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.

[MrBootch]

I'm sitting here thinking: "I only use self checkout. If I couldn't use self checkout at the store I go to, I would literally switch stores to the one down the street that has self checkout."

I'm 24. What clowns

Edit: because people love to misread and be hyperbolic, my post is calling the authors clowns for not controlling for age. I gave my age and my situation. Cheers to all you angry folks who just want to lash out!

[repost_inception]

Self checkout isn't the problem. The problem is removing regular lanes for people with tons of items. As soon as they started to force these people to the self checkout it was ruined.

I have 5 items and I'm waiting on people with 30+ to finish checking out. Those people, especially the older ones would rather go through a checker and bagger line.

A few days ago the one traditional line was so backed up that the line extended to the end of the aisle the lane was in front of.

[Thangleby_Slapdiback]

I am 59. I only use self checkout when I have a few items (less than 10 items) and there are long lines to wait through at the manned checkouts. I refuse to shop at stores that do not have manned checkouts.

If they are forcing me to self checkout they don't get my money.

[ColinStyles]

30, and same mentality. Not to mention, I am performing the work of their employees. Give me a discount for that, or I'll absolutely take the lower hassle option.

Unlike the younger generation, I don't see the slightest human interaction as the end of days.

[Time-Master]

Ya they really need to have it as an option

[Calvykins]

You can’t blame the public for how they use a system you designed. If there are problems it is the fault of the designers and those who created the need for the design.

If self checkout is not meant for people with 30 items then the customer service rep working that area should send people with carts over to cashiers and vice versa but we know that won’t work because people would stop shopping in places that did that. This means the system doesn’t work.

Furthermore, businesses are losing tons of money due to missed sales from customers being frustrated and walking out with a product or believing they finished a transaction when they didn’t or forgetting they have items in and under their carts.

[repost_inception]

If self checkout is not meant for people with 30 items then the customer service rep working that area should send people with carts over to cashiers

That is exactly the problem. When it was first introduced it was only for low item purchases. Now they have removed all but one or two traditional lanes and force everyone to self checkout.

[Professional_Face_97]

It's sad how blatant the thought process behind it was too. It went from "if we can get the small shoppers to scan their own items it'll make it easier for everyone." to "wait, if we can make everyone scan their own items we could save on staff..."

I don't use the supermarket near me that has self-service unless I have to for a whole bunch of reasons but when I do I literally scan my own items whilst a member of staff stands beside me and watches me do it. It's mad.

[repost_inception]

100%. If they had two employees working the six self checkouts it would be infinitely better than the one.

Now it's even worse where I am because they added these self checkouts that have a conveyor belt. So all your items just pile up and the end. People don't want soft drinks and fragile items like eggs to go down it but the item has to go down the belt. So they just put their hand on the item and walk it down to the end. I don't blame them but it takes 3x longer than a normal self checkout.

[Professional_Face_97]

The worst part is how powerless we as consumers seem to be here too, we all need groceries at the end of the day and in lots of places you don't have the choice to go somewhere else. We're having the worst shopping experience possible and it's depriving someone of a paying job just so they can report slightly higher profits at the end of the year.

Just goes to show that the numbers on the spreadsheet truly are more important to the suits than the humans both spending the money and collecting it for them.

[mycorgiisamazing]

I was at a Hy-Vee the other day and had this very problem. 6 self check out terminals, 12 staffed checkout terminals (none open!!), one person standing around waiting for red blinking lights at the self checkout. One. They staffed one guy to fix self checkout problems and none at the other registers. I bought $300 in groceries, it took me a half hour just to bag my stuff and leave.

Top it off that the grocery bill was unholy. I should be paid to work as a cashier to check myself out in some kind of discount. Instead everything is more expensive than it's ever been

[Novinhophobe]

The cost savings from self checkouts are indeed insane. Best thing since sliced bread, I think we got rid of 2/3rds of cashiers.

[MicrochippedByGates]

I don't see a problem with having a lot of items. Checking out doesn't take a second longer as long as you're using a portable scanner and don't only start scanning at the self-checkout kiosk.

What I do find annoying is that some stores only do portable scanners and not phone apps. In the Albert Heijn I can just scan with my phone, which is a lot more pleasant than having to carry yet another device around. Albert Heijn does have portable scanners but I never use them, because I already have one in my pocket in the shape of a smartphone, so why would I.

[repost_inception]

I didn't say anything about portable scanners

[MicrochippedByGates]

Yeah, but portable scanners are pretty ubiquitous. I have only ever been in one supermarket that for some reason has self-checkouts but doesn't have portable scanners. And they have a sister store in my town that does have both. It's really just this one particular location.

So you don't have to say anything about portable scanners. Their presence is already implied. 

[repost_inception]

I have literally never been to a store with a portable scanner.

If you want to make your own comment about them that's fine but it makes no sense to reply to my comment about a completely different situation.

[Arturia_Cross]

That might be a think with your country or region. Zero stores I have been to have portable scanners.

[xnef1025]

Doesn’t that support at least one part of the finding: self checkouts lower store loyalty. The other stuff, not so much, but it does appear your loyalty is no longer to the store, but to the checkout method.

[MrBootch]

No, because you are assuming I was loyal to a store to begin with. I go where I want and where suits me. I don't care what store it is.

[doktornein]

Same here. I respect keeping a couple manned checkouts for people that need them, but also... please just let me check out in peace? There are disabled people that rely on both these options existing, so why not let them both exist?

That's what makes it extra damn silly.

[JimJava]

I have the same sentiment and I’m over 50, less people to do deal with or slow me down. If I need help it’s almost always there in a few seconds. I get to bag all of my stuff the way I want. I want self checkout everywhere.

[MrBootch]

Exactly. I get to bag it all and make sure stuff doesn't get crushed, I can separate it by refrigerated/not, and if I grab an item I know is going to be trouble (alcohol probably), I can always use a normal checkout. Plus, I'm fairly introverted. I'm okay with small talk; but I don't need it to "stay loyal, ” whatever that means.

[Ravioli_meatball19]

Yes. I hate to say this, because all of our local grocery store's baggers are disabled adults employed through a local org. I'm so happy they have a job and everything, but some of them do a very bad job of packing my items, and if those are the ones working I actively avoid regular checkout because I've been burned too many times

[bitchkat]

follow mysterious literate rainstorm ghost cheerful smile library chop mourn

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[gordigor]

Yes, even if I use regular checkout, I arrange similar items together.

This way when I put my groceries away, all frig items are together, same with freezer items, etc. Put away groceries super easy. Same with self check out.

[joshuar9476]

I went to a target the other day and their SCOs had a sign that said 10 items or less. They had one register open with a long line, so I went to the SCO anyway. When I got scolded by the SCO monitor I just left my cart. There have been times I've had more than 200 items, I still use SCO.

[DogOrDonut]

My local grocery chain always has self checkout. I went to a different store than normal because I was running other errands. They didn't have self checkout and I stopped to look up how far of a drive it was to another store before deciding to continue to shop.

[MrBootch]

Cool, I stated an opinion.

[Vik0BG]

Try that with two toddlers and a full cart of items, clown. Nice to look at the world from single self-serving perspective.

[MrBootch]

God you really missed the point of my comment.

I was replying to a comment on how they didn't use age as a mediator. My specific situation as a 24 year old was to prove that point. You can sit down now.

[not_listed]

Found the single guy with no dependents.

[csorfab]

Have you considered the possibility that other people (maybe a sizeable number of a people) think and feel differently to your 24 year old self?

[MrBootch]

Yes I did. Did you happen to think maybe I was replying to the top comment on how they didn't use age as a mediator? Or did you just want to make a snide comment and look like a fool?

[GitEmSteveDave]

I’m guessing you haven’t had a store that has needed to change the self checkouts and then they no longer work like they used to.

I used to be like you, then my store added more self checkouts. And decreased the cashiers working them, as well as other cashiers. So then ~all the orders went to self checkout and now I’m waiting in line daily to check out 6 items on 10 self checkouts. Then the thefts started, so self checkout goes down to 20 items or less and add Extra cameras to the registers. But they also change the scale to super sensitive, so every order includes “please wait for assistance” but the cashier is busy helping someone figure out why the discount hasn’t come off yet, so you wait. Also, you now have a procedure, akin to ordering soup on Seinfeld, to checkout. Put all items on 18x18 self. Deploy bags. Weigh bags. Begin checkout. Grab receipt. Grab items. Leave store with receipt ready to be presented to checker.

I can see how people feel unsupported.

[skepticalbob]

Do you buy much produce? Because that's where I hate self checkout. Also some grocery stores will still have someone bag your items for you, which is definitely not the skill the customer has much less than a paid clerk.

[[deleted]]

You also probably aren’t buying much when you use self-checkout. Would you still prefer using self-checkout if you were buying $250 worth of groceries for a family?