The end of scab tills

[Saul Goodman]

So you are saying you went to a posh school.

It was in Ashton... Of course it wasn't posh!

 

[PTK]

I went to the local Sainsbury’s supermarket today and used a self-service till. I placed my bag on the bagging area, and I was informed by the machine that this was unauthorised. There was no option to allow my bag, and in fact, there was a notice on the bagging area which stated, using symbols, that the placing of babies, umbrellas, or bags on the bagging area was forbidden.

When I had scanned all the items that I wanted to purchase, I touched the screen to indicate that I had scanned all my items. A box came up on the screen asking how many bags I had. So, on the advice of a poster on this thread, I pressed the option of one bag. This resulted in me being charged for a “bag for life”. If the poster has been pressing this button in order to allow him to place his bag on the bagging area, then the company has been charging him for bags that he did not purchase.

I had to call the assistant to annul the charge for the bag for life that I did not purchase. I had to wait a while to gain her attention, as she was quite busy and there was no other member of staff available.

 

[kabbes]

I went to the local Sainsbury’s supermarket today and used a self-service till. I placed my bag on the bagging area, and I was informed by the machine that this was unauthorised. There was no option to allow my bag, and in fact, there was a notice on the bagging area which stated, using symbols, that the placing of babies, umbrellas, or bags on the bagging area was forbidden.

When I had scanned all the items that I wanted to purchase, I touched the screen to indicate that I had scanned all my items. A box came up on the screen asking how many bags I had. So, on the advice of a poster on this thread, I pressed the option of one bag. This resulted in me being charged for a “bag for life”. If the poster has been pressing this button in order to allow him to place his bag on the bagging area, then the company has been charging him for bags that he did not purchase.

I had to call the assistant to annul the charge for the bag for life that I did not purchase. I had to wait a while to gain her attention, as she was quite busy and there was no other member of staff available.

I think you’ve put your finger on another irritation of these machines — the non-standardisation of their user interface. So you do something that works in one supermarket only to find that it does something unexpected in a different one.

 

[kabbes]

I think they do care, as it could impact their bottom line.

If queue times were that important to them, they’d replace automatic checkout machines with staffed ones, as these are logically quicker for anything other than a small basket of goods. It’s inevitably quicker to have one packing and another processing in parallel rather than one person doing both jobs at once. And that’s without even having to deal with the errors caused by the machines.

 

[PTK]

I think you’ve put your finger on another irritation of these machines — the non-standardisation of their user interface. So you do something that works in one supermarket only to find that it does something unexpected in a different one.

I remain to be convinced that there is actually an option in any of the supermarket chains that lets you put your own bag on the bagging area before you have paid.

 

[kabbes]

I remain to be convinced that there is actually an option in any of the supermarket chains that lets you put your own bag on the bagging area before you have paid.

There is in my local Waitrose. The first thing it asks you is if you want to put a bag in the bagging area. If you say yes, it then waits until you do it before you then continue.

 

[PTK]

There is in my local Waitrose. The first thing it asks you is if you want to put a bag in the bagging area. If you say yes, it then waits until you do it before you then continue.

That's good. Why cannot all supermarkets be like that?

 

[InArduisFouette]

Have they made shopping better by unloadeding the labour to the consumer?

It’s like at macdonalds kfc etc, you type it all in the big screen and then wait an age often for the order. Cant remember it being worse than when you queued, the person turned round and made it then gave it to you.

Consumer and worker rolled into one. Bit like Facebook etc

I mean it’s not a huge amount of graft I suppose but I don’t think it makes anything quicker etc for the consumer? The affect on local jobs is another concern entirely of course

' big moaner ' by name, big moaner by nature

interestingly your assertions with regard to the fast food industry are incorrect , also a lot of Sites, even if they hadve the current corporate look and feel are built to volume that were being done 10 -20 years ago and long before delivery - peopel said why didn't Maccas do delivery ? it;s becasue they realised it would be a genie they would never put back in the bottle once uncorked - lock downs changed this

the fact is Kiosk ordering boosts sales and spend per sale

there is an illusion that kiosks and self service are slower, when in reality it just moves the queueing around a bit

 

[InArduisFouette]

That's good. Why cannot all supermarkets be like that?

tesco , asda and morrisons all do that as well

 

[cesare]

Yes. The item at the bottom.



Dunno. They exist in Tameside, Manchester where I live.

That's where I was born!

 

[InArduisFouette]

Never happened to me. It’s not always the tech’s fault!

probably becasue you actually read the instructions on the device

 

[MickiQ]

I remain to be convinced that there is actually an option in any of the supermarket chains that lets you put your own bag on the bagging area before you have paid.

You can in our local Aldi, it offers a choice of "Start" or "Use Own Bag" and if you select the latter it invites you to place said bag in the bagging area. I discovered the hard way that I have to make sure that the bag is entirely within said bagging area or it will get mardy and summon a Terminator to deal with me. Fortunately the nice lady manning the scab tills got there before the killer android.

 

[PTK]

Right, I am going to go to the local ASDA and used a self-service till.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

If queue times were that important to them, they’d replace automatic checkout machines with staffed ones, as these are logically quicker for anything other than a small basket of goods. It’s inevitably quicker to have one packing and another processing in parallel rather than one person doing both jobs at once. And that’s without even having to deal with the errors caused by the machines.

The thing is they are important. Stores are judged, amongst other things, by the ease of exit, well Sainsbury's are.

That's partly why there is a desire to steer people to using smart shop. So you use either your phone or a handheld device to scan and pack as you shop meaning you simply need a payment till at the end.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

I went to the local Sainsbury’s supermarket today and used a self-service till. I placed my bag on the bagging area, and I was informed by the machine that this was unauthorised. There was no option to allow my bag, and in fact, there was a notice on the bagging area which stated, using symbols, that the placing of babies, umbrellas, or bags on the bagging area was forbidden.

When I had scanned all the items that I wanted to purchase, I touched the screen to indicate that I had scanned all my items. A box came up on the screen asking how many bags I had. So, on the advice of a poster on this thread, I pressed the option of one bag. This resulted in me being charged for a “bag for life”. If the poster has been pressing this button in order to allow him to place his bag on the bagging area, then the company has been charging him for bags that he did not purchase.

I had to call the assistant to annul the charge for the bag for life that I did not purchase. I had to wait a while to gain her attention, as she was quite busy and there was no other member of staff available.

It's actually asking you "Do you need any bags?" not "Do you have any bags?"

 

[PTK]

It's actually asking you "Do you need any bags?" not "Do you have any bags?"

Yes, that is correct.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Yes, that is correct.

So then you press "No" because you have a bag.

 

[PTK]

So then you press "No" because you have a bag.

Yes, I know.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Yes, I know.

Okay...so why did you press that you did?

 

[PTK]

Okay...so why did you press that you did?

Because someone had suggested in this thread that there was a way of getting an automated till to accept my bag being placed upon the bagging area.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Because someone had suggested in this thread that there was a way of getting an automated till to accept my bag being placed upon the bagging area.

Ah, I see

 

[PTK]

Ah, I see

Which is what I wrote in my post.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Which is what I wrote in my post.

It didn't read that way to me I'm afraid

 

[PTK]

It didn't read that way to me I'm afraid

"So, on the advice of a poster on this thread, I pressed the option of one bag."

 

[oryx]

What could Asda and Morrisons move away from self-checkout mean?

Supermarkets are beginning to question the divisive technology after years of criticism from shoppers.

www.bbc.co.uk

'After years of encouraging shoppers to scan their own groceries, some supermarkets are checking out a move back to traditional tills.

Asda said it would put more staff on checkouts, while Morrisons admitted it might have "gone too far" with self-scan. Northern upmarket chain Booths has got rid of them altogether.'

 

[kabbes]

What could Asda and Morrisons move away from self-checkout mean?

Supermarkets are beginning to question the divisive technology after years of criticism from shoppers.

www.bbc.co.uk

'After years of encouraging shoppers to scan their own groceries, some supermarkets are checking out a move back to traditional tills.

Asda said it would put more staff on checkouts, while Morrisons admitted it might have "gone too far" with self-scan. Northern upmarket chain Booths has got rid of them altogether.'

I see that the BBC are happy to peddle the PR line that self-checkout is quicker, despite this logically being complete nonsense. They make out that staffed tills are just about the chance to have a conversation.

 

[dessiato]

Surely scanning your own shopping as you go round, then paying is quicker than either manned desks or self scanning. Surely, if time constraints are a problem for you you’ll scan and shop.

 

[Orang Utan]

"So, on the advice of a poster on this thread, I pressed the option of one bag."

Who advised you that?

 

[Pickman's model]

Fortunately the nice lady manning the scab tills got there before the killer android.

Can you see the obvious problem with that sentence?

 

[Chz]

Because someone had suggested in this thread that there was a way of getting an automated till to accept my bag being placed upon the bagging area.

That's the whole "consistent user interface" thing someone elae has said. I tend to avoid Sainsburys since they brought in "scan your receipt to exit, you thief" so I can only say the old Lidl ones used to need a button pushed before starting to throw a bag on the sensor and the new ones just say Have At It and merrily go on their way once you plop your bags on. There does seem to be a limit to how heavy your bags can be. It's fine when I've got my prescriptions already in the bag, but balked when I tried to be more efficient by putting my sholley on the scale. (this annoyed the checkout fuhrer to no end)