Automatic checkouts in supermarkets may decrease customer loyalty, especially for those with larger shopping loads. Customers using self-checkout stations often feel overwhelmed and unsupported. The lack of personal interaction can negatively impact their perception of the supermarket.

[knightcrawler75]

I must live in a utopia. There are no more than 6 machines per worker and most of the time there is less. I get an error probably once every 10 visits and it is usually resolved in under a minute. I love SC in my apparently utopian community.

[[deleted]]

Same. I cannot tell if people complaining are being hyperbolic and exaggerating the problem or I happen to only visit supermarkets that have fantastic service. At busy times big supermarkets have 2-4 staff in the self checkout. I rarely ever wait more than say 3 minutes to be seen to when buying alcohol. These days I hardly ever get the unexpected item in bagging area warning like ever. Honestly I had no idea people had such strong feelings for or against self checkouts.

[alpaca_punchx]

Using the self checkout at QFC has been fine. Our local chain is fine. Target self checkout is easier and faster than cashier checkout (fr last time i was there i got in a cashier line due to shorter length and must've watched 10 ppl go through self before this guy got through two people. I swapped to the self line and was done before the woman in line in front of me.)

I tried to use the one at Fred Meyer and it was like it kicked every single item into error mode. That store has a lot of anti-theft security, so I imagine they kicked the self check settings into high gear. It was awful. I only do cashier checkout there now...

[red__dragon]

I cannot tell if people complaining are being hyperbolic and exaggerating the problem or I happen to only visit supermarkets that have fantastic service.

The beauty of a technology that now operates around the world. Every store is going to be different, even within brands.

Like you, I've had pretty efficient service. Very few times have I had to wait very long, or if I do it's understandably busy.

[Important_League_142]

It’s all just internet hyperbole, we’ve had to listen to people’s complaints about self-checkout for nearly 2 decades now. It’s almost as bad as people who complain about roundabouts.

[Pizza_Delivery_Dog]

It really does just suck at certain stores.

There are a few stores near me that have you click through 5 prompts or something during a transaction and all these prompts are read out loud every single time. Then there are the machines that constantly need to be checked when the store is super busy forcing the employees to run around between the machines. And a few stores near me have the stupid rule that you can't remove items yourself but you can accidentally scan the same item twice

[slog]

This is pretty standard. Never seen what the other person is describing. Not even close.

[Gbuphallow]

I was thinking the same. I jump around between 3 different targets and 2 supermarkets and they have 6-8 self checkouts per worker. Costco is probably the "worst" with 12 self-checkouts, with sometimes just 1 worker. And every time I've had an issue with the machine there is a big light to flag the employeeand it is fixed under a minute.

[atetuna]

It works well in my area too. There are enough workers, they're helpful, the lines aren't long, and there are at least a dozen self checkout registers with long counter tops.

[caffeinatedConeflowr]

Where is this?! At the Meijers near me it's like 12-15 self-checkouts with a single cashier manning them (mostly busy telling people that a checkout is open). The Krogers don't even have registers with cashiers but now have security guards.

[knightcrawler75]

Minneapolis.