment, and a growing number of stores are backpedaling on these cursed machines.
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This is the best summary I could come up with:
Don’t ring the funeral bells just yet, but the self-checkout kiosk horror show could be nearing its end.
Stores across the country are reversing course on the machines, and consensus is growing among analysts and insiders that self-checkout has been a disaster for consumers and retailers alike, according to a new report in the BBC.
Dollar General made enormous bets on self checkout tech in 2022, but it recently announced the project flopped.
Shoppers are reportedly 21 times more likely to sneak items past machines than human cashiers, but consumers also constantly steal unintentionally because the self-checkout process can be so cumbersome.
Not only do self-checkout machines double theft rates, they actually increase labor costs thanks to employees who get taken away from their other duties to help customers deal with the confusing and error prone kiosks.
But a growing number of consumers are souring on self-checkout, thanks to endless frustrations, accusations of theft, and wasted time.
The original article contains 441 words, the summary contains 157 words. Saved 64%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
No please… I love self checkout :(
Agreed. Since when was self-checkout considered a failure?
Since they increase theft/loss rates. If the increase in losses is greater than the saving in wages, they are a failure.
It’s not. Don’t believe everything posted on the internet and this Com. Bury this bullshit.
For real. The wait is often shorter than the cashiers’ lines, and I don’t have to interact with anyone. 99% of the time that someone has a problem with them it’s user error. Though I do hate that the ones near me can no longer be muted.
Agreed, also i like to stack my bag very methodically with heavier and more sturdy items at the bottom, cold things together, interlock and tetris everything so the bag has its own integrity and doesnt collapse and spill items out into the car after a corner.
Yes i know the checkout person also stacks in a similar fashion but they are paid the slap it through and into a bag as fast as possible to serve the next customer and i dont mind sacrificing an extra 15seconds of my day over the bag stacking operation to do it right.
Man, where does everyone in the comments live that it still works like this? Where I’m at, they basically have attempted to replace like 90% of cashier jobs with these machines. There is often either no cashier at all, or one single cashier with like 5 people in their line, each with shopping carts filled to the brim.
The self checkout lines routinely reach lines of 10+ people with many old people who struggle using the machines forced to use them and gumming up the operations more. I avoid going to the grocery store like the plague during any kind of higher traffic time because I don’t want to wait in line for 15 mins.
Other issue with self checkout machines is that some places (Kroger, looking at you) weigh the bag every time you scan an item before you can scan the next, which makes things go soooooo slow.
That’s how it is by me too; very few lines open with an actual person. I’d prefer not interacting with anyone, but the self checkouts are just a reason to hire fewer people. Years ago, they used to have two people at every register at grocery stores; one to ring people up and the other to pack the bags up. You rarely see this anymore unless the cashier is being trained.
In addition to that, on the occasions that I do use self checkout, I almost always have an issue with one of the items and then the one person they have overseeing ten checkout lanes needs to finish what they’re doing and come over to me just to fix the issue so I can finish scanning the rest of my stuff.
So when I’m using self checkout, I’m doing unpaid labor just because the store wants to increase profits and it often ends up being slower depending on how much produce I’m buying.
The weighing thing is really the biggest unsolved issue so far. Too often they freeze the process and call for a checker on any little bump where the weight appears to momentarily change.
Not to mention that I prefer using my own bag(s) when I can, and whenever I go up to a manned checkout especially with a bagger and hand them my bag to use, at least half the time they start to panic as if they haven’t seen this before, and then they’re eager to start using the plastic bags after my bag is barely half full. This is even in stores that sell their own reusable checkout bags. At the self checkout, I can use my own bag worry-free and fill it however full I want, and if I overfill it, that’s my problem and not on the store, so they don’t have to worry either.
It would be insane to take them out completely they are an introvert’s dream and most people prefer them for smaller shopping trips. Now if every store went to the scan and go model then I would be okay with them being gone. Scan items as you shop and then pay from your phone. The only interaction is an employee at the door just quick checking your receipt by scanning a few of the items. It’s glorious.
This or Amazon’s trial store where you walk in and it just tracks you based on the photo of your face you upload to your account are the way forward
We should do everything in our power to avoid face tracking. Its truly disturbing that we are allowing private companies to have this power, going as far as to invite it by uploading a picture of ourselfs to them.
I mean we might find a way to create a decentralised open source face tracking which would solve the issues of business being evil… Except face tracking or not businesses will find a way to be evil due to common greediness.
Nightmare?
Lol is this a late night infomercial?
… yes! That is exactly what this shit is, actually. Just, not limited to that medium/timeslot anymore.
Ugh…
That is the key point here. Use them to replace the express lanes but dont replace all checkout points with them.
Now that is bullshit… how can it cost more to have someone spend part of their time to help a customer when they have a problem vs having an extra person help them full time during checkout.
WTH… I really don’t understand why this person hates them so much. Seems to have some hidden agenda but I cannot for the life of me tell what it is.
What a nightmare. 😜🤪 Ehr I mean what nightmare? 🤔
IDK, maybe pandering to people who are chronically against any kind of change?
The #1 argument against any sort of automation is that it replaced workers and concentrates wealth for the few; increasing wealth inequality.
If we lived in a society with strong safeguards, redistribution of wealth, and economic mobility, most of the people who currently oppose automation would not.
I say this as someone who automates jobs.
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what a crazy article. self checkout isnt going anywhere. this person is just a technophobe.
I love self checkout. That being said, people who can’t even remember their own names and are technologically illiterate have no business being in the self checkout.
Self checkout works fine here, and I like that I can skip the line for faster checkout when I only have a few items.
But maybe that’s because no shops have bet heavily on it, it’s only an added option, you can still use traditional cashier checkout everywhere here.
Nobody in here mentioning theft as the reason. Target and other stores have said they may be rolling back self checkouts as well.
If enough people steal via self checkout they will go away. (This is not shopping/self checkout advice)