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self service checkouts.
morcus - 9/5/12 at 04:42 PM

Seen and heard alot of things moaning about self service checkouts recently. Just wondering what the general consensus was because I love them since they first popped up about 5 or so years ago and this is really the first I've heard of people actually hating on them.

tomgregory2000 - 9/5/12 at 04:50 PM

like them untill they they be stuped and you have to get the 1 person looking after 10 tills to come over and sort the problem out

MikeFellows - 9/5/12 at 04:52 PM

I left about £100 of shopping on one last time i used it and just walked out

never ever again

steve m - 9/5/12 at 04:59 PM

I find them easy, but really only use them if ive got a handfull of stuff to buy

Steve

mark chandler - 9/5/12 at 05:02 PM

Only good for a few items, then they always argue for no bloody reason and staff have to saunter over, look at you blankly, sweep a card and wander off.

I look for a free isle before moving to them

slingshot2000 - 9/5/12 at 05:02 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
I left about £100 of shopping on one last time i used it and just walked out

never ever again


I avoid using them at all costs as they are doing at least 2 people out of a job, but had to use on last week. After 3 attempts to pay I left the whole lot there.
Have now discovered a local Asda has an un-manned fuel station, I won't be using that neither.

Regards
Jon

Canada EH! - 9/5/12 at 05:08 PM

The local Walmart took them out after a year, seems their clientel weren't up to the challenge!

morcus - 9/5/12 at 05:22 PM

I'm currious to know what you guys have been buying because I rarely have any trouble and I always try and use one because it's normally quicker.

Automated petrol stations are even better than the instore tills. no queing behind people buying a years worth of ciggerettes, no need to muck about locking the car, I don't even take the keys out of the ignition if I'm usuing pay at pump (I turn the engine of obviously).

UncleFista - 9/5/12 at 05:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by slingshot2000
quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
I left about £100 of shopping on one last time i used it and just walked out

never ever again


I avoid using them at all costs as they are doing at least 2 people out of a job, but had to use on last week. After 3 attempts to pay I left the whole lot there.
Have now discovered a local Asda has an un-manned fuel station, I won't be using that neither.

Regards
Jon


I don't like the self service checkouts, but 24 hour "pay at the pump" is brilliant for avoiding queues if you use them in the early hours

Slimy38 - 9/5/12 at 05:33 PM

I try to use the self service checkouts, but I only use cards. There have been a few too many occasions where it doesn't correctly recognise cash. But they are fantastic for picking up my lunch and getting back to work quickly.

One thing that winds me up are the trolley users. Yep, you get people turning up with a trolley full of stuff which not only takes up it's own checkout for the fifteen minutes or so, it also uses up the one to the side of it (and sometimes the other side as well!!). And the supervisor usually only notices after they've started...

I've never had chance to use a 'pay at pump', they've always been either out of order or simply switched off.

PSpirine - 9/5/12 at 06:28 PM

I almost exclusively use pay@pump. It's infinitely better - much much quicker.

Self check-out is awesome when you've got a basket (<20 items, with no DVD's/security tagged alcohol/clothes etc.) and pay by card. I never ever take my weekly shop to a self-checkout though!

tomgregory2000 - 9/5/12 at 07:18 PM

people who do their week shop on the self service are di*ks and p*ss me off

its there for handfull or basket of items


edit: pay at pump is the best thing ever

[Edited on 9/5/12 by tomgregory2000]

morcus - 9/5/12 at 07:22 PM

Maybe thats why I've missed why people hate them. I very rarely buy more than a baskets worth of stuff and avoid buying anything tagged on them. I used to avoid buying my booze through them but they don't id me any more so they just have to swipe a card for me.

I'm with you though on nobs who buy loads of stuff or tagged stuff on them.

kipper - 9/5/12 at 07:35 PM

They re things from HELL and should be sent back there ASAP
Denis.

JoelP - 9/5/12 at 07:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by PSpirine
Self check-out is awesome when you've got a basket (<20 items, with no DVD's/security tagged alcohol/clothes etc.) and pay by card. I never ever take my weekly shop to a self-checkout though!


+1

I love it when there is a queue of people waiting for the real til, and i stroll up, swipe a few things, literally throw in a handful of assorted coins, and am heading for the door before their queue has even moved. The newest ones are very good, both in terms of weighing things and how they take money.

JoelP - 9/5/12 at 07:43 PM

quote:
Originally posted by slingshot2000
I avoid using them at all costs as they are doing at least 2 people out of a job, but had to use on last week. After 3 attempts to pay I left the whole lot there.

Regards
Jon


I hope you walk around naked then, dont you know a modern weaving machine puts about 80 people out of a job!

loggyboy - 9/5/12 at 08:00 PM

They are great. And I cant see how anyone who doesnt like them can complain, as you dont HAVE to use them!!
What does annoy me is the numptys that have no clue how to use them, and never will but still try to use them, or that do more than about 10-15 items.
They even have them at DIY stores in the US i found out yesterday. (allthough I think B&Q have them too)

tegwin - 9/5/12 at 08:03 PM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
They are great. And I cant see how anyone who doesnt like them can complain, as you dont HAVE to use them!!
What does annoy me is the numptys that have no clue how to use them, and never will but still try to use them, or that do more than about 10-15 items.
They even have them at DIY stores in the US i found out yesterday. (allthough I think B&Q have them too)


Yes, the big B&Q here has them... have been in there a few times when the proper tills were not opperating... its ok if you have 2 boxes of screws to put in the "bagging area"...but you try and scan an entire bathroom suit and place that in the bagging area....

morcus - 9/5/12 at 08:34 PM

I was at tesco's the other day and over heard an old lady asking how to pay with cash on one clearly marked Card payments only. It was the only one in a block of about ten with a notice on ti aswell.

Steve Hignett - 9/5/12 at 10:48 PM

I try to avoid them if there is a relatively small queue on a normal till.
There are a ouple reasons for this, none exciting enough to tell!

The one gripe I do have about them however, is that since there introduction, there is no longer a Basket/10 items or less normal tillin operation...

So it's queue up half way round the store for the self-serve, or queue up behind 300 items in a couple trolleys (at lunchtime)...

blakep82 - 9/5/12 at 10:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Hignett
The one gripe I do have about them however, is that since there introduction, there is no longer a Basket/10 items or less normal tillin operation...


we still get 2 basket/10 item checkouts in the 3 tesco's round here, as well as 6 self serves, and about 30 normal ones.

i like them, the only thing that gets me is the 'unexpected item in bagging area' and that if you buy 1 thing, you can't just scan it and pay without putting it in the bagging big when you don't want a bag (since we're not supposed to take bags any more...) but aside from that they don't cause me any problems for buying a few things

ashg - 9/5/12 at 11:17 PM

What are you all on about? I open the fridge and get the food out Job done. I give her money and it magically appears in the fridge.

morcus - 9/5/12 at 11:27 PM

We seem to be fairly evenly divided so far on this which is intresting.

We still have a basket till in our tescos but everytime I go there that one has the longest queue, normally the self service has either no queing or just a short one.

Madinventions - 9/5/12 at 11:36 PM

Veering off topic slightly, but I felt that someone needed to mention Tesco home delivery...


  1. No need to go into any store.
  2. No need to get your car pranged in the car park.
  3. No need to wait behind people aimlessly jabbing at self service checkouts while the stupid machine repeatedly screams "Unexpected item in bagging area."

We use the Tesco app on our phones to scan the barcodes of things as they run out, and add some odd bits and bobs as we fancy them. It all turns up in a van on Saturday morning, which means that the weekly shop now takes less than 5 minutes. And we seem to be spending less too!

Ed.

loggyboy - 10/5/12 at 01:22 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ashg
What are you all on about? I open the fridge and get the food out Job done. I give her money and it magically appears in the fridge.


Ninehigh - 10/5/12 at 07:09 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Madinventions
Veering off topic slightly, but I felt that someone needed to mention Tesco home delivery...


You should look up some of the alternative items people have been given when their requested item is out of stock

Yeah like most people it's good for a couple of items.. but tbh most often I end up going to the till as there's a queue of 15 people at the self scan ones and one person at the manned till next to it

femster87 - 10/5/12 at 07:24 AM

Love erm, pretty quick and you dont even have to talk to the grumpy till person

iank - 10/5/12 at 07:26 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Madinventions
Veering off topic slightly, but I felt that someone needed to mention Tesco home delivery...

  1. No need to go into any store.
  2. No need to get your car pranged in the car park.
  3. No need to wait behind people aimlessly jabbing at self service checkouts while the stupid machine repeatedly screams "Unexpected item in bagging area."

We use the Tesco app on our phones to scan the barcodes of things as they run out, and add some odd bits and bobs as we fancy them. It all turns up in a van on Saturday morning, which means that the weekly shop now takes less than 5 minutes. And we seem to be spending less too!

Ed.


Fine for packaged food, but I wouldn't use it for veg or meat as you don't get to pick the best one for you (size, lack of damage, amount of fat etc.)

40inches - 10/5/12 at 07:49 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Madinventions
Veering off topic slightly, but I felt that someone needed to mention Tesco home delivery...

  1. No need to go into any store.
  2. No need to get your car pranged in the car park.
  3. No need to wait behind people aimlessly jabbing at self service checkouts while the stupid machine repeatedly screams "Unexpected item in bagging area."



Have used Tesco Home Delivery since it started, find it brilliant, not had many problems at all,and only minor ones at that.
We passed our local Tescos on the way back from the Hospital on Tuesday and decided to do our monthly shop,instead of
online, 1 3/4hrs later emerged from the store wondering why?
Home delivery is worth every penny of the £3.50 it costs, plus no more impulse buys

Stott - 10/5/12 at 11:40 AM

I read an article on card fraud though that pointed out pay at pump stations are where most skimming fraud occurs, due to them being made by only 1 or 2 companies so they were easy to copy and the fraudsters didn't need to evolve their skimming devices.

It said pay at pump should be avoided if at all possible.

Krismc - 10/5/12 at 03:31 PM

B&Q is the worst as previously discussed, the bagging area is too small and the checkout person is never there.

Ive got a trade card now but before 10am in the morning, there is one person on trades desk and 1 person on 4 self checkouts with no one on a real till, so the Que is massive. Will they ever learn? they are supposed to speed the process up.

hughpinder - 10/5/12 at 04:27 PM

As I found out recently - if you have a tescos fuel discount voucher (I seem to get one every couple of weeks) and you press pay at pump, you can't use the voucher - twas a bit annoying as I missed out on 5p/l for 80l.
I seem to always get a self service till that doesnt register light things like birthday cards etc and have to get an assistant to swipe their card at least once per 10 items. The funniest one I had was in B+Q with 20 * 25kg bags of agregate that it wanted me to lift into the bagging area - I did with the first one, but when I took it off so the second could fit, it tells you youve removed something from the bagging area and refuses to play anymore
Regards
Hugh

blakep82 - 10/5/12 at 04:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
As I found out recently - if you have a tescos fuel discount voucher (I seem to get one every couple of weeks) and you press pay at pump, you can't use the voucher - twas a bit annoying as I missed out on 5p/l for 80l.


there is a little barcode scanner thing underneath the keypad on the tesco ones (all the ones i've seen anyway) that should work to scan them? never tried to scan anything with them right enough

TimEllershaw - 10/5/12 at 05:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by hughpinder
As I found out recently - if you have a tescos fuel discount voucher (I seem to get one every couple of weeks) and you press pay at pump, you can't use the voucher - twas a bit annoying as I missed out on 5p/l for 80l.


In our little local Tesco you can only pay at the pump, but if you take the receipt into the shop they will give you the voucher discount back as cash.

( OK, seems poinless to pay at pump and then have to go inside, but there does seem to be a way of using the voucher)

It is quite disapointing then you spend £100 at the pump and then think "oh good, I've got a voucher" and then the assistant gives you just a couple of £ back