Do supermarket self-scans make checkout staff redundant?

[pogofish]

Well, I've just been over for milk, cat food and a cream cake and it took three different assistants to get me through the process.

One interviened when I locked the thing-up with an "unexpected item" when I put my bag in the bagging area.

Then it refused to read my card, so another lady swiped it for me. Then that was declned.

The supervisor finally hobbled over, reset the machine, then it all went through again, smoothly. Took longer than I spent going round the store.

 

[pogofish]

I like how half the posts here are talking about the self service tills whereas the OP was specifically talking about the "Shop 'n Scan" type handheld scanners that you just plug into a machine at the end

Only one store here ever made serious use of them - Morrisons in King St. Tesco may have had a few at their main store for a while.

In fact, it was one of the first stores in the UK to get them, around 2001. Which was probably an unwise choice as the place was shoplifting heaven within days, so eventually almost everyone using self-scan was getting double checked by security, which took as long as a conventional checkout.

Then there could be other pitfalls - I once followed a woman around the store and whenever her attention wasturned to the shelves/counters, her child sitting in the caddy would reach over to the scanner and enthusiastically rescan every item it could reach!

 

[soulman]

I use them if I've only got a basket. The quicker I can get out of the supermarket the better.

 

[shagnasty]

Each item you scan is weighed on the place at the side were the bags are any discrepency will cause it to bark unexpected item they have spent a lot of energy making sure they are shop lifter proof .also a member of staff monitors it on a screen at end of this checkouts

 

[Nine Bob Note]

.also a member of staff monitors it on a screen at end of this checkouts

We don't in Asda. "We" consider it poor customer service to stand behind a screen, even if they were designed with said screen for a reason (!)

Self-scanning guns aside - supermarkets have been experimenting with these for over a decade and they never amount to anything - self-scan checkouts, I suspect, are far from cost effective. As has been stated, the volume of shopping going four units could be scanned far quicker by a single person sat at a conventional till. They are also prone to breaking down, requiring an engineer to be called at great expense. You also get people walking off without paying when their cards are rejected and the usual shoplifting scams. All this adds up to far greater than the pittance any extra staff would earn.

They exist as a gimmick - nothing more. Some people believe they will be quicker in serving themselves, others are above communicating with the wage slaves sat on the main bank. Tesco has them, therefore Asda must have them. Asda has them, therefore Sainsbury's must have them. Etc...

 

[shagnasty]

I certainly would back the staff of asda in my local in colindale .as for the bosses maybe not .people like the personel touch at a checkout you go often enough you get to know the staff quite well

 

[MightyAphrodite]

THERE IS AN UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA

thats the worst innit. stupid fuckin things

 

[rover07]

I quite like these automated checkouts now, they save time if you just have a few items.

 

[danny la rouge]

Yes. But our local Sainsbury is paranoid, so they have someone watching their self-service tills.

Yes, but there's usually 4 self service tills and one staff member supervising.

I'd much rather deal with a person.

 

[EastEnder]

Self-scanning guns aside - supermarkets have been experimenting with these for over a decade and they never amount to anything - self-scan checkouts, I suspect, are far from cost effective. As has been stated, the volume of shopping going four units could be scanned far quicker by a single person sat at a conventional till. They are also prone to breaking down, requiring an engineer to be called at great expense. You also get people walking off without paying when their cards are rejected and the usual shoplifting scams. All this adds up to far greater than the pittance any extra staff would earn.

Just wait a few years, once it's economically viable to RFID tag individual satsumas, self-scan will be history. Scanning full stop will be history. Everyone will be made to herd past powerful sensors, a computer will detect precisely what's in your basket/trolley/inside-coat-pocket, and the only staff required will be a few burly guards at the exit to stop you making a break for it.

It's only a matter of time....

 

[ethel]

regarding your point that part time staff are not entitled to redundancy pay, this is not true! my college lecturer ried to claim this last week. PT staff have the same rights as full timers!

 

[keithy]

i know the op isn't specifically on about the self service tils but like... i just wanted to say that once i used one to nick an ice lolly. proper wild.

 

[kyser_soze]

Jesus, it's like reading about island natives being shown a TV for the first time and trying to talk to it. They're the easiest things in the fucking world to use. Of course, having 5 years of working behind a checkout makes it easier, but seriously...

 

[danny la rouge]

They're the easiest things in the fucking world to use.

It wouldn't matter if they gave me a blow job, I'm still not fucking using them.

 

[PacificOcean]

Safeway in Chalk Farm had the hand held scanners years ago.

I was going to try it once, but you needed two proofs of address and a passport to register for it - I didn't bother.

 

[pengaleng]

I HAAAATE selfscan

 

[pogofish]

We don't in Asda. "We" consider it poor customer service to stand behind a screen, even if they were designed with said screen for a reason (!)

They have someone doing exactly that at the store by me.

Usually a disabled woman TBH.

 

[MooChild]

If im standing in a queue, and one of the people asks if i would like to use the self checkout tills, i ask if i get a discount seeing as i'm doing the job of a checkout person.

Normally get confused looks, but why should i do their job for them.

 

[Almor]

If im standing in a queue, and one of the people asks if i would like to use the self checkout tills, i ask if i get a discount seeing as i'm doing the job of a checkout person.

Normally get confused looks, but why should i do their job for them.

This is sort of what I meant when I said earlier that if I wanted a job at Tesco, I'd try for a paid position, ymu.

I didn't read the original post properly and assumed it meant the self service checkouts because the last time I heard of any shop letting people scan their own stuff into the trolley was about 10 years ago, and I thought they'd given up due to all the thievery.

So they bloody well should.
Why should we keep jobs just for the sake of them?

Well it's not just for the sake of the job is it?
It's for the sake of the staff, and the customer. It's not like the move to robots doing peoples jobs is giving us the glorious sci-fi utopia it was supposed to.

 

[DRINK?]

I always use the check out assistants....round our way the Waitrose check out girls seem to moonlight from modeling college or something, plus I'd balls up the automated thing and / or inadvertantly shoplift / break it etc

 

[XR75]

Well it's not just for the sake of the job is it?
It's for the sake of the staff,

Are supermarkets one big charity that has creating unnecessary jobs as part of its charter?

 

[kabbes]

What makes a retail job "necessary", XR75, if not the needs of the customer?

 

[danny la rouge]

Are supermarkets one big charity that has creating unnecessary jobs as part of its charter?

'Unnecessary' here is not a neutral, value-free judgement.

 

[XR75]

What makes a retail job "necessary", XR75, if not the needs of the customer?

As you can see I did not mention customers in my quote.
Imagine the system works flawlessly for the customer if that helps.

 

[kabbes]

As you can see I did not mention customers in my quote.
Imagine the system works flawlessly for the customer if that helps.

So you are saying that if I postulate a perfect robotic artificial intelligence, plus a perfect robotic system of mechanical aid then supermarkets wouldn't need to employ anybody? Well no shit. NOBODY would need to employ anybody if we had that kind of technology.

I'm more interested in the real world, where customers do still need people to help them.

 

[danny la rouge]

Beep, place the item in the bagging area.

I said, which aisle are the eggs in?

Beep, place the item in the bagging area.

 

[EastEnder]

Brixton Sainsburys certainly seems far less efficient since the self-scan stuff replaced half the checkouts. It's farcical to watch - no one's quite sure where to go, which bit of the queue is the "end", who's queuing for tills, who's queuing for self-scan, etc.

 

[nino_savatte]

THERE IS AN UNEXPECTED ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA

Uh huh...all one has to do is breathe on it for it to do that.

 

[Crispy]

Bring a helium balloon with you and tie it to an item you don't want to pay for.

 

[kyser_soze]

Beep, place the item in the bagging area.

I said, which aisle are the eggs in?

Beep, place the item in the bagging area.

You think someone working on the checkouts will be able to tell you that? HA! You're lucky these days if the fucking shelf stackers know something like that, let alone the checkout people.