Tell me the OP is from the US without telling me they’re from the US.
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Countries I have visited, I never see a self checkout. Not sure if that is the norm.
I suppose you might also leave trash at your seat in a movie theater or restaurant. After all, cleaning up is someone else’s job and you don’t even work there. Plus, you can pat yourself on the back for contributing to that person’s job security with your added burden like some of the people here.
Bro, are you really getting this fucking serious for a meme, chill the fuck out
tell me you’re that asshole that leaves huge messes everywhere without telling me you’re that asshole who leaves huge messes everywhere
[…] Me: “I don’t work here”
This gives me big “ok boomer” vibes. Instead of this, imo, snarky response, could you not simply politely say that you prefer a human cashier?
Remember the human.
could you not simply politely say that you prefer a human cashier?
no because then it’s not a personal grievance and everything has to be about me and how not automatically getting what i want makes me a victim dammit!
I AM the human cashier when I do self-checkout. People don’t care WHO or what does it, they themselves just don’t want to.
Do what, drag a barcode over a flat surface and put an item in a bag? Oh no.
I’ll do that all day if it means I don’t need to interact with anyone.
I hate self check out. I’m a BYO bags person and the damn thing is always yelling at me, always talking mechanically at me, too loud. I would so much rather experience small talk.
Do what, drag a barcode over a flat surface and put an item in a bag?
Correct, most people don’t want to bother with it.
I’ll do that all day if it means I don’t need to interact with anyone.
What? You just stand there, wait for them to finish scanning, pay with card, and that’s it. 0 interaction.
I have witnessed far to many people with full carts que into the self check out, and than they get frustrated when every other thing they scan throws a flag.
Bitch, SCO is for 10 items or less!
Is it really? I’ve never seen such a sign in my corner of the US. Often there’s only one human operated checkout.
The ‘let the kid touch the hot stove’ approach.
It worked on me, but I fear other people might nurse their burns and pray that next time things will be different.My experience is different. It’s a dense urban grocer. Now that you mention it, I’ve been to Target in the suburbs where SCO was like thunder dome. A little more room for bagging, but not much. I feel so bad for the one team member dashing around checking IDs and explaining why coupons from a decade ago no longer work.
My location (different grocer ) may be privileged, because, even when it’s slow, there are two full service registers. I remember how gross it felt watching a checker at Walmart in 02 also bag the groceries because baggers didn’t exist any more.
Here in NZ, the self checkout is the preferred option for any amount of shopping. It’s so much quicker and you don’t have to engage in pointless small talk. I just got home from doing some grocery shopping and they had about 10 self checkouts and maybe 2 or 3 human ones that nobody was using.
With a cashier, I can start packing while they scan, which is way faster
At self checkout, I pack while I scan, and then I have control over the order of scanning and packing.
It does suck that places are opting to have self checkout in exclusion to checkout lanes, but for the people that don’t like self checkout just don’t use it when you have the choice.
Costco is especially infuriating because they do not tolerate anything on the platform before you can start. You also cannot remove anything from the platform before you’ve paid and everything… So you can’t pack as you go, making everything slower and more stressful for everyone. If you even attempt to, the goddamn thing locks up and the clerk has to unlock it for you.
Yes but you often have to wait to get to the cashier
A non issue. You’ll often have to wait anyway.
Australia also.
At the larger chains they’re pretty good now.
Its rare you need assistance and there’s always someone hovering around.
SCO is for 10 items or less!
not where i live. hell there’s a time of day when the self checkout kiosk is the ONLY option, and even when there’s actual cashiers it’s still super normal to take a full cart to the self checkout.
I am surprised about how many people prefer self checkout. Since AI is taboo to use but replacing a worker with self checkout is okay. Kind of a weird dynamic on the platform.
Self checkout ✅ AI ❌
Seems pretty clear to me… There’s no LLM involved in self-checkout (not yet at least… ugh).
Short to no line ✅
Not having to interact with another human ✅
The Walmart ones apparently have some manner of AI/neural net/deep learning image processing going on to attempt to catch people stealing stuff at the checkouts.
Somehow they still don’t support contactless payments for some reason, though, so that’s neat.
When tap-to-pay became a thing, Walmart went all in on building their own payment system instead, because Apple Pay and Google Pay both get a portion of the credit card transaction fees.
By pushing everyone through Walmart Pay, THEY get that portion, and can collect interest on any cash back stored in the customers account (just like Starbucks).
Of course, anyone who just wants to use the nfc on their credit card gets fucked over
self-chackout is often faster. Also, earier to shoplift.
ITT sociopaths who think it’s fine to devalue others’ labor because they can’t be fucked to spend <30 seconds total exchanging pleasantries with a stranger.
Self check out is faster especially since I can scan the items when I’m picking them off the shelves. The faster I can be outside and spend less time in those kind of commercial spaces the better. And no I don’t have agoraphobia. I just fucking hate the vibes of most stores.
But we love it when you visit… (Camera cranes in for an unrequited hug.)
i mean i go to the cashier line out of worker solidarity and not because of whiney self-centered boomer shit but whatever gets you to help protect jobs i guess
And I always prefer machines over humans
gross. stay away from decent folks please.
But where are the mirrors?
fun fact: you can get a discount at a self-checkout! grocery stores hate this one trick!
Uhh yeah there’s a camera there now, and literally my local grocery store of choice, Food Lion, fucking shows you your ass on its display screen. Which is basically saying “Fucking do it mother fucker, we dare you, we double dog dare you.”
You could probably do it if you never plan on entering that store ever again.
UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA! 😡
Genx here
Ok boomer
Some of us prefer non-human interaction
Still ought to be discounted since it’s eliminating jobs.
there’s a five finger discount
Just do like me and replay a Homestarrunner cartoon while waiting in line. Then reference it like the 18 year old at check out knows what the crap you are talking about.
‘I’m sorry, Mergetrude, can you halp an old master gather his particles…?’
Do you prefer any human interaction?
/s kinda
I know I’m in the minority but I prefer self checkout so I don’t have to talk to people. Same reason I quit customer service work. I do not want to hear about your day I want to pay for my shit and leave.
I know I’m in the minority
Dude look around the comment section. 90% talk about prefering self checkout
Lemmy doesn’t exactly reflect the general population.
All of the top comments are from people who prefer tellers over self checkout.
I’m with him, though, every few months the anti-self-checkout crowd is all up in arms
I somehow don’t remember the anti-ATM machine crowd angry about putting tellers out of work or the anti-microwave crowd putting restaurant workers out of work, or the anti-car crowd upset about putting trolley drivers out of work
Maybe you should speculate less and actually read some history?
Automated teller machine machine
In Europe it’s becoming popular to have scanners at the store entrance that you can take and scan your products as you go. Sometimes you can also do it with a phone app instead. Then, at the self-checkout, you just scan one code instead and pay right away. I love this system because it’s quicker and you get to avoid the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly.
the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly
Haha, spotted the German. This isn’t really a thing elsewhere, not to that extent.
I will never understand those who are afraid to face down a cashier. Is it REALLY that bad?
So many people complain about how modern society is isolating, but then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves.
Am I afraid to face down a cashier? No.
Is it REALLY that bad? No.
Can I make awkward small talk with a stranger? Yes.
Do I want to make awkward small talk with a stranger? No.
Am I relieved that I’m not forced to interact with a stranger and can continue to have to my own inner thoughts and not have to spend time rehearsing in my head what to say if they ask me how I am because I feel weirdly compelled to answer it honestly instead of simply saying “fine” like most do? Absolutely.
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Hearing about small talk an the checkout never ceases to be bizzare to me. In all the countries I’ve been to, the cashiers only say the sum to pay and then goodbye.
Are cashiers in the United States of America really required to initiate meaningless conversations? I’ve also heard of the occupation of a door greater, which sounds even crazier.
Are cashiers in the United States of America really required to initiate meaningless conversations? I’ve also heard of the occupation of a door greater, which sounds even crazier.
The corporate ideal has their weird idea that everyone desperately wants to have conversations with employees. I think it comes from positive feedback often taking the form of, “Your employee was so warm and helpful and we had a delightful chat about X.” and never, “Your employee was polite and didn’t bother me with needless conversation.” One of the trainings my employer has even includes a scenario, which is presented as ideal service, where the employee ends up chatting with a complete stranger about his dead wife including sharing pictures from his wallet.
That said, while I’m sure corporate cares none of my in store managers cared when I was a cashier. Indeed, I had regulars who would seek me out because I specifically didn’t attempt to inject small talk into the interaction. I’d still get pulled into it by customers who initiated such but otherwise it was mostly, “Morning. Coupons? That’ll be $X.XX. Have a good one.”
A grocery store I used to frequent, I always picked this one lady’s cashier line if she was around 'cause she was nice to talk to. She liked Mortal Kombat and making her own pickles.
then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves
Mmm yeah, cos it’s such quality time interacting with the cashier. Like, you’re not totally wrong about the problem, isolation does make us even less able to handle interaction, but making people bag groceries for a living is not the way to solve that problem. Anyway, it’s not fair to force your desire to have a conversation on someone who is trapped working somewhere.
I used to work service, and having people to talk to generally made the day much better. I definitely had favorite customers, and what do you know, it was typically people who were social.
I currently work in retail, please just tell me what you want, pay for it, and GTFO. I have significantly more important tasks to do than chit chat.
Geez, I hope they’re not putting you front of counter.
Either amusingly or sadly, honestly, I still haven’t decided which, I am my store’s top earner and am considered a solid keyholder to the point I am regularly sent to go help out other stores of their messes.
Well, that doesn’t necessarily require a keen bedside manner.
You say sadly. Do you… like your job? I know it can’t always be helped, but I do hope you find a way to move into something better, if there is such a thing. My service job was almost a decade of my life, and I was sooo glad to leave when I was finally given an exit.
It’s not that bad, it’s just more bad than self check.
Personally I hate waiting in line, I can feel the life leaving my body. I self check for speed.
Apparently line impatience is an ADHD thing, but regardless of where it comes from I appreciate being able to do it myself instead of waiting.
I have add. Proper diagnosis from a doctor and everything.
I’ve had to learn how to curb impatience. It is not a permanent affliction, it is a bad habit. Patience is a virtue that can be nurtured.
Wow, an ADD person telling an ADHD person to grow some patience, almost like they are very different things or something because I can tell you personally that the H in ADHD does not play well with patience.
Why don’t you “just” be more patient tho?
/bitter, downtrodden sarcasm
Yes cultivating patience is a great skill, but I have no interest in spending more time in line than I have to.
sometimes I do, but if I’m having a really good day I like to see if I can spread it to the customer service staff.
oh nooooo, how dare they offer you a convenient option that saves time
UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA. Sorry, Jandro, I’m not here to get yelled at by a clanker.
I’ve heard self checkout is terrible in the US, however in Europe they’re generally pretty nice
I went to the US for a few days. Their self checkouts seem to be universally awful, compared to the UK or German equivalent.
While the hardware is far less reliable, and more convoluted, it’s the users that seem the main issue. Self checkout is generally intended (over here) to shift the fast, small shops out of the main queues. 1 big line and a dozen or more tills. In the states they treat it as just another till. Built for trollies, and 1 queue per till. Combined with a slow user and it becomes hell rapidly.
In the states they treat it as just another till.
THIS is why I hate selfcheckout, it WILL be used to fire all retail checkout workers IRRESPECTIVE of whether self checkout is actually more efficient and useful as a full replacement.
Meanwhile introverts celebrate self checkout here in the US with a shallow understanding of the process of extreme enshittification that is happening that is functionally irreversible especially in a country as broken as the US.
In the UK, they’ve taken some tills out. About 4 tills become 16 self checkouts. They still have plenty of tills for normal checkout.
It definitely lets less staff get more people through, in less time. So far, it’s not been excessively abused over here. It’s also made my life significantly less annoying.
My local grocery store limits self checkout to 10 items or less. My guess is that people have a hard time counting to 10 and just assume that their cart full of groceries is probably 10 items or less.
To be fair, that’s a fairly universal problem. In the UK it’s a basket Vs trolley split. They do have trolley self checkouts, but it’s separate, and mainly intended for scan as you shop.
On a side note, what’s with American supermarkets not having baskets at all. Did I just have really weird luck?
Might’ve just been bad timing where baskets were piled up at the end of the checkout counters and the staff hadn’t had the chance to bring them back near the entrances.
idk why people say it’s bad! even at fucking Walmart i don’t have issues
maybe I’m just lucky, but I’ve never had that particular issue. the only time it’s been slightly annoying is if I’m buying alcohol and the people watching self checkout are busy, and other than that, they’re easy to use. I don’t buy huge chunks of groceries at a time, though, ad I imagine large shops would be annoying
clanker
*Claptrap
The self checkout person always thinks I’m cute and gives me good deals
Hate to break this to you, but you are on the QTEE list and everyone is looking at your picture while they get coffee in the morning in the break room.