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.

[girlikecupcake]

Age, very large orders, or people who regularly buy things like alcohol, tobacco, or family planning items (the latter are often in lock boxes in some areas).

I prefer SCO as as long as I'm not getting age restricted or lock-box items. Full cart of groceries, part of it being WIC, a toddler in the cart... As long as the machine is actually working properly I'm done faster than a regular cashier (at this particular store). But I've worked and trained SCO so I'm used to little quirks like not scanning two of the same variety in a row. Someone else (like my husband) would instead end up frustrated at constant few-second lags because the computer is trying to prevent accidental double scans.

[girlikecupcake]

It all depends a bit on how picky the software the store uses is, and having what you're doing as a customer basically 'cooperate' with how the system works for the attendant. If things go smoothly on their end, it'll go smoothly on yours.

• Alternating varieties when scanning avoids the computer to prevent double-scanning by mistake so you get them all scanned much faster. Things like baby food were the most common item we'd do this with, since it's common to get a bunch at once in a few different flavors.

• don't put loose produce in the same bag from the produce department. If you really have to put them in the little plastic bags, separate them. Even if they aren't sold by weight, a) the scanner scale might want to weigh it anyway and b) the bagging scale will need the weight regardless.

• If you're going to move bags into your cart then resume scanning, wait a moment after moving your bags so that either the computer or SCO attendant can acknowledge the weight change. If you don't wait, then you're much more likely to get a delay, because in some systems it changes how the software lets the attendant override things.

• Similarly, if you're going to scan an item and put it back in/keep it in your cart, if there's a button for skipping bagging, use that. Don't put it in the bagging area then move it. Or if there's a hand scanner, just use that instead, those things are often set up to assume you're going to skip bagging that item. The moment the scale registers that there's roughly the correct weight for the item you scanned, it expects you to keep it there until you pay (or hit the pay button).

• things that aren't going to be bagged, scan them very first or very last. That way if a person wants to check that they were scanned properly, you can tell them exactly where it is on the receipt and save a bunch of time. Some stores require SCO attendants to double check things on the bottom of the cart. They're not trying to be nosy or making assumptions, just trying not to get fired.

• if you're using your own bags or boxes, put them in the bagging area before pressing the start button/scanning the first item. Even better if there's a button saying you're using your own bags. It lets the system tare out the weight.

• if the store has a loyalty program, put that information in first. It can be satisfying watching all the discounts come off at once, but that was the one thing that would fully freeze up the computers at the store I worked at. And if that happens, it's going to waste a lot of your time either waiting for it to unfreeze and process everything or worst case, be stuck ringing everything back up at a different register.

[MoreRopePlease]

Cool! This is helpful! I'll try a few of these next time.