41 replies to this topic

[kfinto65]

I like the self checkouts at my local store but I was recently at another Wal-Mart and couldn't get the scanner to read the UPC codes. The clerk monitoring the self checkouts came over and told me to try scanning at a angle. That worked but is it to much to have the scanners working correctly?

[LonghornMomma]

I've done this a lot, but last week I had maybe 10 items and the lines at the front were 12 people deep so I went back to automotive and still had to wait for 25-30 mins because everyone else had the same idea I had. I've made friends with a lady at our walmart and saw her one day when I was checking out in the garden department and I asked her what was going on with the lines and she said that they can't find anyone to pass the drug test. I'm in northern Oklahoma but I've heard people say similar things about other places. She said that out of every 10 applicants they get, only one or two will pass the drug test. IMO if they payed their employees a little more they would get better people to apply. As it is we have several grocery stores around and they don't have that problem, but they pay $1-2 over minimum wage. I'll get off my soap box now.

LOL.. I'm beginning to think we live in the same town.

[Swampbaby]

Most new store are being built without them. Self Check-Outs are going away.

If they are going away then why does the remodeled WalMart SuperCenters all seem to have them. They just finished ours a few months ago and yep, the self checkouts are there. In fact, a lot of times they are the only thing "open" besides one or two cashier lines. Personally, I hate the dang things.

[princez916]

I like the self-checkouts, hate the people who can't figure out how to use them. The whole "personal interaction" thing is overrated. I'm not there for personal interaction (especially from a cashier), I'm there to get what I need and get out as quickly as possible. When I do need a person, (ie - trying to find an item), there is never one around and if you manage to track one down, they seem annoyed that you stopped them to ask for help.

[secretagent2006]

A SuperCenter here just opened up a month or two ago and they don't have ANY self checkouts. You want to know what's sad? McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's all are offering 8.50/hour - 9.00 an hour to start...and that's fast food! Wal-Mart starts people around 7.00/hour here.

[klmorgan72]

I don't like the self checkouts myself. . I also feel like it takes away many jobs. When there are 4 or 6 self checkouts and only 1 person to oversee them then I feel like that is 3 to 5 people who don't have a job. My DH and I have had many discussions about this. He thinks they are more conveniant and I just refuse to use them. So he knows if we go to the store together then we have to go to a register with a person at it.

[Kara1204]

It's hard to say with the self-checkouts. I can tell you, that IF they are going away, it ISN'T because they are prone to breaking down, it's because they are THEFT magnets! I am a former loss prevention associate from WM, now with JCPenney's, but I can tell you those things are costing WM more than they are worth. I'm sure you've all heard about the guy that went and got a 800 dollar flat screen for 98 cents, that was through a self-checkout. Whether it be people skipping items, putting fake UPC's over the top of the real barcodes, or people just not even bothering scanning items, the self-checkouts are a huge burden of theft, as well as an invitation for it. If calibrated correctly those machines work well, but not perfect. Another problem lies in the fact that many managers turn off the weight calibrations and the "skip bagging" function, which basically defeats the purpose of any anti-theft setup on those machines. And the last thing that I think contributes to the demise of the self-checkouts is that MANY stores relied on the self-checkout as basically replacement cashiers. I think the self-checkouts were designed to be EXPRESS lanes, but many stores would send cashiers on breaks, leaving ONLY the self-checkouts open, or they would just not hire additional help, and just mainly rely on the self-checkouts as extra cashiers. Have you ever been in to a store and stood in a self-checkout behind someone who is trying to self-scan over 30 items? Yeah, pisses me off too! If the self-checkouts were ran properly, people didn't try to rip them off, and managers didn't rely on the self-checkouts as "backup cashiers", I think many stores would find them very useful.

We had them for a couple of years. They took them out for the very reasons you state. Too many worthless scumbags found ways to rip off the system. The rest of us pay by having to wait in the long lines to get to the worthless, bitchy cashiers. (OK, only 98% of them are worthless and bitchy, there are a couple of good ones......somewhere out there)

[BoxerLoverInOhio]

When the self checkouts were first brought in, they were OK. It was mostly a matter of people needing to take a course to learn how to use it. I once posted a blog on my myspace page about the Self Checkouts. You do not scan the item and then hold it! Place the stupid thing in the bag! And then they'd have the nerve to look at me and huff and puff like I did something wrong. Read the d@mn screen! It's not that freakin hard to understand.

Then, they decided to turn the scales off. Which was nice. People were happier (customers & employees) and things seemed to run smoothly.

However, as has been mentioned in this thread already, they are theft magnets. Big time.

Just recently, the scales have been turned back on. I. Hate. It. It's even worse now then it was before. You can't even add bags without logging into the store mode now. I'm hearing rumors that we're getting rid of them. It can't come any sooner!

Home Depot is, by far, the worst self checkout experience I've ever had. Ever. I had 4 of the same items. They weren't light items either. I scanned one, put it in the bag and waited. And waited. And waited. While the idiot cashier talked to one of his buddy's and ignored the fact that my lane was flashing now. He finally pushes a button, I scan the 2nd one and bag it. And wait... again. By the 4th item, I threw it in the bag... and I do mean threw it. It made a loud noise. I think he finally got the hint at that point. I won't use Home Depot's anymore.

Also.. yes, if there are lines, you can go to Electronics, Photo, Lawn & Garden, Automotive.. AND the service desk! As long as you don't have weighable produce, they can check you out at the desk! We will even announce on the intercom that if they don't have weighable produce, they can come up to the desk to be checked out.

[BrotherFlounder]

I like the self-checkouts because my local WMs have about 24 checkout lanes each, and only seem to have four or five open at any one time, including the tobacco sales lane. The cashiers are usually decent, but the lines are just ridiculous.

[aacwks]

I love the self checkouts, but unfortunately I was told that as the other WM's in town get their remodel to look more like Target, the self checkouts will be going away at those stores. I think it has a lot to do with whether or not the store manager and/or district manager wants to have them or not. I personally try to avoid the WM's that don't have them since I hate waiting in line. When I do end up at one of the WM's that doesn't have them, if I see a manager while I am shopping or CSM nearby when I go to check out, I mention that since they don't have the self checkouts I am saving my grocery/other big shopping until later when I will go to the (insert location) WM since they have the self checkouts. Since the more money the store makes, the bigger the bonuses are, hopefully they care enough to pass this info on to whoever makes the decisions about having self checkout or not. Also, someone mentioned the code for bananas way up in the thread. The code is actually 4011. It has been almost 2 years since I worked at WM and I still remember that number for some reason. A lot of produce will have little stickers with just a few numbers on it. This is the code you type in so you don't have to look it up on the sheet.

[lindabacker]

Ok I do use the self check outs and they save me time, some times. I will say that I have witnessed bold theft at this too. Once last year during the holiday season, all lines were 20 people deep so i went to self check out. The people in front of me had two carts full of stuff. they kept ringing up items and added the bags to a cart with stuff still in it not scanned then digging around in the carts for more stuff to scan, in the process adding stuff to bags that had not been scanned. I noticed security type personell follow them out cause I hope they were caught since that just drives the prices up. I always make a point in self check out of bagging my items and putting the bags on the floor after taking off scale until my cart is completely empty . It might take an xtra min but I dont have to worry about them thinking I am stealing something that I might forget in my cart. and that way I am sure I dont overlook anything.

[samisma]

Most new store are being built without them. Self Check-Outs are going away.

i don't know if this is for all the new ones. ours just opened last month and they have self-checkout.

maybe that's just because there aren't many people living in my area yet.