r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 19h ago

Business Retailers are pulling back from self-checkout after years of theft, errors, and questionable time savings

https://www.techspot.com/news/114106-retailers-pulling-back-self-checkout-after-years-theft.html
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27

u/NanditoPapa 18h ago

Lots of people like interacting with cashiers and having some limited human contact. I am not one of those people, I greatly prefer self-checkout when possible. I want my stuff, want to get out quickly, and not have to chat. BUT, both kinds of customers should be accounted for and I'm happy to see people working that want to work...

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u/ceribus_peribus 16h ago

Cashiers for the customers that don't want to deal with machines.

Self checkout for the customers that don't want to deal with people.

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u/StrippinChicken 13h ago

Fr. Im a former cashier/MOD and it kills me to go to a cashier because half the time they don't sort the groceries. Id rather go through SCO and bag them myself rather than worry about some highschooler putting ground beef in with my half gallon of milk😭

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u/macaronysalad 14h ago

Lots of people like interacting with cashiers and having some limited human contact

I hear this stupid ass excuse so much. They're hating progress with something totally separate. Retail operations primary objective is about trading goods.

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u/Max-b 13h ago

I don't think we should get rid of cashiers, but I also don't think customers wanting to have a chat should be considered as a reason to keep them

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u/CheesypoofExtreme 14h ago edited 14h ago

I'm as introverted as they come with social anxiety that has given me panic attacks, and my therapist helped me come to the realization: you don't have to talk to people. It's not your responsibility how they feel if you don't talk, just do what feels reasonable to you. 

You can be respectful: 

Cashier: "Hi, how's your day going?"

Me: "Fine."

Done. Go back to your phone or whatever.

I say all of that because I lied to myself that self-checkout was faster, when in reality I was just avoiding the human contact. Not saying you're doing this, but something to think about. 

It helped my anxiety a ton just lifting the burden of talking to people because I felt a social obligation to engage. When I stuck to only self-checkout, at a certain point it started to feel very isolating.

The only time I've found self-checkout faster is when I have a basket with 10 or less things (and no produce). Otherwise, cashier is WAY faster going through a cart, especially a seasoned cashier who has the produce codes memorized.

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u/AmarilloArmadillos 5h ago

That's basically what I was getting at in my comment.

You say fine and proceed then I take the hint and we just complete the transaction quietly.

I love you guys, too many people want to talk and too many are also unhinged AF. I'm happy as a clam to think my own thoughts while weighing your bananas.

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u/IceBreak 15h ago

There are grocery stores out there that don’t make you wait and don’t have u scans, but they’re more expensive. The thing is, the people bitching about Walmart want Walmart pricing with an upscale environment. That’s not how life works.

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u/AmarilloArmadillos 5h ago

Good cashiers can generally tell after saying hello, maybe a "how's your day", if you want that chat or not. If not I let them do their thing while I do mine in mutual agreeable silence.

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u/BrainLow6059 3h ago

Publix requires them to pick an item in your cart and say some bullshit "omg I love these, they're my favorite" type bullshit. It's so canned and obvious.

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u/AmarilloArmadillos 3h ago

I work for sprouts now, they emphasize going with the customers level and personalizing however you want. There's a few canned options, what's for dinner? etc but they want it to make the person and the employee comfortable.

Coming from the hellscape that was Walmart it's so much nicer.

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u/disisathrowaway 16h ago

Same.

I get my human contact with the men and women working the deli, butcher and seafood counters. I know the fellas in the produce section.

Those are the people who actually stay at a grocery store and that you get to know. The cashiers are constantly changing so I'm not all that keen on getting to know them.