Are we sure it's 15 items or less... HEB and Walmart dont say that, well the ones in Katy dont.. I'm all for them if they can help keep costs down... I know it's sad that it use to be someones job, but money talks...
I think one of the problems that came up with the registers is fact that they dont have a "en espanol" option. A lot of the people I run into at the grocery stores around the south side of Houston don't speak english, so when they get in one of those self checkout lanes they get stuck. Another problem is produce. Some stores provide you with a list of all the produce complete with their SKU# so you can punch it in, weigh them, and be on your way. The ones that don't have that list, however, are a big pain in the ass.
Bingo. I hate looking up the damn produce codes....you know, green pears are 4016 but green New Zealand pears are 4017.
I like them, but I am used to them. Anything that speeds up the process I'm for. For standard checkouts, I would also like to see people paying with checks and counting coupons be sent to another line all together. I hate waiting at the grocery.
I am 100% with you there. But I had my first bad experience with one up here in Pittsburgh. At this one Giant Eagle (THE grocery store - there's almost nothing else), they had this weird self-checkout where you scan something, then put it on the conveyer and it moves the item past this electronic eye. If the item doesn't pass the eye, it reverses the conveyer, and refunds the cost of the item. The problem I had was that my items weren't usually making it past the eye, so I had to just manually move the item past the eye every time. It was a royal pain in the ass . . .
my main beef is i feel they are easy to use, but it seems people make it harder than it is. the screen tells you exactly what to do. "touch screen to start. scan item. pay with CC or Cash? take reciept." working at the library with self checkouts, i run into the same problem. the screen tells (there's also an animation) people to scan the barcode under the laser. yet, they keep looking for a slot to put their card in. and then they get fustrated b/c they don't bother to read and follow instructions.
As said by several, I like them but it sucks when somebody who doesn't not understand the machine gets up there and tries to use it.
These are the greatest invention ever. I try to exclusively shop at stores that have self checkouts. I only buty 10-15 items for an entire week's worth of groceries, and I don't mind waiting in line for a few minutes. It's actually faster. Each manned checkout has a one cashier line, but in self checkouts, there is usually 1 line to access 4-6 self checkout lanes, therefore, the lines move a LOT faster.
I love it. I can self scan and pay much faster than a typical Stop-N-Go employee can get me checked out. Now that I have gotten used to Kroger's self-scan, I find myself tapping the screen where I know the button will appear in a few seconds.
At the Kroger on Tidwell and Antoine there is never anyone in the self check lines. I go through there no matter how many groceries I have. What's really cool is that if the bill is less than $50, you don't even have to sign the CC receipt. I didn't know that until recently. The only downer is that damn "please wait for cashier" thing that happens. I don't know what causes that. There's really no reason for it. It just happens.
The not signing the CC receipt for under $50 is new at Kroger's. They just started it 5 weeks ago at my Kroger's (Voss and San Felipe) I love that. I'm in and out faster than a virgin on prom night.
For produce, you dont usually have to look up the code from the list. Its right there on the fruit's sticker
I despise them. I don't even like shopping at grocery stores that have them, even if I don't use them. They eliminate jobs. And, because they have the self-check-out lines, they have fewer cashiers working, which makes the cashier lines longer and slower. On top of all that, they've got a person there watching to be sure you don't steal -- so they cast doubt on my honesty while I do their work.
I enjoy self checkout lines, but I also shop at non-peak times. If there are people in line, I go for a cashiered line.
I worked at Kroger a couple of years back, and 9/10 of my shifts were probably being the self-checkout cashier. As a job it sucked (mostly because of people that didn't know how to use it and didn't have the patience to learn), but as a customer I like them. I like them because I actually learned how to use them, unlike a lot of people...and I learned to use them before I even started working there. When I was working there they were relatively new, so there was a lot of feedback on them...I'd say it was about 50/50...people either loved them or hated them. Just to answer some of the questions that have come up in this thread, and to educate some of the "Watermelon scanners", I'll help out a little bit... First off, it is only FASTER if you only have a few items (I'd say 10 or less). Don't go to them with a cart full of groceries, even if there is no sign that says 15 items or less. As for the bagging, everything is done by weight. The computer knows the weight for each item in the store, so if you add anything before its been scanned, or remove something after it has been scanned (like picking up your bag and putting it in the cart) you will get an error. 4 out of 5 times when you get a "please wait for cashier assistance" it's because you've added something to the bag scale that hasn't been scanned (you might have thought it scanned), or removed something after its been scanned...and don't set your keys/wallet on the scale either, that'll throw it off. Oh, and don't bring kids around them! They will make the trip 3 times as long because they mess around with the machine and try to grab the bags and climb on the scale. Produce codes are usually on the sticker on the produce itself...if not just ask the cashier. Hope that helps... I've heard this a lot...but at least at Kroger they really aren't eliminating jobs (don't know if I can say the same for Wal Mart though). During daytime/slow hours, all they are really doing is replacing the traditional express lane person and having someone at the self checkouts instead. Any store is only going to have 1 or 2 cashiers during the daytime during the week anyway. During busy times like weekends, there will usually be the self checkouts, express lane, and the majority of the bigger registers open.
Yeah, they're "a-ight"...inevitably, something goes wrong and it takes longer then if some young punk did it...
