How do you feel about self-serve kiosks?

[TastyReuben]

Just a bit of nostalgia - the first time I went to the village shop in the UK, just for a few items, I had no bag, nor did I need one.

As the person at the till rang up my purchases, she set them on a big piece of brown paper (like kraft paper) from a big roll that was attached to the end of the counter.

When she was done and everything paid for, she cut the paper, then quickly and expertly wrapped the whole thing up into a bundle and tied it up with some string, like a big parcel, and that was that.

For some reason, I just loved that. It made me feel like it was about 1950, and I used to get a little thrill going in there after that and buying a few things, just to get them wrapped and tied up. It was wonderful.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Just a bit of nostalgia - the first time I went to the village shop in the UK, just for a few items, I had no bag, nor did I need one.

As the person at the till rang up my purchases, she set them on a big piece of brown paper (like kraft paper) from a big roll that was attached to the end of the counter.

When she was done and everything paid for, she cut the paper, then quickly and expertly wrapped the whole thing up into a bundle and tied it up with some string, like a big parcel, and that was that.

For some reason, I just loved that. It made me feel like it was about 1950, and I used to get a little thrill going in there after that and buying a few things, just to get them wrapped and tied up. It was wonderful.

I would like that too.

 

[Morning Glory]

Just a bit of nostalgia - the first time I went to the village shop in the UK, just for a few items, I had no bag, nor did I need one.

As the person at the till rang up my purchases, she set them on a big piece of brown paper (like kraft paper) from a big roll that was attached to the end of the counter.

When she was done and everything paid for, she cut the paper, then quickly and expertly wrapped the whole thing up into a bundle and tied it up with some string, like a big parcel, and that was that.

For some reason, I just loved that. It made me feel like it was about 1950, and I used to get a little thrill going in there after that and buying a few things, just to get them wrapped and tied up. It was wonderful.

I have to say that was a rarity. I'm older than you and I've never come across that practice in the UK (either as child or adult) - and I was a child in the 50's.

 

[TastyReuben]

I have to say that was a rarity. I'm older than you and I've never come across that practice in the UK (either as child or adult) - and I was a child in the 50's.

The spindle, or whatever you’d call it, that was attached to the end of the counter was very ornate, and looked to be cast iron. It looked like it came from about 1875!

 

[karadekoolaid]

I just LOVE self-service checkouts in supermarkets - I use them all the time; so much simpler, so much easier. Scan your items, contactless payment, pop them all in your reusable bag and off you go.
The alternative is waiting in a queue for ages and possibly facing your worst nightmare:

• The surly checkout cashier who is obviously having a bad day and is determined to take it out on the customers
• The "only-started-this-job-yesterday" cashier who hasn´t got a clue and has to keep calling for the supervisor
• The bloke in front who has decided the world is coming to an end and has a shopping cart piled high to the ceiling
• The bloke in front who´s only just woken up and is taking out all the items one by one, using his weaker hand
• The social media freak in front, who truly believes the most important thing in the world is to describe to Stacey, in lurid detail, why she got totally wasted last night at the club, with no compassion for the people behind her in the queue
• The wannabe Mrs Doubtfire who, once the items have all been scanned, then delves into a monumental handbag/purse to find the credit/debit card, only to discover they´re all over the limit

Give me self-service any day!

 

[JAS_OH1]

In Austin

I just LOVE self-service checkouts in supermarkets - I use them all the time; so much simpler, so much easier. Scan your items, contactless payment, pop them all in your reusable bag and off you go.
The alternative is waiting in a queue for ages and possibly facing your worst nightmare:

• The surly checkout cashier who is obviously having a bad day and is determined to take it out on the customers
• The "only-started-this-job-yesterday" cashier who hasn´t got a clue and has to keep calling for the supervisor
• The bloke in front who has decided the world is coming to an end and has a shopping cart piled high to the ceiling
• The bloke in front who´s only just woken up and is taking out all the items one by one, using his weaker hand
• The social media freak in front, who truly believes the most important thing in the world is to describe to Stacey, in lurid detail, why she got totally wasted last night at the club, with no compassion for the people behind her in the queue
• The wannabe Mrs Doubtfire who, once the items have all been scanned, then delves into a monumental handbag/purse to find the credit/debit card, only to discover they´re all over the limit

Give me self-service any day!

If I have a large quantity of items, I don't like using the self-scan. There's not enough room to put everything, and there is usually someone who is very impatient waiting behind me. If I have paid, gotten my receipt, and am in the process of bagging, it's quite annoying to have the person behind you start to scan their items and send them down the conveyor belt. You'd think they'd be worried about me bagging their items in with mine, but I think it's an unspoken message to "hurry up and get out of my way, lady". I usually only use self-scan if I have 12 items or less.

 

[TastyReuben]

The alternative is waiting in a queue for ages and possibly facing your worst nightmare:

My “favorite,” which has happened more than once, is the senior couple (or single) in front of me who are slower than molasses at unloading, finding and scanning their loyalty card, paying, and moving on.

I know I told this before, but I got stuck behind a couple who took ages to find their loyalty card, and when they couldn’t find it, decided to open another one, which took forever, even with the cashier filling it out for her, then scanning everything and going to pay, at which point she found her original loyalty card, but tried paying with her library card, senior citizens’ card, her AARP card, her Sam’s Club card, Prune Juice of the Month card, etc before finally finding an actual credit card…and then the husband pulled a candy wrapper out of his pocket and said, “Oh yeah, I ate this, too,” and the whole routine started over again!

I also once had a cashier who simply couldn’t leave her phone alone. She was on it checking Instagram or whatever while I was unloading, put it down to scan my stuff, and in the 30 seconds it takes to pay with a card, she was back on it again, scrolling through her social media.

 

[FoodFighter]

I avoid self-service, as it means one more person will be unemployed.
I avoid self-service, as it encourages the elimination of cash and the introduction of digital-only cash. Which you really don't want, trust me.

 

[Windigo]

My “favorite,” which has happened more than once, is the senior couple (or single) in front of me who are slower than molasses at unloading, finding and scanning their loyalty card, paying, and moving on.

I know I told this before, but I got stuck behind a couple who took ages to find their loyalty card, and when they couldn’t find it, decided to open another one, which took forever, even with the cashier filling it out for her, then scanning everything and going to pay, at which point she found her original loyalty card, but tried paying with her library card, senior citizens’ card, her AARP card, her Sam’s Club card, Prune Juice of the Month card, etc before finally finding an actual credit card…and then the husband pulled a candy wrapper out of his pocket and said, “Oh yeah, I ate this, too,” and the whole routine started over again!

I also once had a cashier who simply couldn’t leave her phone alone. She was on it checking Instagram or whatever while I was unloading, put it down to scan my stuff, and in the 30 seconds it takes to pay with a card, she was back on it again, scrolling through her social media.

I guess the Dutch are known for 'rude' service, but such a couple would have been marched off to a quiet corner here to fix this in order to allow the other customers to pass through.

 

[kaneohegirlinaz]

My worst experience at the self-check out:
Man in front of me has only a few items, but is paying with several different "cards" on each individual item and the "machine" gets stuck! There are no workers manning the self-check cuz ya know its all on you, but he can't get it going. Once someone does come over after I started yelling, "HEH! A little help over here!"
I wanted to pull my hair out! I couldn't get over to another checkout due to the crowds of people...

 

[TastyReuben]

There are no workers manning the self-check cuz ya know its all on you

We have dedicated self-checkout workers here. We have 12 of the kiosks at my local Kroger, and always at least two employees present, and usually three.

Kroger seems to be the better equipped that way around here. I was at Meijer today, just as many checkouts, and just one employee, who had a tendency to wander off as soon as she felt no one needed her. Target is much the same, and the less said about Walmart, the better.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I avoid self-service, as it means one more person will be unemployed.

This tends to be my approach as well.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I avoid self-service, as it means one more person will be unemployed.
I avoid self-service, as it encourages the elimination of cash and the introduction of digital-only cash. Which you really don't want, trust me.

That, my friend, is called "progress".

 

[TastyReuben]

That, my friend, is called "progress".

I remember back when I was a kid, the stagecoach makers complaining about the Model T taking their jobs…

 

[JAS_OH1]

I avoid self-service, as it means one more person will be unemployed.
I avoid self-service, as it encourages the elimination of cash and the introduction of digital-only cash. Which you really don't want, trust me.

Guilty as charged. I rarely use cash (unless the credit card reader is charged). I love using my credit cards to accumulate points to exchange for gift cards or a credit on my credit card statements. And I have been doing that for nearly 20 years. I know last year I had $100 in my wallet for about 9-10 months before I finally ended up spending some of it.

I do agree about self-service having an impact on employment, that's a good point.