eh... filling out a form to go shopping... that might just be enough of an administrative hurdle to make me unlikely to bother, despite the prospect of queue-jumping at the other hand. I detest paperwork; I think I prefer waiting in line!
self checkout lanes
- Thread starter farmkid
- Start date
eh... filling out a form to go shopping... that might just be enough of an administrative hurdle to make me unlikely to bother, despite the prospect of queue-jumping at the other hand. I detest paperwork; I think I prefer waiting in line!
eh... filling out a form to go shopping... that might just be enough of an administrative hurdle to make me unlikely to bother, despite the prospect of queue-jumping at the other hand. I detest paperwork; I think I prefer waiting in line!
That's what makes it so sweet: so many people cannot be bothered that I feel like a client at a five star hotel!
A
Amaris
Guest
eh... filling out a form to go shopping... that might just be enough of an administrative hurdle to make me unlikely to bother, despite the prospect of queue-jumping at the other hand. I detest paperwork; I think I prefer waiting in line!
That's what makes it so sweet: so many people cannot be bothered that I feel like a client at a five star hotel!
Next time you go, you should wear a special shopping hat and a monocle. I would! (really. I would.)
eh... filling out a form to go shopping... that might just be enough of an administrative hurdle to make me unlikely to bother, despite the prospect of queue-jumping at the other hand. I detest paperwork; I think I prefer waiting in line!
That's what makes it so sweet: so many people cannot be bothered that I feel like a client at a five star hotel!
You know, that analogy makes me wonder if there's scope for a similarly tiered approach in supermarkets, like hotel rooms or better, airline classes... is there scope for a "business" or "first" service in the better supermarkets like Waitrose or M&S?
A special set of checkout aisles with extra staffing that you can use if you're prepared to pay an extra, say, 3-5% on your shop. The exact percentage would need a sensitivity analysis to determine, but you get the idea. Charge a bit extra in return for a smoother shopping experience.
I wonder if any of the big players have done any market research on this concept to see if there's a large enough small pool of customers willing to tolerate this charge. Probably not, admittedly, but I'd love to see the numbers.
You know, that analogy makes me wonder if there's scope for a similarly tiered approach in supermarkets, like hotel rooms or better, airline classes... is there scope for a "business" or "first" service in the better supermarkets like Waitrose or M&S?
A special set of checkout aisles with extra staffing that you can use if you're prepared to pay an extra, say, 3-5% on your shop. The exact percentage would need a sensitivity analysis to determine, but you get the idea. Charge a bit extra in return for a smoother shopping experience.
I wonder if any of the big players have done any market research on this concept to see if there's a large enough small pool of customers willing to tolerate this charge. Probably not, admittedly, but I'd love to see the numbers.
Possibly, but I think the free marketing should cover that. I'd be willing to do surveys as well for the privilege, though!
I laughed out loud! Cheers for that
Seriously, none of the cashiers in my area are chatty. They mostly look underpaid, overworked and miserable.
I used to be a cashier when I was in university. It can be a thankless job, especially when you get chewed out for things that couldn't possibly have anything less to do with you. "You mean you don't have the pens here that you sold ten years ago?? You miserable assholes!!" - Another Satisfied Customer
Anyway, chatting with cashiers is the least of my worries. I cherish my time more than anything. And the self serve checkouts are in my opinion, time bandits.
Well, they were pretty sweet pens.
In my case it has less to do with them holding up the line and more to do with my dislike of small talk in general. Here was the conversation (or attempt at one
) that occurred last time my boyfriend and I went grocery shopping:Cashier: Hey! How are you guys doing?
Us: Fine.
Cashier: Ohh I like that shirt, do you go to the local university?
Boyfriend: Yes.
Cashier: That's great, what are you studying?? *Looks at me* And what about you, you must go there too!
Me: No.
Cashier: Oh, so how did you meet?
Me: We met in college.
Cashier: So did you grow up around here then?
Me: No.
Cashier: Oh, then what brought you to this area??
At this point I wanted to say, "Please leave me alone and stop asking me to lay out my life story for you." Weren't my one word answers clue enough that I don't want to talk?? I know it's his job to be friendly, but sometimes not talking is the friendlier thing to do!
Anyway, if I can avoid interactions like the one above by using impersonal machines, I will do so!
It sometimes goes the other way with me, I sometimes am the one who asks questions.
For example, talking to a cashier who was obviously an African refugee.
Me: I hope you don't mind me asking, but I can't place your accent.
Cashier: I am from the Ivory Coast.
Me: that near Ghana, isn't it.
Cashier: Yes
Me: French speaking
Cashier smiling: Yes, yes not many people know that
Me: Cote d'ivoire, did I pronoince it right?
Cashier pronounces it.
Me: your English is a million times better than my French. Is the country very big?
Cashier: 15 million, 3 million in the the capital.
Me: 3 million!!! That 6 times the amount of people in Tasmania.
Cashier: Hobart is much smaller but much nicer.
That is about all we has time for.
For example, talking to a cashier who was obviously an African refugee.
Me: I hope you don't mind me asking, but I can't place your accent.
Cashier: I am from the Ivory Coast.
Me: that near Ghana, isn't it.
Cashier: Yes
Me: French speaking
Cashier smiling: Yes, yes not many people know that
Me: Cote d'ivoire, did I pronoince it right?
Cashier pronounces it.
Me: your English is a million times better than my French. Is the country very big?
Cashier: 15 million, 3 million in the the capital.
Me: 3 million!!! That 6 times the amount of people in Tasmania.
Cashier: Hobart is much smaller but much nicer.
That is about all we has time for.
People who use self-checkout=self reliant, efficient and determined. Regular lanes=cattle.
RAMA
Did you really just reply to yourself?
Self checkout lanes are annoying for me because I buy way too much shit at the grocery store. It's a lot more efficient for me to use regular lanes. It's even more efficient when they are under-staffed, because then I get to bag my own groceries, which I much prefer to do.
Self checkout lanes are annoying for me because I buy way too much shit at the grocery store. It's a lot more efficient for me to use regular lanes. It's even more efficient when they are under-staffed, because then I get to bag my own groceries, which I much prefer to do.
Well yeah, to show my love for the self-checkout.
You should see me move at the self-checkout lanes...I'm a whirlwind...no checkout person will go that fast. All the checkout girls love me.
Any self-checkout lane I've used doesn't let you be a whirlwind. You have to pause for 5 seconds every time you scan something before the machine figures out what it's doing. And god forbid you put an item in the bagging area before or after the 0.5 second window it gives you to do so.
What? I never heard of a cashier not beeing able to SELL alcohol because he´s underage...is this common?
I saw my first self checkout in london when I visited my sister. I loved it. Sadly we don´t seem to have them here in germany. But they´re starting to introduce baggers here now. What sucks is that it seems they are not paid by the store at all...they only get tips.
Depends where you live. In Illinois, you have to be 21 to sell alcohol. If you're underage, you need to get someone else to do it.
Yeah. In Indiana, you have to be 18. If you are under 18, you can't handle alcohol at all, even as part of your job.
I'm impatient, it can be done
Here's one I don't get: Self check out at the Home Depot. The local one actually has hand scanners for scanning large lumber pieces...then promptly tells you that you need to place the item in the bagging area. Sure I'll just heft this 3 sheets of 4x8 MDF up on that the 1 x 2 bagging area while I scan the rest of my order. To compound the headache: the cashiers on duty just hand wave you over to the self-checkout, or when a supervisor runs up to help they stir you towards the self checkout. A lumber yard doesn't need self checkout.
The local Kroger has gotten bad for cashiers passing you off to the self-checkout (can't interrupt their txting and personal chit-chat you know). And the FEM grabs you with "Ready to check out?" and steers you into the self-checkout cause "it's faster". I've got 3 buggies of groceries, the self-checkout isn't going to cut it...oh now you have to cancel the order 1/4 way through and move me over to a live cashier and start over cause I have to many items? Gee why didn't I think of that...oh I DID!
Or "We're sorry you can't have that sale price, it's a manual price mod and you can't do those on the self-checkout."
The local Kroger has gotten bad for cashiers passing you off to the self-checkout (can't interrupt their txting and personal chit-chat you know). And the FEM grabs you with "Ready to check out?" and steers you into the self-checkout cause "it's faster". I've got 3 buggies of groceries, the self-checkout isn't going to cut it...oh now you have to cancel the order 1/4 way through and move me over to a live cashier and start over cause I have to many items? Gee why didn't I think of that...oh I DID!
Or "We're sorry you can't have that sale price, it's a manual price mod and you can't do those on the self-checkout."
