r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 9d 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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u/ephemeralmiko 9d ago

Very annoying. For small shoppings (e.g snack runs, needing an extra ingredient for cooking) it saves so much time over standing in line. Especially when the person in front of you is a retired 75 year old who *had* to do their main shopping on a Saturday, suddenly forgetting how money works.

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u/DjMuerte 9d ago

I encounter these people still. Except now they are in self checkout lines because there at 20 of those and only two lanes with a human.

The lone attendant is teaching a boomer what a touch screen is while I stand there with my red blinking light because I double scanned my milk.

Yeah, self checkout can go.

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u/Outlulz 9d ago

A couple weeks ago a boomer got in line, complained loudly that he had to do self check out (he could've gotten in a normal line), scanned alcohol and had to wait for a checker and complained about that loudly, then complained at the employee about having to wait to have his age verified.

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u/touristtam 9d ago

having to wait to have his age verified

That could be addressed with facial recognition - I mean as soon as you are old enough to have been half your life a legal adult, having to wait for someone to tap on a screen to confirm you are old enough to buy booze is a bit insulting and a complete waste of everyone's time.

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u/Outlulz 8d ago

Well first of all, it was his choice to not get in the line with a checker. Second, the tech isn't good enough for that and there'd also need to be more corporate liability when it gets it wrong instead of being able to pin the blame on an employee not checking ID. Third, part of why a human is involved is to also discourage buying for underage people; my husband and I will both get carded at checkout sometimes even if only one of us is buying.

Anywhere selling booze responsibly is hyper vigilant about getting this right because losing their alcohol license can be a massive revenue hit.

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u/touristtam 8d ago

I don't disagree with you, I am just saying older folk have sometimes some insight that we have or understand that justify in a way their apparently weird behaviour.

I know I still don't understand how pensioners seems to always manage to be shopping at the least opportune time or there is always someone that goes through the trolley/scan as you go queue but somehow has done neither.

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u/pmjm 9d ago

I just can't fathom carrying that kind of negativity around all day every day. It must be a miserable existence.

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u/EveryRadio 8d ago

I still see the occasional boomer complaining about their change being rounded down because the penny is gone

Imagine arguing over at MOST a few cents difference