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Stores that scream for self-checkout, but can't implement it

The two I can think of are Walgreens and Sears. Both push overly complex loyalty points programs and store credit card offers at the expense of customer service and moving customers through the line, resulting in huge lines at check out and walk outs by customers. But both stores have failed to implement self check out.

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by Anonymousreply 70April 28, 2019 3:03 PM

CVS went full on with self checkout and is now closing stores. Not sure if self checkout was a mitigating factor.

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by Anonymousreply 1April 21, 2019 9:24 PM

R1 Multiple people have told me they use the self-checkout specifically to steal, so maybe.

by Anonymousreply 2April 21, 2019 9:27 PM

CVS is a toilet lately. They don't accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance anymore and have been going downhill fast.

by Anonymousreply 3April 21, 2019 9:28 PM

I read an article recently and a Walmart exec commented that self-checkout was not worth the savings in payroll for the reason R2 mentions. It isn't just not scanning things, but tag switching as well.

by Anonymousreply 4April 21, 2019 9:28 PM

R4 I'm soo jumpy and nervous to shoplift, but a girl who explained to me how she does it, claims that she's stolen thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in just a few months.

by Anonymousreply 5April 21, 2019 9:31 PM

Walgreens customers tend to be too stupid, too drug-addled, or too old to use a self-checkout system. CVS is similar.

Sears has far more dire problems than self-checkout, namely its former CEO.

by Anonymousreply 6April 21, 2019 9:32 PM

Some of the issues with self checkout for the buisnesses in the past were they were costly to upkeep and had maintenance issues and were removed but im seeing them returning to some grocery stores so they must have fixed some of the issues.

by Anonymousreply 7April 21, 2019 9:34 PM

Both CVS and Walgreens are garbage but at least they have the pharmacy business to keep them open.

But why does Sears still exist?

by Anonymousreply 8April 21, 2019 10:17 PM

CVS also say they know more than your doctor and will only fill 7 day prescriptions for pain meds. They assume all of their customers are drug seekers and treat them like lepers.

by Anonymousreply 9April 21, 2019 10:25 PM

I started to question at length any inquiry as to if I was interested in: donating, loyalty programs, credit cards. This does get back to management and they eventually knock it off.

by Anonymousreply 10April 21, 2019 11:12 PM

Walgreens doesn't make huge bucks like Walmart so they can't afford the risk of people shoplifting while using self check. Walmart makes so much money they are even planning to remove greeters/receipt checkers from the front of their stores soon.

by Anonymousreply 11April 21, 2019 11:33 PM

People don't like self-checkout, it seems incredibly downscale, so many people can't figure out how to use them and even those who can find they often don't work as planned.

by Anonymousreply 12April 22, 2019 12:31 AM

In Manhattan, Walgreens ruined Duane Reade. The prices used to be reasonable. Now, they're astronomical . And why should I have to contact a Duane Reade employee to unlock a plastic wall unit because I want to purchase shampoo?

by Anonymousreply 13April 22, 2019 12:36 AM

Was it Soul Glo, r13?

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by Anonymousreply 14April 22, 2019 1:38 AM

I love self check out. It's great for small to medium size purchases.

if my purchase is less than 25 items I always use the self check out line.

I guess I'm faster at it than most people.

by Anonymousreply 15April 22, 2019 1:57 AM

I just wish Walgreens would let it employees stop screaming WELCOME TO WALGREENS!!! every time someone walks in the door.

by Anonymousreply 16April 22, 2019 2:50 AM

Somehow at Walgreens I always get behind someone selecting cigarettes as if they were choosing a fine wine.

by Anonymousreply 17April 22, 2019 2:55 AM

LOL, so true^

by Anonymousreply 18April 22, 2019 3:13 AM

I hate self checkout, mainly because the scanners and bagging areas are so low you have to bend forward like an old person to use it. I prefer to just stand up straight and let someone else do the scanning.

by Anonymousreply 19April 22, 2019 3:22 AM

r19 I have never seen a scanner so low that I had to bend/stoop over to use it. Which store has these low scanners?

by Anonymousreply 20April 22, 2019 3:25 AM

How come there is an “I See Three” at Walgreens, but no one can see when there is 4+ standing in line?

by Anonymousreply 21April 22, 2019 3:44 AM

I only use self-checkouts if I'm not buying any produce. I can't be bothered to figure out the proper codes for whatever I'm buying.

by Anonymousreply 22April 22, 2019 3:48 AM

Yes Walgreens did away with self checkout due to theft. We had self checkout in Chicago.

It doesn't help that Walgreens uses food stamp labor for checkers, as those people have nothing to gain by being honest and everything to gain by being crooked

by Anonymousreply 23April 22, 2019 3:51 AM

I feel bad for the employees when I see how they are treated by customers. It’s the grocery store for people without a car or class.

by Anonymousreply 24April 22, 2019 4:02 AM

R23 What is "food stamp labor"?

by Anonymousreply 25April 22, 2019 5:28 AM

I'd love to live in america just so I could steal from whatever store has self-checkout. I just get such a kick out of taking thing without paying for them.

by Anonymousreply 26April 22, 2019 6:28 AM

R26 The girl that I know that does it a lot says she does it for that reason.

by Anonymousreply 27April 23, 2019 7:08 PM

[quote]People don't like self-checkout, it seems incredibly downscale, so many people can't figure out how to use them and even those who can find they often don't work as planned.

I love self-checkout. I don't find it downscale at all. It's not nearly as downscale as, say, not being able to write sentences correctly.

by Anonymousreply 28April 23, 2019 7:24 PM

You mean Duane Reade ruined Walgreens? Walgreens used to be cheaper. Duane Reade were more expensive but now they are very expensive. Yes. Everything is locked behind plastic because people steal shit and I see them all the time. The employees really don't do anything.

by Anonymousreply 29April 23, 2019 7:35 PM

IKEA

by Anonymousreply 30April 23, 2019 7:43 PM

Stop with physical stores.

OP — Sears?! Really? You've been in one in the last 20 years?

by Anonymousreply 31April 23, 2019 7:49 PM

Target’s used to have so many problems, no one used them. They’ve changed that and I always use them now. But God forbid if you have a gift card. Even the store employees trying to help me with it couldn’t figure it out. Finally a manager did. But usually self checkout at Target is much faster than waiting in line with a bunch of fraud with kids.

The grocery store ones are ok if you don’t have a lot of produce. Also, if you buy alcohol, you have to wait for a store employee to clear your age.

by Anonymousreply 32April 23, 2019 8:38 PM

[quote]Stop with physical stores. OP — Sears?! Really? You've been in one in the last 20 years?

^^ Thoroughly Modern Mary.

by Anonymousreply 33April 23, 2019 10:45 PM

Produce isn't that hard, most produce has a little sticker on it with the code and if they don't it is easy to look up on the screen, by picture if you have to.

by Anonymousreply 34April 23, 2019 10:58 PM

Given the choice between having a human being fuck up my transaction and a machine fucking it up, I'll choose the human. At least there's the social benefit of that person having a job, even if they don't do it perfectly.

by Anonymousreply 35April 23, 2019 11:10 PM

Yeah - standing and waiting behind idiots that behave like this is their first time buying and paying for groceries sucks. Self checkout any day.

by Anonymousreply 36April 24, 2019 1:01 AM

Are they still peddling indulgences?

by Anonymousreply 37April 24, 2019 1:07 AM

I like Target's self check the best. I use the Target app to pay which is linked to my Target debit card (5% off) and the discounts on Cartwheel. No fooling with coupons or cards at the register, just scan the barcode on my phone and the receipt prints out.

by Anonymousreply 38April 24, 2019 2:09 AM

Oh the self check outs don't bother me at all. If you have any inkling to the tech it's not a problem to lookup produce and if you're lucky the produce has a 4 digit code on it that you can just punch in. It's called a PLU or Price Look Up. Sometimes you even get UPC or Universal Product Code. Just run it by the scanner drop it on the scale and your'e off.

Automation is coming everywhere. So get ready.

by Anonymousreply 39April 24, 2019 2:13 AM

A few hours ago, I went through the self checkout lane at Harris Teeters. I had fewer than 10 items, and only 1 item was produce; I saved it for last. It was a bag of 3 organic Roma tomatoes. I placed it on the glass scale and then I turned my attention to the touchscreen to look for the button that launches the maze of produce photos. But before my finger hit the touchscreen, I heard a beep. "Organic roma tomatoes" suddenly showed up on the monitor followed by the weight of my bag and the price. So that glass scale must have taken a photo (from below) of the item on the scale and then used (facial?) recognition to identify it. Wow!

by Anonymousreply 40April 24, 2019 2:59 AM

R40 Did the tomatoes have the little stickers with the code and barcode on it? That happened to me once, and I figured out that the sticker scanned before I could look up the code.

by Anonymousreply 41April 24, 2019 3:04 AM

R41, I just took a peek in the fridge, and yes, one of the tomatoes has a barcode sticker on its underside. Mystery solved. (I'm a little disappointed, though!)

by Anonymousreply 42April 24, 2019 3:47 AM

R42, some self-checkouts do have a camera that the cashier watches to identify produce amd watch for theft. You weren’t too far off.

by Anonymousreply 43April 24, 2019 4:25 AM

R43 Yes my Kroger has a screen above the touchscreen stating "recording in progress," but since I am honest it doesn't bother me.

by Anonymousreply 44April 24, 2019 4:27 AM

r44 It only bothers me because I can see on the monitor that I look like shit.

by Anonymousreply 45April 24, 2019 7:18 AM

I suppose I am the only one with the self check out issues. At Home Depot, the screens are usually not functional as an old hag stands there and watches you struggle. Wal Mart, the lines to the self check out are longer than the checker lines, which are 15 people deep. An old hag watches as people struggle with scanners that do not work. Supermarkets, people with credit cards have multiple issues, as the newer cards mystify and astound them in complexity. An old hag watches them struggle. Lowes, even worse than Home Depot as the stores are usually bereft of any humans, customer or workers, has screens that are glitchy and non-functioning as again, credit card users have extreme difficulty using the new-fangled credit cards to pay. Two old hags watch as people struggle with them.

So yes OP, let's get that situation going as fast as possible at Walgreens, checking out now is almost a by appointment affair to begin with, as people struggle to tap all their codes for savings and the usual credit card issues occur.

by Anonymousreply 46April 24, 2019 8:23 AM

We made some good money owning shares of Walgreen in the 1990s!

by Anonymousreply 47April 24, 2019 9:03 AM

Home Depot used to have self check out machines with cameras. I went into one recently and the new machine has a huge monitor and a hand held scanner. You have to use that instead of scanning it on the glass like in CVS etc. Not sure if there is a camera but I didn't see my image like they used to have it.

by Anonymousreply 48April 27, 2019 4:26 AM

[quote][R26] The girl that I know that does it a lot says she does it for that reason.

No, the girl WHO you know does it because she is a thief. That's the reason.

by Anonymousreply 49April 27, 2019 5:04 AM

[quote]No, the girl WHO you know

Actually, if you want to get technical...

by Anonymousreply 50April 27, 2019 9:01 AM

When CVS installed the self-checkout, they accepted cash. Apparently they stopped taking cash because the machines would jam or malfunction. (I much prefer to pay cash and don’t mind interacting with humans, so now I always use a human cashier. However, half the time, the cashier has to walk over to the machines anyway, to approve an alcohol purchase or fix the coupon reader or do an override. So what’s the point?

But I do like having the interaction with the folks at my CVS. 99% of the time, if you’re cordial and not a pain in the ass, they’ll do whatever they can to make you happy.

Also, they have a terrible time with shoplifters. All they can do is ask you to pay for something. They can’t follow you out or physically try to detain you. I have seen so many confrontations. Fucking thieves will bring an empty bag in, fill it up and walk out and there’s nothing they can do. They just yell at the person.

by Anonymousreply 51April 27, 2019 10:12 AM

I hate the checkout counter at Walgreens. It doesn’t make sense.

by Anonymousreply 52April 27, 2019 10:23 AM

r9 This pisses me off to no end and should be made ILLEGAL! They have no right to deny filling an authentic prescription. Please let a major class action suit go forth and cost them 100s of million$.

by Anonymousreply 53April 27, 2019 10:24 AM

[[R26]] The girl that I know that does it a lot says she does it for that reason. No, the girl WHO you know does it because she is a thief. That's the reason.

The girl (whom) I know who does it,,,,,,,,,,,,is the correct form

by Anonymousreply 54April 27, 2019 10:29 AM

In today's world any place with self checkouts will be robbed blind.

by Anonymousreply 55April 27, 2019 10:36 AM

I hate the self-checkouts at CVS. As someone mentioned upthread, so many times there is some kind of issue that requires employee assistance and it ends up taking longer.

by Anonymousreply 56April 27, 2019 10:45 AM

We don't see how they can be profitable. Always one or more employee is required to assist, etc. and to watch for people like the fish referred to in r54!

by Anonymousreply 57April 27, 2019 1:25 PM

What on earth are you buying at Sears that you’d pay for at the self checkout? A mattress? A dishwasher?

by Anonymousreply 58April 27, 2019 1:38 PM

[quote]Also, they have a terrible time with shoplifters. All they can do is ask you to pay for something. They can’t follow you out or physically try to detain you. I have seen so many confrontations. Fucking thieves will bring an empty bag in, fill it up and walk out and there’s nothing they can do. They just yell at the person.

r51, huh? I'm not from the U.S., is this for real? How is that other stores can stop people then?

by Anonymousreply 59April 27, 2019 2:45 PM

Because stores have been sued by people injured by store personnel. Walmart employees have even killed a shoplifter. I believe those employees faced charges.

by Anonymousreply 60April 27, 2019 3:12 PM

I love self checkout in Walmart. I can't remember that last time I stood in line at a regular checkout there. how dumb are people that they can't learn it? I'm old and it only took a few times before I knew how to do everything on it from loose rolls to fresh vegetables.

I don't think it is because people are dumb, I think it is because they are Afraid they will look dumb or they are afraid they won't be able to do it and look even dumber.

When I went to CA in '92 and saw everyone rollerblading I came home and got a pair of skates because I knew no one would know what they were where I lived. I went to the church parking lot with lots of small hills and taught myself to use them. People were in awe that I could even stand on them but that was because it wasn't something that everyone else was already using.

If you try to do something when it first comes out you feel far better about trying it and aren't worried what other people will think because you know they don't know how to do it either.

by Anonymousreply 61April 27, 2019 3:21 PM

[quote]Also, they have a terrible time with shoplifters. All they can do is ask you to pay for something. They can’t follow you out or physically try to detain you. I have seen so many confrontations. Fucking thieves will bring an empty bag in, fill it up and walk out and there’s nothing they can do. They just yell at the person.

r51, sorry, are you saying that people can now go into any store in the U.S., fill up bags/carts of goods, and walk out without being stopped or arrested?

by Anonymousreply 62April 27, 2019 7:36 PM

"Walmart employees have even killed a shoplifter."

They should be named employees of the year and get fat bonuses!

by Anonymousreply 63April 27, 2019 8:25 PM

I don't mind self checkout but I cannot abide being in line behind someone trying to feed cash into the machines. It takes fucking forever!

by Anonymousreply 64April 27, 2019 8:25 PM

Wal-Mart is locking up expensive items. They lock up cosmetics, shaving razors, etc... You have to find a clerk have them unlock the cabinet then they put the item in a plastic lock box. The cashier takes it out of the box.

by Anonymousreply 65April 27, 2019 8:30 PM

Liquor stores could useself-checkout. When there is a cashier, how much does he/she really do other than scan your bottles and maybe bag/box them?

by Anonymousreply 66April 27, 2019 8:53 PM

Hey down here in the DeKalb county of Georgia there's a drive through liquor store. I love the concept.

But I have to admit, one of my favorite things to see is an older person completely befuddled by the technology. Hell I'm not a spring chicken myself, but I've spent nearly three decades in the I.T. field, and for four decades I've had my own computer. So tech doesn't intimidate me at all. But watching these old bats try to do a lookup for produce, or even figure out the payment terminal it's hysterically funny. And the payment terminal isn't just in the self-checkouts but in the regular checkouts too.

And I will say people are for the most part stupid. I had one incident in a grocery store - woman comes into the express lane with a cart FULL of groceries and I'm right behind her with my few items. The woman puts all her items, way over the 15-20 limit on the belt. Cashier comes around, takes all the items off the belt and puts them back in the cart and points the woman to the regular lane. I thanked the cashier for that one. And I wonder was the woman stupid or was she thinking the cashier would just bend to her will.

by Anonymousreply 67April 27, 2019 9:02 PM

Tiffany!

by Anonymousreply 68April 27, 2019 10:25 PM

R49 Yeah, stealing for kicks sounds like a thief....

by Anonymousreply 69April 28, 2019 12:28 AM

[quote] Cashier comes around, takes all the items off the belt and puts them back in the cart and points the woman to the regular lane.

This. Never. Happened.

by Anonymousreply 70April 28, 2019 3:03 PM
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