I like not having to make smalltalk, or answer dumb questions, or refuse to donate to their charity. If I’m listening to a podcast, I like not having to pause it.
Even before they banned plastic bags, I was biking to the grocery store, so I’d either be loading up panniers or a big cargo backpack (or sometimes both). Because of that, I want heavy and/or sturdy things at the bottom and things I don’t want crushed at the top. Even if I load things onto a conveyor belt in that order for a cashier, they somehow manage to pile them up so I have to fix the sorting later.
So, I’d like a self-checkout system…
IF IT WORKED!
Problem 1 is that the bags I bring to load up don’t work with their system. Apparently if my bag flops over while it’s on the loading area scale, the machine detects that as my trying to scam the system, so it lights up red lights demanding action from the supervisor human. So, even though we’re supposed to bring our own bags, and they don’t let us have plastic bags anymore, their stupid self-checkout system is still basically designed to only work with plastic bags.
To avoid the problem with bags, I’ve had to put my bag on the floor and just load up the scale with groceries, and only then to slowly load up my bag. That takes a lot of the efficiency of self-bagging away. But, even if that works, a lot of time the things don’t scan properly. A lot of the time when there’s a 2 for 1 deal, or 30% off deal, or something, it still scans at full price. How do you get the proper price? You have to call over the supervisor human… who is often dealing with someone else’s problem.
So, most of the time, I deal with the smalltalk, the dumb questions, and all the frustrating parts of dealing with human checkout even though I’d prefer to deal with a machine.
The best system I’ve tried works by an app. You scan the items with your phone as you pick them up and put them in your bag while still in the app store. Pay in the app and then just leave.
They can check your bag if they want to, and there’s camera surveillance.
The self-check out systems don’t really do anything better than that anyway. It a waste of time in my opinion and only encourages people to cheat.
They still need to do random checks and camera surveillance.
Fuck that, they can do their own market research. I am not their marketing department, I am not helping them build profiles of their customers for a few cents bonus. That shit is straight out of a 2000s dystopian speculative documentation.
I like not having to make smalltalk, or answer dumb questions, or refuse to donate to their charity. If I’m listening to a podcast, I like not having to pause it.
Even before they banned plastic bags, I was biking to the grocery store, so I’d either be loading up panniers or a big cargo backpack (or sometimes both). Because of that, I want heavy and/or sturdy things at the bottom and things I don’t want crushed at the top. Even if I load things onto a conveyor belt in that order for a cashier, they somehow manage to pile them up so I have to fix the sorting later.
So, I’d like a self-checkout system…
IF IT WORKED!
Problem 1 is that the bags I bring to load up don’t work with their system. Apparently if my bag flops over while it’s on the loading area scale, the machine detects that as my trying to scam the system, so it lights up red lights demanding action from the supervisor human. So, even though we’re supposed to bring our own bags, and they don’t let us have plastic bags anymore, their stupid self-checkout system is still basically designed to only work with plastic bags.
To avoid the problem with bags, I’ve had to put my bag on the floor and just load up the scale with groceries, and only then to slowly load up my bag. That takes a lot of the efficiency of self-bagging away. But, even if that works, a lot of time the things don’t scan properly. A lot of the time when there’s a 2 for 1 deal, or 30% off deal, or something, it still scans at full price. How do you get the proper price? You have to call over the supervisor human… who is often dealing with someone else’s problem.
So, most of the time, I deal with the smalltalk, the dumb questions, and all the frustrating parts of dealing with human checkout even though I’d prefer to deal with a machine.
By biggest gripe is that they’re always so low to the ground. Like they’re worried a kindergartner won’t be able to use it.
The best system I’ve tried works by an app. You scan the items with your phone as you pick them up and put them in your bag while still in the app store. Pay in the app and then just leave. They can check your bag if they want to, and there’s camera surveillance.
The self-check out systems don’t really do anything better than that anyway. It a waste of time in my opinion and only encourages people to cheat. They still need to do random checks and camera surveillance.
Fuck that, they can do their own market research. I am not their marketing department, I am not helping them build profiles of their customers for a few cents bonus. That shit is straight out of a 2000s dystopian speculative documentation.