Tesco self service checkout machines
I wish to gripe about the Self Service checkout tills that have been springing up everywhere including my local branch of Tesco.
It is so disgustingly obvious that these things have been put there to save the company employing checkout staff. I would imagine one of these machines will pay for itself within two years. These machines are definitely not there for the convenience of Tesco customers, that's for sure. It takes twice as long to unload, scan, and pack your own shopping as it would for an assistant to do it for you.
I work in I.T. myself, I love computers and machines, but even I recognise the value of simple human contact in retail environments. There is a lot to be said for a simple "hello" or "thank you" from a checkout assistant at the supermarket. Not to mention the much nicer feeling of handing your money to a human being instead of a machine. So many aspects of life are already impersonal enough as it is without a soulless shopping experience as well.
Unmanned checkouts - a cynical attempt to force customers to use the self service tills?
What really winds me up, though, is when you go into Tesco at certain times of day, and of 10 "manned" checkouts, only one of them is actually "manned", the rest are left unattended, presumably in a cynical attempt to force customers to use the self service tills.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not an "anti-Tesco" person by any means. I like the shop. I just find these self service checkouts smack of laziness and penny pinching on the part of Tesco, and I find their very existence a bit of an insult.
The joke is, at busy times Tesco have to employ a member of staff to attend the "self service" checkouts. They're there to assist all the poor shoppers who get befuddled trying to use these machines, and all of these shoppers are noticeably annoyed and angry at having to use them in the first place!
If anything I'd say I'a Tesco fan, but I don't see one single redeeming feature in these "do it yourself" checkouts. Come on Tesco - surely you can afford to ditch them and go back to good old fashioned "members of staff"? Your customers would really appreciate it.
Comments from visitors
I work on the Morrison's self scan area. 99% of the problems that arise are because the customers don't READ or LISTEN or WATCH to what they are supposed to do (It tells you and shows you on screen people!) They are only meant for a couple of items anyway, so that you don't need to wait behind a huge trolley but people just don't get that and try to scan like 20 items through.
I'm sick of hearing 'they take away jobs' They don't just magically appear! Get rid of them you say! So what about the people making them and creating the software, what about their jobs? Or does that not matter as long as you get your ten items scanned for you? Besides, if they weren't there they wouldn't hire more staff, we'd just have bigger queues. Supermarkets are a business, they are there to make money and that is one way of doing it without having to raise prices to unaffordable levels. And if I hear another person say 'oh, I should get a 5% discount for doing YOUR job" I will scream because if you think I make 5% from every customers shopping going through my till then you are a moron. If you don't like them, don't use them.
I'm sick of hearing 'they take away jobs' They don't just magically appear! Get rid of them you say! So what about the people making them and creating the software, what about their jobs? Or does that not matter as long as you get your ten items scanned for you? Besides, if they weren't there they wouldn't hire more staff, we'd just have bigger queues. Supermarkets are a business, they are there to make money and that is one way of doing it without having to raise prices to unaffordable levels. And if I hear another person say 'oh, I should get a 5% discount for doing YOUR job" I will scream because if you think I make 5% from every customers shopping going through my till then you are a moron. If you don't like them, don't use them.
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Stressed self scan worker. - 24-Jan-12 20:40
I'm sure Tesco loves these things. Since I'm doing "Self Service" (ooh, err, misses!), why don't I get a discount?
"Self Service" petrol used to cost less than having someone fill the car up for you, and bring you the change.
The only purpose of "self service" on Tesco tills is to deprive someone of a job, thus bringing greater rewards to Tesco executives. Well, it doesn't get so much of mine anymore - since over half the tills are "self service" now, I go to Sainsbury's.
Still wondering at the sudden loss of market share, you Tesco executive dunderheads?
"Self Service" petrol used to cost less than having someone fill the car up for you, and bring you the change.
The only purpose of "self service" on Tesco tills is to deprive someone of a job, thus bringing greater rewards to Tesco executives. Well, it doesn't get so much of mine anymore - since over half the tills are "self service" now, I go to Sainsbury's.
Still wondering at the sudden loss of market share, you Tesco executive dunderheads?
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I work for Tescos on self serve tills and enjoy it - the trouble with most gripers is that they do not understand how to do them and as for 'job loss' - how many farm hands lost their job on the introduction of the tractor. Think about that when you queue at a manned till with farm produce.
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Tesco self service machines.
"Un expected item in bagging area" - GGRRRRR
The bagging area is far too small.
They have too many blips' - so you frequently need staff to type in a code.
"Un expected item in bagging area" - GGRRRRR
The bagging area is far too small.
They have too many blips' - so you frequently need staff to type in a code.
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Greg, use the bus? To keep bus drivers employed? You must be joking! Bus drivers are high up on the 'psychotic' list, along with psychiatric nurses, primary school teachers and security guards. Dirty seats, illegal smoking, foul-mouthed scallys, litter rolling around the floor, mobile phone conversations blasting in my earhole, mother's with pushchairs and primitive social skills - I'd fight to keep my car any day!
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miserablemoaninggit - 30-Jul-11 17:30
I find that stores with self check outs, actually seem to have more staff on the shop floor to assist when required. In B&Q if you wanted help you normally had to wait 20 mins for some one to help, now the staff are not sat twiddling their thumbs waiting for the next customer to buy a pack of screws, the staff are better employed helping the customers. its called progress, I bet you all drive to the supermarket to do your shopping, How about using a bus and keeping a bus driver employed, bus companies are cutting back as less people use the bus as the car is more colnveniant. your all hypocrites.
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Although I like self-service checkouts I also agree with Mark that the main reason is cost reduction for the supermarkets. However, I like shopping at LIDL but their checkouts are efficient because they don't waste time letting the customer pack everything in bags. Also their checkout operators are very well trained and helpful compared with the average 'checkout jockey' in other supermarkets.
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If you can't use them. Here is examples of the easy way (well what I find easy anyway!)
1) Press the 'Start' button on the touch screen (dont just scan away!)
2) Scan item #1
2a) Put it in the bagging area, then pull the bag off the rack and stick the item in the back.
2b) Optional, if you get the 'un expected item in bagging area' simply push it down in the bag a bit more.
3) Scan item #2
3a) Place the item in the bag. (Pull out new bag is nessercy [rubbish at spellings!])
3b) Got 'unexpected item in the bagging area'? Simply put it on the weighing stand then stick it in the bag once finished the process
4) Keep doing this untill you've finished.
5) Select Finish & Pay. (Scan or put your loyalty card where it tells you to if you have one.
5a) Select your payment method
5b) If you chose card, enter your card into the chip and pin machine. Then when it ways, type in your pin.
5c) If you chose vouchers, where you enter coupons (new tesco ones are usually underneath the scanner) enter them.
5d) If you choose cash and coins, enter your notes where it tells you (tesco ones are always at the left hand side of the scanner) and enter your coins. (for old tesco diy's use the 1 at a time penny inserter at the side of the bank note feeder [new tesco diy's: coins are underneath the barcode scanner])
Then finally, take your recipt and your done with.
1) Press the 'Start' button on the touch screen (dont just scan away!)
2) Scan item #1
2a) Put it in the bagging area, then pull the bag off the rack and stick the item in the back.
2b) Optional, if you get the 'un expected item in bagging area' simply push it down in the bag a bit more.
3) Scan item #2
3a) Place the item in the bag. (Pull out new bag is nessercy [rubbish at spellings!])
3b) Got 'unexpected item in the bagging area'? Simply put it on the weighing stand then stick it in the bag once finished the process
4) Keep doing this untill you've finished.
5) Select Finish & Pay. (Scan or put your loyalty card where it tells you to if you have one.
5a) Select your payment method
5b) If you chose card, enter your card into the chip and pin machine. Then when it ways, type in your pin.
5c) If you chose vouchers, where you enter coupons (new tesco ones are usually underneath the scanner) enter them.
5d) If you choose cash and coins, enter your notes where it tells you (tesco ones are always at the left hand side of the scanner) and enter your coins. (for old tesco diy's use the 1 at a time penny inserter at the side of the bank note feeder [new tesco diy's: coins are underneath the barcode scanner])
Then finally, take your recipt and your done with.
+4
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Pay for itself in two years?
Try months.
ONE autoamted checkout running full time in a 24/7 store replaces five staff (if you include holiday entitlement and the sotre is open 24/7 or close)
Even at basic wage and ignoring NI contributions by the empoyer, this saves around £1200. The SRU's (Staff Replacement Units) are not cheap but I can assure you they don't take years to pay for themselves. They are little more than a cut down till, with no conveyer but a weight monitor on the bag holder.
And yes you are right, this is not done because "customer like checking themselves out", it is done to cheapen operating costs to increase profit.
Sadly, that, combined with canned Muzac being played at me, mean I tend to shop more at Waitrose and Aldi. Although at different ends of the price spectrum, BOTH let me shop in silence, BOTH always do the checking out for me and BOTH of them carry a LOT of the identical brands to the "Serve yourself and listen to the noise" supermarkets. Customer service tends to be more cheerful there too :)
Try months.
ONE autoamted checkout running full time in a 24/7 store replaces five staff (if you include holiday entitlement and the sotre is open 24/7 or close)
Even at basic wage and ignoring NI contributions by the empoyer, this saves around £1200. The SRU's (Staff Replacement Units) are not cheap but I can assure you they don't take years to pay for themselves. They are little more than a cut down till, with no conveyer but a weight monitor on the bag holder.
And yes you are right, this is not done because "customer like checking themselves out", it is done to cheapen operating costs to increase profit.
Sadly, that, combined with canned Muzac being played at me, mean I tend to shop more at Waitrose and Aldi. Although at different ends of the price spectrum, BOTH let me shop in silence, BOTH always do the checking out for me and BOTH of them carry a LOT of the identical brands to the "Serve yourself and listen to the noise" supermarkets. Customer service tends to be more cheerful there too :)
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was on a normal que in an un-named supermarket the other day, staff member came over and told me to go to the self service machines, went over, only 2 or 3 bags left on the hook/slider thing where they are kept, knowing that if you dont put your scanned item into a ready opened bag within 3 seconds of beeping it, it screams out an "unidentified item " message, I put my basket on the shelf where it is meant to go on the left hand side, and set about peeling open some bags ready for starting to scan my own shopping, was peeling them open and it sounded an "Unidentified Item in the Baggage Area EEK EEK EEK" Alarm.....staff came over and grumbled at me then scanned their ID card and stood and watched my every move for about the 5 minutes it took me to scan the 25 or so items....
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notsogoodshopping - 13-Jun-11 20:52
I have just come out of Tesco on Birmingham New Street where the queue for the self-service checkouts was huge. As we stood waiting, an assistant shut several of the checkouts down leaving only 4 open. The wait was interminable. When the remaining assistant was challenged to open more, he said he wasnt allowed to man more than 4. Presumably the other assistant had gone for her tea break. So much for customer service....
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At my local Morrisons, the damn machine says 'please place the item in the bagging area' every time something is scanned. Crazy! Hearing that same phrase repeated over and over again as if I'm some damn idiot.
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morrisonshater - 15-Apr-11 12:59
Our village Tesco Express has just had a self service till put in, replacing one of the manned tills. I have not seen anyone use it yet! When asked if they want to use it, everyone says "No." I refuse to use it. It is bad enough that Tesco charge more in an Express store than larger stores, without having to serve myself as well. All the assistants in the shop are from the village. If Tesco reduce staff because of their self service culture, they will not only make even more money through inflated prices in an Express store, they will also save money on the wage bill, and reduce the number of jobs available in the village.
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Studies done to assess the impact of self-service checkouts have shown that, in fact, they ADD to customer waiting times. But they are used because they are cheaper than paying a member of staff. People are being put out of jobs just so that the shareholders can be paid higher dividends (where do you think the record profits go?). So people on low wages lose their income to make a load of really wealthy people even more wealthy.
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She, you obviously work at Tesco extra, Shrewsbury. The staff there obviously get fed up too and they certainly are more than willing to show it to the customers.
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You try working on them!!.............If only people would read them or listen to them, they take you through what to do!!!!! I get fed up with people asking me to serve them (queue jumpers) I will willingly help someone, but pleeeeeeeeeeease make an effort yourself!!!! and dont try to go through them with loads of stuff, they're ok for a few items. And dont let your kids climb all over the scales.... and if you dont like them, please dont moan at me, dont use them!!!!! if you want to moan, speak to the men in their ivory towers who agreed to these wonderful things. I work here and I have absolutely no influence over having these things installed (neither does the supervisor, team leader, duty manager or store manager)......
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I'm not saying that Tesco staff are lazy, but I won employee of the month by using one of these self service checkouts :)
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I'd much rather use the self-service checkout when I find myself visiting the Tesco 'extra' in Shrewsbury because I want to avoid as much as possible the awful staff who work there. It must have the worst customer training in the Tesco network - rude, lazy, impolite, generally they can be awful. The self-service checkout is a godsend in comparison, only letting me down when that damn light starts flashing and the screen tells me to wait for some help. I just hope the technology improves in the coming years so that I can go to Tesco and have zero contact with the human staff - let them stock the shelves.
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Just to make it clear how to use SSC Scan item put it in bagging area straight away instead of holding it in your hand or waving it about or looking to see if it has registered. I use SSC all the time and find them easy to use if you use it correctly. You only get problems if you don't use them correctly. There is always a helpful member of staff on call and some of them need a medal for the patience they show. They are manned all the time not just busy times as they are there to give approval for restricted items. The way I look at it is you have a choice if you don't like them don't use them. Simples !!!!!
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I used the SSC's in Morrison's for the first, and the last time a while back. They were clearly programmed by people who think we're all idiots with 3 second memories. The recorded voice telling customers to 'please place the item in the bag ...' for *every* single item is just insulting. Those in Tesco's are far better as I rarely had any problems using them. Mind you I don't shop at Tesco's because they're very aggresive (that's for another gripe subject).
I honestly prefer the checkouts operated by supermarket staff.
I honestly prefer the checkouts operated by supermarket staff.
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