Grocery Shopping II: Self check out, like or loath?

[ICTJOCK]

So I appreciate the humor in my previous thread on "our trip the grocery store"!     Some interesting comments and things to consider.

I kept waiting for someone to talk about the "check out"  process  and nobody did.

SO,  do you do the self check out (which so many want you to do, like Kroger's or Walmart  (so I hear,  I don't do Walmart typically)

I find the self check out process a little aggravating,  but I don't really mind.   As an analyst,  I like to evaluate the costs of everything and make sure I'm getting the item at the price advertised.    Sometimes it doesn't appear that way and the self check out allows you to be on top of that.     I do find the bagging a little cumbersome,  but I'd rather do it myself than wait in line.    Sometimes you have checkers and people (in front or back of you)  who are great conversationalists ), but you also get the occasional challenged individual.

[+ nycman]

I loathe self check out. 

Thankfully, the local "fancy" grocery store doesn’t have it. 

The shitty mass market store does…but I’m usually only there to grab the occasional item I can’t get at the fancy store, so I grin and bear it. 

[56harrisond]

 

[+ DynamicUno]

I don't mind self checkout for small orders, where you're using it like the old "10 items or less" express lanes.  I can usually zip through quickly and be on my way much faster than the old express lanes.

Unfortunately, my Kroger started staffing fewer full service lanes.  Worse, they installed a couple larger self-service lanes with a belt to allow for self bagging at the end of the lane.  Now they've stopped having any staffed lanes after 730 PM, which means you must use the self checkout.

The last time I went there were no open cashiers, and they had one staffer assisting both the bank of six small self checkout stations and the large belted checkout.  She looked so miserable and frazzled, running between each person needing help.

Ironically, I can opt for pickup service for free, and have someone assemble my entire order and bring it out to my car when I'm ready. It's more labor intensive than staffing enough cashiers and cuts my impulse purchases to nearly zero.

Edited September 12, 2023 by DynamicUno

[BuffaloKyle]

I like cashing myself out. I worked as a cashier for many years at various stores so I don't mind. As stated above it's nice as well to see the prices of everything and make sure it's correct. And it seems like especially at the grocery store they don't know how to bag items properly anymore.

[TorontoDrew]

I like to bag the groceries myself but I want a cashier to check me out. 

Grocery stores are hiring less/laying off and using self checkout supports this practise.

[+ Charlie]

18 hours ago, ICTJOCK said:

So I appreciate the humor in my previous thread on "our trip the grocery store"!     Some interesting comments and things to consider.

I kept waiting for someone to talk about the "check out"  process  and nobody did.

SO,  do you do the self check out (which so many want you to do, like Kroger's or Walmart  (so I hear,  I don't do Walmart typically)

I find the self check out process a little aggravating,  but I don't really mind.   As an analyst,  I like to evaluate the costs of everything and make sure I'm getting the item at the price advertised.    Sometimes it doesn't appear that way and the self check out allows you to be on top of that.     I do find the bagging a little cumbersome,  but I'd rather do it myself than wait in line.    Sometimes you have checkers and people (in front or back of you)  who are great conversationalists ), but you also get the occasional challenged individual.

But I did write about the checkout on the other thread! I don't like to do the self-checkout, but I do prefer to do my own bagging (I so rarely have a bagger who does what I would consider a good job--items logically organized and neatly packed--that I will congratulate a bagger who does it well). As I mentioned in the other thread, older shoppers like myself find the interaction with the check-out clerk more pleasant than the impersonal self-check-out machines. A survey of shoppers found that younger people were more like to use the machines than older people were.

[Rudynate]

19 hours ago, ICTJOCK said:

So I appreciate the humor in my previous thread on "our trip the grocery store"!     Some interesting comments and things to consider.

I kept waiting for someone to talk about the "check out"  process  and nobody did.

SO,  do you do the self check out (which so many want you to do, like Kroger's or Walmart  (so I hear,  I don't do Walmart typically)

I find the self check out process a little aggravating,  but I don't really mind.   As an analyst,  I like to evaluate the costs of everything and make sure I'm getting the item at the price advertised.    Sometimes it doesn't appear that way and the self check out allows you to be on top of that.     I do find the bagging a little cumbersome,  but I'd rather do it myself than wait in line.    Sometimes you have checkers and people (in front or back of you)  who are great conversationalists ), but you also get the occasional challenged individual.

Before the pandemic, I always did self-check, now I order groceries online. I used to actually enjoy bagging my own groceries and I was very systematic about it.  One time. one of the employees complimented me - she looked at my bags and said, "That's beautiful!"

[+ Charlie]

Just now, Rudynate said:

Before the pandemic, I always did self-check, now I order groceries online. I used to actually enjoy bagging my own groceries and I was very systematic about it.  One time. one of the employees complimented me - she looked at my bags and said, "That's beautiful!"

We were made for another!

[ICTJOCK]

54 minutes ago, TorontoDrew said:

" but I want a cashier to check me out." 

 

Hey Drew,   yeah,  've been "checked out"  by a cashier as well,  trust me.    Haha

[Rudynate]

1 minute ago, ICTJOCK said:

Hey Drew,   yeah,  've been "checked out"  by a cashier as well,  trust me.    Haha

I bet you have. 

[wsc]

I don't like the self-checkout and I don't use it. First, I don't work there. Second, because of the self-checkout, neither does someone else who used to, and I don't like being complicit -even in such a small and indirect way- in someone losing their job in order that a huge chain can make a bigger profit; it's obscene.

I dislike it so much that at least twice that I can recall, when all the checker-staffed lanes were swamped and the self-check lanes were much less busy, I left my groceries-laden cart where it was, walked out, then went to different store. Yes, I can be a Karen-esque bitch when the mood strikes me. I'm not really proud of that behavior, but as Frasier once said of himself, "It's part of the magic that is me."

Another annoyance of grocery shopping in my city is that the store is required by the city government to charge 5-cents for each plastic bag. I understand and agree with the objective of limiting the use of these bags, but not in this manner. In a newspaper article on the program, the city manager reported that it had brought in more revenue than had been projected and that he was very pleased with that result. When I saw the mayor sometime later (in a social setting) I told her the city manager was an idiot. If the objective of the program is to reduce the use of plastic bags, does the manager not realize that a higher than projected income from the program is a sign that the program is not working as effectively as possible to reach the stated goal of reducing usage of plastic bags? If you truly want to reduce usage, simply ban them instead of making their use a revenue stream for the city. Madam Mayor didn't say it words, but her eyes and pursed lips screamed, "What a Karen!"

Damn right, bitch!

End of rant.

[+ tassojunior]

I go almost daily to Trader Joes by my house and it's amazing how many checkers they have (and no scanners). Really too many employees in such a small store. And i read because of their labor intensity their prices have shot up 20% the past year. I enjoy the convenience of a skilled checker but I also liked my Snickerdoodles being $2.99 instead of $3.99. Maybe stores should charge people who want someone to check their items for them a 10% fee or something. Better yet go to the Amazon Go/Fresh Just-Walk-Out model where there's zero theft and no scanners or cashiers. That's the future. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by tassojunior

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

I have never used a self checkout, unless you count a vending machine.  The few times I went to store where everything was self service, I just called for assistance at the kiosk and let the employee use the kiosk to check me out.  Once, the employee would not help, so I left my groceries at the kiosk and left the store, similar to the reaction of @wsc.

[Guest]

I don't use self check-out unless I have only a few items. It's not even allowed if your groceries include any wine/beer/sake/liquor. At Rite-Aid, cashiers are also good at making sure I make the most out of the coupons which I have. 

[+ jeezopete]

I first started using self checkout at Sam's Club when it was installed years ago. Now I always use self checkout at Walmart; most of my grocery shopping is done at the Walmart Neighborhood Market less than a mile from me, and maybe once a month I'll go to a regular Walmart about 5 miles away. I also use self checkout at CVS and Target. Most shoppers still get in cashier lanes, so I rarely wait more than a couple of minutes for my turn at a register, often I don't have to wait at all. I also bring my own reusable bags, purchased from Amazon.

[dbar123]

It really irritates me to go to places like Home Depot or CVS and they have staff hovering over the self checkout area. Instead, why don’t you just check me out?

[caramelsub]

I always use self checkout if they have one at any grocery store or walmart. I honestly can’t remember the last time I didn’t. But I don’t generally buy in bulk. I don’t even use shopping carts when I grocery shop, I just use the baskets. But I tend to go to the grocery store more frequently because of this.

[+ BobPS]

At about 5 PM this past Monday, the Ralphs (Kroger)located at Sunrise and Ramon in Palm Springs had only one cashier line open.  All the rest were self checkouts. California does not allow alcohol purchase via self check out. I was buying a bottle of wine to take to a dinner. I waited quite a while in  a long line line with the cashier when finally, a supervisor came over, and said follow me.He then opened up another cash register, and, let me pay for my bottle of wine. I thanked him profusely and politely told him my opinion of self checkouts.I’m not a fan. I don’t like bagging my own groceries either because I’m not very good at it.

Edited September 13, 2023 by BobPS

[Guest]

2 hours ago, dbar123 said:

...why don’t you just check me out?

Edited September 13, 2023 by Unicorn

[+ azdr0710]

 

while you enjoy the Muzak, fast-forward to 4:11 if you don't want to go off-topic....or start at the beginning for a nostalgic trip......man, that stack of oranges!....five pounds for 79 cents??

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by azdr0710

[rvwnsd]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:21 PM, DynamicUno said:

I don't mind self checkout for small orders, where you're using it like the old "10 items or less" express lanes.  I can usually zip through quickly and be on my way much faster than the old express lanes.

Unfortunately, my Kroger started staffing fewer full service lanes.  Worse, they installed a couple larger self-service lanes with a belt to allow for self bagging at the end of the lane.  Now they've stopped having any staffed lanes after 730 PM, which means you must use the self checkout.

The last time I went there were no open cashiers, and they had one staffer assisting both the bank of six small self checkout stations and the large belted checkout.  She looked so miserable and frazzled, running between each person needing help....

Here in Arizona, Kroger is called "Fry's" and they do the same thing. I don't like Fry's, anyway, and this practice hasn't exactly improved my perception of them, their surly employees, or their messy stores. Also, their self-checkout is pretty klunky.

On the other hand, my local Safeways (one is a pretty small store and the other is huge) installed self-checkout in addition to the existing checkout lanes and typically have all lanes open. (Both are very, very busy urban stores) Safeway's self-checkout is pretty good and I actually like using it. Plus, it took some pressure off the harried cashiers. 

I use self-checkout for small- to medium-sized orders. Safeway's cashiers and baggers are always very nice and the self-checkout area is small, so for large orders I typically opt for a checker.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, rvwnsd said:

... I don't like Fry's, anyway,...

😄

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 9/11/2023 at 2:21 PM, ICTJOCK said:

SO,  do you do the self check out

Not only do I loathe self check out and don't do it, I don't even do self check in at the airport.  I always wait in line and speak to the ticket agent and check my bags.  I don't fly with the few airlines that don't have ticket agents at the airport.

[+ Pensant]

On 9/11/2023 at 9:21 PM, DynamicUno said:

I don't mind self checkout for small orders, where you're using it like the old "10 items or less" express lanes.  I can usually zip through quickly and be on my way much faster than the old express lanes.

Unfortunately, my Kroger started staffing fewer full service lanes.  Worse, they installed a couple larger self-service lanes with a belt to allow for self bagging at the end of the lane.  Now they've stopped having any staffed lanes after 730 PM, which means you must use the self checkout.

The last time I went there were no open cashiers, and they had one staffer assisting both the bank of six small self checkout stations and the large belted checkout.  She looked so miserable and frazzled, running between each person needing help.

Ironically, I can opt for pickup service for free, and have someone assemble my entire order and bring it out to my car when I'm ready. It's more labor intensive than staffing enough cashiers and cuts my impulse purchases to nearly zero.

Kroger is such a dumpy store. They manage to downscale every local chain they acquire.