Why self-checkout has been an inconvenient 'failure' for both shoppers and stores

Original (Archive)

Comments (Archive) For shits and giggles!

Self-checkout kiosks became increasingly common in stores in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and retailers hailed them as a major convenience for shoppers.

But journalist Amanda Mull, in a biting article published by The Atlantic on October 19, stresses that self-checkout has turned out be the polar opposite of "convenient." Self-checkout, according to Mull, has been a headache for consumers as well as stores.

Mull recalls that in the past, the argument for self-checkout was "scan your stuff, plunk it in a bag, and you're done. Long checkout lines would disappear."

But the journalist adds that the reality of self-checkout has been much different.

"You still have to wait in line," Mull laments. "The checkout kiosks bleat and flash when you fail to set a purchase down in the right spot. Scanning those items is sometimes a crapshoot — wave a barcode too vigorously in front of an uncooperative machine, and suddenly, you've scanned it two or three times. Then, you need to locate the usually lone employee charged with supervising all of the finicky kiosks, who will radiate exasperation at you while scanning her ID badge and tapping the kiosk's touch screen from pure muscle memory."

Mull adds, "If you want to buy something that even might carry some kind of arbitrary purchase restriction — not just obvious things such as alcohol, but also, products as seemingly innocuous as a generic antihistamine — well, maybe don't do that."

Self-checkout, according to Mull, has not only been a hassle for shoppers — it has been expensive for retailers, as "the average four-kiosk setup runs around $125,000." And when stores cut their staffs, she notes, theft became more common.

Some retailers, Mull reports, realize that self-checkout has problems and are cutting back on it — or at least making adjustments.

"Costco is stationing more staffers in its self-checkout areas," Mull reports. "ShopRite is adding cashiers back into stores where it had trialed a self-checkout-only model, citing customer backlash. None of this is an indication that self-checkout is over, exactly. But several decades in, the kiosks as Americans have long known them are beginning to look like a failure."

 

[Would]

Lot of words to say niggers keep stealing shit and our underpaid workers give no fucks to stop them.
Such is life in a low-trust society, but hey; it's so heckin' diverse and vibrant!

 

[TheBallPit]

I detest self-checkout. I know a lot of people on here love it, but I see it as becoming an unpaid employee for the store while putting myself in jeopardy should a carrot not get scanned. As someone who doesn't go around shoplifting, getting accused of such for a simple, avoidable mistake sounds mortally embarrassing. Plus, it's just easier (for me) if someone else does the ringing and bagging.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Oh no, we were lied to about the "near" future of convenience, oh how dreadful. This journo probably complains the microwave is not fast enough.

 

[Staffy]

Lot of words to say niggers keep stealing shit and our underpaid workers give no fucks to stop them.
Such is life in a low-trust society, but hey; it's so heckin' diverse and vibrant!

Isn't stopping shoplifters illegal anyways and workers don't even stop them even if they see the offender in plain sight?

 

[Mellisuga Helenae]

Holy shit. If the author is anything to go by, then AWFL's must be in such a pathetic state that they're too incompetent to operate self-checkout kiosks without making it sound like a Herculean effort, something children could do without overcomplicating it.
Oh, and, presumably, "socioeconomic" factors are causing theft, shocking.
Clearly, self-checkout has fallen; millions must wait in line.

 

[Neighborhood Curmudgeon]

I detest self-checkout. I know a lot of people on here love it, but I see it as becoming an unpaid employee for the store while putting myself in jeopardy should a carrot not get scanned. As someone who doesn't go around shoplifting, getting accused of such for a simple, avoidable mistake sounds mortally embarrassing. Plus, it's just easier (for me) if someone else does the ringing and bagging.

Fair enough. To each their own. Personally, I like self-checkout. I disagree about the "unpaid employee" angle, but I get why you would feel the way you do about the other points considering that technology is imperfect.

 

[TheBallPit]

If you're just getting a few items, I suppose self-checkout makes (some) sense, but if you're restocking your entire pantry via Publix and your cart is full to the brim, then it just seems like a good way to get into potential needless trouble while putting your own back into it. As someone with health problems who assists someone with even worse issues, having a ringer and bagger is practically required. It's also a helluva lot quicker since three people are doing discrete tasks instead of just one.

Understand that I don't care if there's a self-checkout option per-se (though I think it leads to bad staffing outcomes), but when a store assistant is giving me an excited "come and use our wonderful self-checkout machines!" look while my cart is stuffed to the gills, it makes me a little annoyed.

 

[DavidS877]

I always prefer it. I have to wait for things to be scanned or I do it, same amount of time usually. And stuff gets bagged correctly like hot deli items not on top of my chocolate bar.

 

[draggs]

Everywhere I go that has self-checkout lots of people use it and it seems to work fine

Except at places like Walmart that shut down everything but one staffed checkout lane and then everyone in the store gets bottlenecked because they don't have enough self-checkout kiosks. It's infuriating seeing all the empty checkout lanes that can't be used because there are no cashiers but they're still there because when the stores were originally built, self-checkout wasn't a thing or was just starting. And they don't want to spend the money to remove them and add more self-checkout

 

[Testacles Maximus]

We’ve all fucked up at the self-checkout. And we were filmed fucking up. And the security guard probably edited it into a hilarious montage.

 

[DavidS877]

Everywhere I go that has self-checkout lots of people use it and it seems to work fine

Except at places like Walmart that shut down everything but one staffed checkout lane and then everyone in the store gets bottlenecked because they don't have enough self-checkout kiosks. It's infuriating seeing all the empty checkout lanes that can't be used because there are no cashiers but they're still there because when the stores were originally built, self-checkout wasn't a thing or was just starting. And they don't want to spend the money to remove them and add more self-checkout

One of the local WalMarts "remodeled", most of it was just putting baby formula and batteries under lock and key. But they replaced all but 2 registers or so with various types of self checkouts.

 

[AbyssGazer]

I'd say the systems vary a lot from chain to chain. Where I live there are basically three systems.

1. Scan your items, that's it. No scale or any hassle like that. Super convenient.

2. Scan your items and put them on the FUCKING SCALE. Or else... Not as convenient, but acceptable.

3. Carry around a scanner inside the store and then plug in the scanner at checkout. Gives the shortest lines, but it's the least customer friendly. It's pretty easy to forget to scan an item while walking around the store. These stores carries out checks way more than the other types. I never use these, feels like passing through customs or some shit.

 

[TheBallPit]

I always group my items on the table so that frozen items are together and first, then refrigerated, then room-temperature stuff. I also sub-group based on item breakability so that they wind-up on top (e.g., eggs). I'm also one of those eco terrorist tree huggers that provides my own bags, a few of which are thermal.

A lot of the baggers at my local Publix have obvious physical and mental problems and it's nice that the managers give them a chance to help others in a very real working environment instead of wasting away in a "home" somewhere.

 

[draggs]

One of the local WalMarts "remodeled", most of it was just putting baby formula and batteries under lock and key. But they replaced all but 2 registers or so with various types of self checkouts.

tfw my area must be too shitty for Walmart to do it here lol

 

[NerdShamer]

Except at places like Walmart that shut down everything but one staffed checkout lane and then everyone in the store gets bottlenecked because they don't have enough self-checkout kiosks

It's kind of funny how mines has at least two out of eight that were either completely out of service or they were permanently set to "card only" over the course of several months

 

[Drag-on Knight 91873]

Isn't stopping shoplifters illegal anyways and workers don't even stop them even if they see the offender in plain sight?

In California, it outright is illegal, but the reason why it happened is because of not wanting to pay for worker's comp, which is everywhere. So yeah, if you're some schmuck working at Walmart or Target, it really is better for you to just let them rob the store. It's not like you're part-owner anyways, you're just a peon getting paid whether you make a sale or not.

 

[Cyberpunk Panatela]

I have absolutely no experience with such systems (Not permitted where I live because of some law from the 1980s intended to preserve unskilled labour).

What stops the "shopper" from stealing all or most of his purchases, or at least the high-value stuff? Do you have to dox yourself at the till by scanning some sort of ID before buying, or is there a sort of automatic gate system?

Conversely, what happens when the shop fucks with the customer (product's scanned price does not match its shelf price or is scanned twice, alternatively the auto-checkout steals your cash or debits your card more than once)?

Edit: Some partial answers posted while I was writing, thanks for that.

 

[Would]

Isn't stopping shoplifters illegal anyways and workers don't even stop them even if they see the offender in plain sight?

Yes, but the bosses would like their employees to step in anyway.
I've seen employees at Costcos and BJ's get fired for following the rules and not engaging with the shoplifters, but the stressed-out GM fires them anyway because they did nothing to alert a supervisor or floor manager about the theft and/or weren't doing enough "preventive" measures like checking the thieves' cart and ensuring that every item is scanned, like these same people aren't the types to yell racism when they get looked at funny.

It's why a lot of people in retail in my stores/warehouses are over everything and would rather just do janitor work/push carts outside. No one to bother you & autonomous work environment; just pop your earbuds in and get paid to do just-above the bare minimum. The front end of supermarkets/warehouses has become a no-win situation for all involved because taking direct action means getting old sheboons in HR sending poor reviews of your locale to HQ, and God help you if you dare ask why the illegals who come at the start of the month have thousands of your tax dollars in EBT food stamp money. I've seen men fired on the spot for getting exasperated at the no-English speaking midget spic lady run her mouth in Spanish at how she can't make her EBT card work and is clogging up the line. Only in America are the locals last and the parasites first.

What stops the "shopper" from stealing all or most of his purchases, or at least the high-value stuff?

Nothing if they're shameless enough to the point being stopped by a wagie won't make them actually cease walking and return to pay for the items in their grasp. Most stores will not engage with you once you've left the doors, so the goal is always to walk/run/dash towards the exit.

Do you have to dox yourself at the till by scanning some sort of ID before buying, or is there a sort of automatic gate system?

Some stores have cameras on their registers, some do not. Pointless really since you can just wear a mask anyway.
Most stealing done in self-checkout isn't outright theft though, it's usually smuggling clothing or a smaller item in between other items and acting normal, and if an employee at the exit is there to check your receipt and items, you can always make a scene and scream racism at the notion of having your bags checked like your word ain't good enough, and 9/10 the employee is in a rush to get you out the door rather than engage you.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

i love self checkouts but this is mainly because in my area at least all the cashiers are either very old to the point that they look as if they may die at any second or exceptionally retarded young people who end up making a mistake almost every time which they need to wait for the manager to notice so they can fix it for them.

for me self checkouts are just faster and easier and i use common sense to know when something might end up needing me to show an ID or whatever. the only issues i have ever had with them are usually just because i am in too much of a rush and swipe my card too fast but thats not that big of a deal really.

i do think there is still a place for cashiers especially with how easy it is to steal stuff using self checkouts. i also think some stores should not have self checkouts at all. like i went to a dollar store out in the middle of nowhere once and it was empty aside from the self checkout which was broken because someone tried jamming quarters into the slot for dollar bills. so everyone who wanted to pay just put the money on the table and left.

long story short self checkouts are cool and useful if used right but not everyone uses them right and there will always be stuff that requires a cashier to verify your age or whatever else. so ideally there should be a balance between the two.