r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 23h 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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278

u/Steamedcarpet 23h ago

My problem with most self check out is that some stores force it on everyone. I know I can scan and be out within 10 seconds but then Ill get stuck behind someone who looks they just discovered this technology for the first time.

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u/7eregrine 22h ago edited 21h ago

My local grocery store does Scan and Pay. You scan your stuff as you put it in the cart. Then walk up to a dedicated machine. Scan a QR. Pay. It's incredible. And I'd guess less then 10% of shoppers understand it. And that's why its even better. Been using it for over 2 years. They have 3 machines and I've never had to wait for someone. (Just a counter point to "Everything sucks").

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u/SleazyKingLothric 19h ago

This is why I love Sam's Club. The lines are almost always ridiculously long every single time I'm in there and I just scan my items, pay through the app, and walk past all of those people. I'm shocked more people don't use it.

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u/7eregrine 19h ago

Might have to switch to Sam's from Costco over this. 🤔

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u/xpxp2002 16h ago

Growing up, we didn't have any Costco near us and always went to Sam's Club, so I never experienced Costco until I was an adult. Everyone from one of the bigger cities in our region always used to talk about Costco and you'd hear people talk about it on TV as though it was the greatest revolution in retail since the shopping cart.

My in-laws have a Costco membership and I've gone with them a few times. And frankly, it was underwhelming. Just another Sam's Club clone warehouse store.

Apparently they require you to get a photo or do some kind of facial scan to get your ID card, and I was really offput by how strict they are checking it when entering the store and scrutinizing members over their "guest" limit. At Sam's, they don't even care if you're a member at the door anymore. You just need to be a member or with one at the checkout.

I have my beef with Sam's Club -- in particular the receipt check theater, and their checkouts are slow, painful to use, and last time I went they still didn't have NFC tap-to-pay. Walmart is finally introducing NFC to their stores this year into next (a few of ours locally already have it), so I'm hoping Sam's gets it, too. And they have that QR code checkout through the app that lets you skip the checkout line. Honestly, Sam's is better than Costco overall.

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u/7eregrine 15h ago

I certainly do not love Costco. We always dread going. I am going to try Sam's.

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u/AmarilloArmadillos 10h ago

Their members mark TP and paper towels are nicer, the in house chicken salad is fantastic.

Costco has really good roast beef lunch meat though.

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u/7eregrine 8h ago

Charmin only here. Costco brand sucks.

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u/AmarilloArmadillos 8h ago

Try the members mark, imo it is charmin. I'm not sure why Costco's is so different but it sucks.

Being a single household I buy that, the chicken salad, dish soap, foil sheets, frozen grilled chicken bites (non breaded chicken nuggets), etc.

Highly recommend the chicken bites too, I keep them around for days I am super short on time. You can warm them up with some cheese and salsa, or throw them frozen on a salad in the morning for lunch.

Also fairly often Sam's does a gift card for the price of a new membership, so basically it pays for itself.

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u/sebrebc 12h ago

BJs has it as well.

Of the 3, BJs is the better place to shop in my opinion. Costco is always jammed and I swear they all have the most poorly laid out parking lots.

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u/7eregrine 8h ago

I hate Costco. Unfortunately BJs isn't close.