Self checkout lanes at grocery stores

Time for your sedative, OP.

I would guess more than a few of those types are miss scanning items to their advantage.

At my local big grocery store (owned by Kroger), they have deliberately cut way back on the number of open lanes with cashiers so as to drive customers to the self-checkout lanes, whether they want to use them or not.

Oh good, this topic again.

Grocery stores often don't have anyone at the regular checkout lanes so you're forced to use the self checkouts, even with a large cart full of groceries.

The end. End of story. Mystery solved. You're welcome.

It's a way for corporate America to drastically cut costs and increase profits (ie., have few employees so they don't have to pay for those pesky things like health insurance or retirement plans). Expect for everything to become automated in the next 20 or so years.

Aren’t there more thefts this way ?

My market has 4 self checkout lanes built especially for those with full carts. They look just like a regular checkout, with the long conveyer, but you do it all yourself.

The Whole Foods self checkout in my city is especially bad. Tiny, tiny lanes and people packed in like sardines. Then again, you can say that about the entire store. I need wide, luxurious lanes!

Twice in the past couple of weeks, I've gone to a self checkout to find a total amount due still on the scanner but no items and no shopper. I had to call the attendant over to clear the scanner. I wonder if this is a new thing -- scan and dash.

I prefer it. I don't really want to fake chitchat with an oppressed employee, and am rigorous about scanning correctly.

Now let's focus energy on getting the people who would have done that job free and better training for higher quality jobs.

[quote] I wonder if this is a new thing -- scan and dash.

If that's what's happening then the self service attendant is not doing his or her job. It's happened to me before, where I was scanning items and the scanner stopped working and I had to move to another machine. The items I'd already scanned on the other machine were still there, but I always make sure I tell the attendant something is wrong with the first machine so it can be either made right, or put out of service.

Can people scan only some of the items but put more items into a bag, pay for the few and leave with many? I would think this would lead to a lot of theft.

[quote]Grocery stores hire baggers to help keep things moving along

I haven't seen a bagger in a grocery store in more than a decade.

I refuse to use self-checkout. I won't take jobs from grocery store employees (despite their so-called oppression). Just as I won't buy gasoline at a station that does not have a full-service lane. Every time, we cave in to these corporate dodges so that they increase their profits and reduce payroll and health-care costs, we play into the current system. Fuck them. Fuck their chicanery and lies.

R6 I’m sure they find it still cheaper than paying humans to work.

R13 Both stores in my neighborhood have baggers

There were plenty of cashiers at the store today. This bitch as Karen didn't want to wait in one of them, so she went directly over to the self checkout and proceeded to tie it up. Meanwhile there was a guy in front of me that just wanted to ring up a birthday cake for his kid along with some candles and a lighter. I just needed to grab some milk and orange juice.

^ass

R9, that's probably why the scanners at the local store here are obnoxiously loud with beeps and a voice repeating something like Please Insert Payment Method over and over until you do that. There'd be no way I could walk away with a bag of stuff without everyone knowing it wasn't paid for yet.

[quote] Just as I won't buy gasoline at a station that does not have a full-service lane.

You must not get out much R14. Most of the gas stations in the country only have self pumping lanes, except a few states like New Jersey.

Fascinating story R16

I see scan and dash several times a year. In Switzerland! People are anti-social cunts nowadays, all around the world. Covid made everyone even more cunty and self-centered.

Many of those scan machines are equipped with cameras.

Not only are full basket self-scanners shitheads when the store is full, they are almost always the slowest fuckers. They scan one item, look at the screen, wait until the disembodied voice tells them to put it in the fucking bag and then slowly place it in a bag. Repeat 85 times. They also are the type to take the bags off the scale before they can and the attendant has to clear it out so they can continue.

I get annoyed when people don't bag as they are scanning.

I have a feeling R20 does this regularly...

OP sounds old and fat.

[quote] I get annoyed when people don't bag as they are scanning.

How many hands do you think people have, MARY!? Those machines are temperamental and want everything left out, nothing removed to prove you’re not stealing.

[quote] I need wide, luxurious lanes!

Ha! I wear my fanciest caftan for grocery shopping, too. I’m so large I’m often tempted to shimmy a melon underneath my blue velvet cloak.

And we all know exactly where that melon would go under there.

[quote] Those machines are temperamental and want everything left out, nothing removed to prove you’re not stealing.

Exactly. And if you put a bag on the area where you place the groceries, it’ll ask you to remove the item you just placed there! They’re ultra (ridiculously) sensitive.

r27 and r30, if you notice the people behind you in line looking as if they want to kill you, it's because they want to kill you. Bag as you scan, dumbasses.

Life will get easier for you OP once you realize you can't control other people and the things they do that annoy you. The stupid people are really hard to control.

What do you all mean by 'bag while you scan'? How else is anyone doing it?

[quote] Can people scan only some of the items but put more items into a bag, pay for the few and leave with many?

Each item has a weight registered in the store computer. If you put an item in the bag without scanning it the computer will signal an alert that something probably wasn't scanned. As you scan items and put them in the bags the weight registers in the computer and you move on to the next item.

My market had to stop selling pastries in the pick and pack counter where the customer selected their own doughnuts, etc. and put them in a bag and when scanning them the computer would ask "how many", and some people were putting in '1' when they had a whole bag of doughnuts. Something like a pastry is impossible to put a specific weight in the computer for it to check on each scan. So they did away with it and now people have to be buy packages of pastries or the small one pack pastry container and they're all pre priced.

Aren't those handheld scanner devices a thing in the US? You scan every item before you put it in your cart so you only have to check out and pay at the register. Some grocery stores also have an app which lets you scan with your mobile phone

It's even more a travesty than what's going on in Ukraine!

I feel we've had this thread before. I use the self checkout lanes no matter what, go ahead and shoot me OP.

The area where you put the items after you scan them isn't big enough for a full cart's worth. Plus you can't use it for booze and cigs.

R35, how do they regulate that concerning theft and scanning less expensive items?

R3, Ruler Foods?

OP's rhetoric of shooting people who only annoy her is really terrifying, and OP sounds unhinged and resentful.

[quote] Just as I won't buy gasoline at a station that does not have a full-service lane.

In many states those don't exist. All gas stations are self-serve.

[quote] If that's what's happening then the self service attendant is not doing his or her job.

At many of the stores where I shop, the self-service attendant is usually nowhere to be found. The machines can be breaking down and announcing "Help is on the way," items aren't scanning properly, people are trying to scan alcohol or cold medicine that needs special permission, and there's no attendant in sight. Or the worker who is manning the customer service counter also doubles as the self-checkout attendant, constantly shuttling back and forth.

[quote]Aren't those handheld scanner devices a thing in the US? You scan every item before you put it in your cart so you only have to check out and pay at the register. Some grocery stores also have an app which lets you scan with your mobile phone

This is WAY TOO MUCH for DL's eldergays!

I'm curious how much the stores are losing money with those unscanned items. I would think it still save them money vs. hiring cashiers.

At some point, people are going to get sick of doing all this shit themselves. Stores are pushing it too far and getting rid of too many workers whose job it is to make things easier for their customers. There used to be a name for this. Hm, what was it again? Oh, yeah, customer service. Maybe they should look into getting back into the customer service business.

Every time I've used a self-checkout lane the machine has had trouble with one of my purchases and called a human over, and the whole ordeal ended up taking longer than it would have if I'd been in a lane with a cashier.

The Whole Foods I go to has a full time person at the self-checkout. I am usually only buying two or three things and there is never a line, so it is a massive time saver.

I would probably feel like OP though if I went to a store where people were buying 30 or 40 things and fucking up all the time.

[quote] go ahead and shoot me OP.

It’s cute that you think the elderly OP has the strength to hold a gun, much less hold it AND pull the trigger.

I LOVE self checkout! I'm a quick scanner, bagger and cart-loader. In and out. It saves me a lot of time. I also love paying with my phone and not having to fuck with cards and pin numbers.

The scale under the landing platform where I shop is really sensitive. I have tried to bag as I go, but the extra movement / placement of items (vs. boom, just placing something down on the platform & bagging later), causes the scale to alert. The workers at that store advise us to just scan, place on platform, and bag later.

[quote]At some point, people are going to get sick of doing all this shit themselves.

No they're not, gramps. Self checkout isn't going anywhere. Only olds bitch and moan about it. Fucking Boomers can never, ever adapt to anything.

[quote]I haven't seen a bagger in a grocery store in more than a decade.

Is there only a Giant Eagle where you live?

R52, I'm GenX and I didn't say they are going away. I'm saying as fewer and fewer actual employees are there and more and more problems show up because of that, a happy medium will be reached. Maybe you should try being less reactionary and also take a remedial reading course. Both will help you with your tiny, little, inconsequential existence in this world.

[quote]I haven't seen a bagger in a grocery store in more than a decade.

You haven't been to a Publix then. Where they bag your groceries and offer to help you out to your car and unload the groceries. Their slogan is "Publix, where shopping is a pleasure!"

On the downside, you'll have to go to Florida to visit a Publix. There's always a trade off....

HELP WANTED

Shooter. Must demonstrate 100% accuracy on a plus-sized target at maximum distance of 10 yards. Weapon and ammo provided at reasonable discount.

Clean-up. Must be able to budge plus-sized corpses 8 hours a day every day and wade through puddles of blood while maintaining a cheerful and welcoming attitude toward customers who are still among the living.

r54 the only problem are cunts like you. Most people use self checkout and have no problems. They love the convenience.

[quote]Both will help you with your tiny, little, inconsequential existence in this world.

As you bitch about self checkout like an old out of touch idiot. 😂

[quote]You haven't been to a Publix then.

I always forget that there are DLers who live in red state hellholes.

Asswipe r52, I'm one of the boomeriest boomers here, and I have used self-checkout since it became available in the 1990s. I fucking love it. So take your ageist cuntitude somewhere it belongs. Like down your 12-year-old throat.

And I've never shoplifted a thing.

I have avoided this whole conflict by ordering my groceries online for curbside pickup.

But what if you need a douche, lube and nail polish remover RIGHT NOW r51?

r61?

My local supermarket offers a 5% senior discount on Tuesdays (yes, dears, I'm a very elder gay) but it can only be given by the human cashiers. So all the alter kakers fouling up the self-checkout miss out on the savings.

Scan your phone with the app r64

R50 me too. I use Apple Pay on my Apple Watch to pay n go.

[quote]At my local big grocery store (owned by Kroger), they have deliberately cut way back on the number of open lanes with cashiers so as to drive customers to the self-checkout lanes, whether they want to use them or not.

The problem isn't really staffed checkout or self-checkout, it's throughput. How long does it take someone to get out of the store once they arrive at a the checkout area? My local Kroger has done what yours has - just cut back staff and added self-checkout lanes. And now the self-checkout lines get 10 and 12 carts deep while people wait for a machine. It's absurd.

I gave up and found a different supermarket. Kroger's rapidly rising prices and staff cutbacks make shopping there too much of a hassle.

In my area, Target has a good grocery section and a ton of self check-out stands (plus manned cash registers). You guys might want to try Target.

R68 You know what Hyacinth would call Target.

R62 makes an excellent point.

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[quote] On the downside, you'll have to go to Florida to visit a Publix.

Publix is all over the southeast.

Alabama (82 stores)

Florida (833 stores)

Georgia (196 stores)

North Carolina (51 stores)

South Carolina (64 stores)

Tennessee (52 stores)

Virginia (19 stores)

Talk about "can't wait," r72.

R72, bless your heart.

There's different types of self checkout lanes. Some are only meant for people with just a few items, they can only accommodate a few items in the small bagging area. The machines take into consideration of the weight of the products currently bagged on it. If you take a bag of items and put them back into your cart before paying you get a warning to put it back in the bagging area. They're not meant for people with entire carts overflowing with stuff.

But you can't explain that to cunty Karens that try to do this anyhow. They think the world revolves around them, they're always right.

They're also the same entitled bitches that get into the 10 items or less express checkout lane with like 30 items just because they can.

[quote] So all the alter kakers

The who?

[quote] 10 items or less express checkout lane

Oh, please don’t get the “it should be 10 items or fewer” people started.

I want to get in line in front of OP with a cart full of beer and a single piece of fruit that I'm paying for with a coupon.

[quote] It's absurd.

If you didn’t read this as ‘ahbzurd’ you’re not having any fun.

And your checkbook, r79!

Spend 20 minutes trying to “figure out” why you can’t pay the machine with a check.

I’ll meet you there!

And I'll bring a giant bag that I'll fumble around with for 10 minutes before even getting out my checkbook R81! We'll really torment OP!

Why are we paying more for less all the time? In this case, we pay more for groceries but get less service. Stores are making huge profits, pay their workers minimum, and now want us to check and bag out own groceries while paying inflated prices. What a load of crap.

I'm sure the eldergays here remember the old timey gas stations where they'd pump your gas and check the oil etc....what the hell happened?

And, r82, I’ll buy nothing but produce and spend 10 minutes looking up each item. Wait’ll I get to the kumquat code!

I hate the self check out because I shop often, and usually a large portion of my purchase is produce, which must be weighed and entered with a proper SKU. More than one time I have entered a produce SKU for a more expensive product (based on checkout screen) and not realized till I got home. Also, if I buy a bottle of wine I must wait 5 minutes for an attendant to verify age.

So now, I peal off the sku of produce and buy heirloom tomatoes and input the price of roma tomatoes. Fuck them. If they don’t want to pay a human a living wage, they will pay for it another way. Zero guilt.

They've got a way around that in the UK, you can weigh (if needed) and print a barcode on the produce aisle.

[quote] The who?

It's a Yiddish thing. It means an old geezer,

Hilarious related thread: Let's Be the Super Market

Wow, I didn't even have this thread open. DL gremlins strike again...

[quote] So now, I peal off the sku of produce

So you’re the one making all that goddamn noise in the market?

Thanks, r87!

[quote]I'm sure the eldergays here remember the old timey gas stations where they'd pump your gas and check the oil etc....what the hell happened?

White people don't do those kinds of jobs anymore.

R92 Wash your windshield, too.

Do you actually think anyone wants to scan a cart full of groceries? I have a love for Coke Zero that must be fresh at all times. Therefore, I am buying multiple 12 pack cans and six pack individual bottles. There is nowhere to put them once self-scanned, I get an irate robot voice yelling "PLEASE PUT ITEMS IN THE BAGGING AREA!" The lone cashier (who is also running every other register AND the customer service desk,) has to come over to reset my machine. If Kroger actually employed cashiers anymore, I wouldn't be in U Scan ever.

Amen, R67.

Interesting R94. The Kroger I go to if you scan a "heavy" item the system treats as if you put it on the scale. You can just plop it back in the cart. Now, this just started within the last year. I guess they have not updated the software everywhere.

When I lived in Chicago we would often make a point of going to a small local chain out in the burbs when we were out that way (they only had stores in the burbs and in WI). That store had self checkout scanners that were full size, so no trying to scan an order of several hundred dollars at a self-checkout meant for around 20 or so items. And the burbfraus almost never wanted to use the bigger ones, so we almost never had anyone behind us.

Between the ease of checking out, and the fact that they were sinfully cheap and had a bazillion options for any product you might want (they had two aisles just for cereal) it was my favorite store.

I loathe Kroger and all its various subchains. Never again.

I’ve never seen self checkout lane with an item limit, like the express lane, so not sure what the problem is OP. I’m sure you pay in cash, feeding in every penny from your little red change purse

Not familiar with Kroger, is that somewhere in the Midwest?

Isn't Publix owned by some MAGA cunt that helped fund the 1/6 insurrection?

The store I go to has self checkout lines with limits (15). Also have a few without limits. I shop at ACME here in Philly.

R96, they may have updated my Kroger. I make it a point to buy my soda at Giant Eagle now, who runs the same soda sales as Kroger anyway.

[quote] I’ve never seen self checkout lane with an item limit, like the express lane,

Really?

Of the two stores I go to, both have limits. One is 15 and one is 20, but the one with 20 also has three other self-checkout lanes without limits.

I apologize, OP. This was kinda me at the grocery store today, but I really didn’t want to interact with anyone, not even a cashier.

We need Saudi Arabian rules at the 10 items or less line. One item over 10 and we chop off your hand!

[quote]People who get into self checkout lanes at grocery stores with a shopping cart filled to the brim with several hundred dollars worth of groceries should be shot

you should have voted for me. If I were president, this would be a law. Instead you picked Biden. Live with it.

Or I'd settle for DL rules. One item over the 10 item limit and a fat homo in a caftan gets to kick you in the cunt!

I always cheat at those things. It's just too fucking easy.

I never get worked up about those self checkout lanes UNLESS it's someone who doesn't have any idea how to use them.

I really hate those self check out lanes! There's always some fat assed family in front of me and the other lanes are choked up too. People are stupid and ignorant as hell, and you really can see it when you're standing there waiting for 20 minutes. It just sucks!

R46, you're so right. Thank you!

[quote] if you notice the people behind you in line looking as if they want to kill you, it's because they want to kill you. Bag as you scan, dumbasses.

You can’t, shit-for-brains. We know you’re fat and hungry, but you’ll just have to wait. Where the fuck do you go that only has one machine?? Piss off.

[quote] I’ve never seen self checkout lane with an item limit, like the express lane,

They do, hon.

[quote] The scale under the landing platform where I shop is really sensitive. I have tried to bag as I go, but the extra movement / placement of items (vs. boom, just placing something down on the platform & bagging later), causes the scale to alert. The workers at that store advise us to just scan, place on platform, and bag later.

Exactly. Karen/OP thinks the world revolves around her.

[quote] Isn't Publix owned by some MAGA cunt that helped fund the 1/6 insurrection?

Publix is an employee owned business. The 72 year old bitch of whom you speak is a daughter of the founder of the company, and she lives in Italy. She's just a stock holder and has nothing to do with the operation of the company.

[quote] I’ve never seen self checkout lane with an item limit, like the express lane,

If there's no sign stating a limit, there is no limit. And I've never seen any such sign at any store with self checkout lines that I frequent.

[quote] who runs the same soda sales as Kroger anyway.

The reason that other store seems to fun the same sales as Koriger is because most of the sodas in grocery stores are priced by the soda companies, not by the stores. I know Coca Cola prices all their products. Many milk companies do their own prices as well. The store has no say-so.

[quote] Not familiar with Kroger, is that somewhere in the Midwest?

Kroger is headquartered in Ohio and has locations in all except the states listed below (they're big in the midwest and south). Kroger is also the largest supermarket chain in the nation and the 3rd largest overall retailer in the nation behind Walmart & Amazon.

States with no Kroger outlets are Montana, Minnesota, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, Hawaii, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Wyoming, Alaska, Wisconsin, Washington & Vermont.

Self service is the wave of the future. It's sad that retailers are getting rid of so many jobs for people, but that's life. 2 years ago the huge Walmart nearest to me had 18 manned checkout lines and 4 self service lines (2 at each end of the store). They went though a massive renovation of the store while it was still in operation that lasted 6 months or more. When all was said and done they had reduced the manned checkouts to 6 and increased the self service checkouts to 20. 10 at each end of the store including 2 large quantity self service aisles next to each corral. They've got one employee for each self service area responsible for overseeing 10 checkout stations. And when they're busy it's impossible for that one employee to do the job properly mainly because their self service machines are constantly failing or acting wonky. There is a camera over each self service machine watching the customer's every move. I don't know if they actually have anyone watching those cameras or not, but I suspect not.

I'm old so I remember days when every single item on the shelves had a price sticker on it and there were no such things as bar codes. The shelf stockers had hand held guns that would spit out a price sticker and paste it on the items. Those guys worked like whirling dervishes with those guns. They could price an entire box of soup cans in the matter of a few seconds. The checker had to manually punch in the price of every item and there was always someone else there to bag up your groceries and take them to the car for you. Publix is the only grocery store I frequent these days that has bag boys.

When I read in the paper one day that grocery stores were going to stop putting a price sticker on each item and would only have the price on a label on the shelf I thought "there's no way this is going to work, it'll be a mad house". Walmart is especially bad about not having the prices on the shelves for many items or not changing the stickers when the prices change. I've been told by more than one employee that the people who stock the shelves are basically the dumbest of the bunch and they pay no attention to the price stickers even though that's their job. They're also the worst for pricing errors at the checkout. I try to never go there for groceries, but when I'm away from home Walmart is at times the best source. At least I can use the Walmart app on my phone to scan the barcode on any item that has no price sticker on the shelf.

If I am forced to use a self scanner I am taking a discount for myself. Scan one get one (or more) free. Busy Wal-Mart's in rural areas are best.

R97 is clearly referring to Woodman’s grocery store.

I would like to see a partial refund for unpopped kernels of popcorn in microwave bags. I’m paying for something that can’t be eaten.

Woodman’s is cheap but they have a robot that patrols the aisles on off hours. It’s a little creepy.

There are people monitoring your scanning and thievery I'm afraid to tell some of you Winona Ryder types. Loss prevention is probably one area these stores don't skimp on. It's all fun and games until you're approached by a uniformed cop and store management as you load those stolen Twinkies into your car.

R35, I saw this at a Stop and Shop in New Jersey 15-20 years ago. It must've been a pilot program because I've lived in 5 other states since and haven't seen it since. Too bad because I really loved this method.

[quote]States with no Kroger outlets are Montana, Minnesota, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Kansas, Idaho, Iowa, Hawaii, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Wyoming, Alaska, Wisconsin, Washington & Vermont.

This isn't strictly accurate - Fred Meyer is in Washington and Alaska, Ralphs is all over California. From their website:

"The Kroger Co. Family of Stores includes: Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Jay C Food Store, King Soopers, Kroger, Mariano’s, Metro Market, Pay-Less Super Markets, Pick’n Save, QFC, Ralphs, Ruler, Smith’s Food and Drug"

[quote] I saw this at a Stop and Shop in New Jersey 15-20 years ago. It must've been a pilot program because I've lived in 5 other states since and haven't seen it since. Too bad because I really loved this method.

Sam's Club and Walmart have Scan & Go apps for smartphones.

R126, I’m in New York and most of our Stop and Shops have it.

I think it’s great. You put the bags in the cart, scan the item and bag it right there. When you’re done you can go to any register (including express) because you’re only scanning one bar code to leave.

When you’re doing heavy shopping it’s a godsend.

Oh, and I meant to tell r120 that was a great story.

My local Costco now has a self-checkout area with a worker there to help you for the larger items. Maybe 6 self-checkouts. The majority of the checkouts still have a cashier, though. I use the self-checkout. Goes faster for me than waiting in the lines for the cashier lines.

[quote]Aren't those handheld scanner devices a thing in the US? You scan every item before you put it in your cart

My local (Kroger-owned) Fred Meyer offered this for a while (Scan 'n Go), but they dropped it because so few people were using it (I kept meaning to try it but never did). I occasionally go to a Costco that was offering it on a trial basis a few years ago, but I guess they had no luck with it either because it disappeared.

I go to a local high-end grocery store where the prices are higher, but in return for higher prices you get services like someone who bags your groceries - they don't have self-checkout. Grocery stores have things like self-checkout to cut costs and keep prices low; if you don't like self-checkout, you need to vote with your feet and go someplace that may be more expensive but gives you more services.

Why the fuck are so many of you hung up on having someone bag your groceries? You can't do that shit yourselves? I don't even think twice about it, and neither does anyone I know. DLers are so odd sometimes.

R133, you type poor.

I prefer to bag my own groceries. That’s how I know some nitwit 17 year old isn’t going to plop my tomatoes in with the frozen stuff.

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[quote] At my local big grocery store (owned by Kroger), they have deliberately cut way back on the number of open lanes with cashiers so as to drive customers to the self-checkout lanes, whether they want to use them or not.

I agree completely. My local Kroger is also a proponent of giving employment opportunities to folks with special needs, which I think is great. However, the two full-time cashiers have special needs and are extremely slow. Occasionally the front end manager will jump on a register to help clear the lines, but her doing that takes an act of God. I understand we all can learn to be more patient, but it shouldn't take 20 minutes to check out when I'm the third or fourth person in a line.

I do use the self-checkouts when I have just a handful of items, but those bagging stations are not designed to handle a typical week's shopping.

Forgot to add that I bag my own groceries when I go through a cashier's line.

I always bag my own groceries - I bag according to where I am going to put away when I get home. I go to each cabinet once!

r134 I am far from poor, just young-ish and snicker at all of you old coots who want things like they were in 1965 goddammit! If an entitled white piece of shit like me can bag his own groceries at the Whole Foods in Darien or Westport you can bag yours too, wherever it is you shop.

r139 that's pretty smart!

I bag my own purchases because I use my own canvas hard bottomed boxes with handles. I can get about 12 full grocery store plastic bags in 5 boxes. I got completely fed up with all the plastic bags I was having to throw out every week, so 7 years ago I bought my own bags.

I do shop at Publix sometimes, and if I have a large amount of items I'll let the bag boy pack my boxes, but I take them to my car myself. The boys don't lose a tip because Publix does not allow them to take tips.

I'm waiting for the usual DLers to come on here and tell us they don't go grocery shopping because "the help" does that for them, and couldn't dream of setting foot in some place as common as a grocery store. You know it's coming.

Wisconsin is full of Kroger owned stores. They are awful.

I'm going to adopt r139's system of bagging groceries according to which cabinet they belong in. I've never thought of that and it's a great idea.

Buck never used self-checkout.

[quote] because I use my own canvas hard bottomed boxes

I don’t know about the canvas part, but I like the rest.

R82 I'll go back to the aisles to get something I forgot. Then I'll call for assistance because the price of my organic local raspberries "is way too high and can't be right".

R139 and R145 I am high IQ and OCD and it amazes me that many humans never realise there is anything at all to consider about the way one bags things.

I was waiting online to pay in a charity shop the other day and the 60ish christian Haus Frau was raming things in bags willy nilly helter skelter. She was meticulously careful and precise about pricing! But bagging - what's to think about?

The line was several customers long so I had plenty of time to consider if she was being antisocial or bitchy by her bagging actions. (Also to consider if my chache pot were worth this wait.). Decided, no, she simply couldn't imagine there were spontaneous split-second decisions that could have been made to bag odd objects somewhat well.

I went back to get something AFTER I'd already checked out and paid at the self-check out. I just left my buggy there with the receipt laying in one of the bags. When I got back to the self-check out, I saw the attendant had my receipt in his hand and he was going through my buggy - cross referencing what was in the buggy with what was on the receipt. I knew what was going on upon first sight. I was so pissed off about this. Just a few days earlier, I was at the same Kroger in the same self-check out with the same attendant when the machine spit out an extra 20 dollar bill by mistake as change to me. I handed it to the attendant with the explanation that the machine had made the mistake. How could I do that and then a few days later this asshole is doing his receipt thing with my groceries? I cursed him out. And if the situation was told by him later, I'm sure that there would be others wondering why EYE was being an asshole! Such is life...

EYE?

R150 thinks that attendants would remember him. Especially when they deal with hundreds of people in a day.

This obsession with self-checkouts is really weird. It's such a sign that the person is old as fuck.

if you remember something you really need after you've checked out you should take your purchases to the car first and then go back in the store. Leaving a full cart full of groceries, even with the receipt, unattended is just asking for trouble.

R153 Totally agree, what a fucking asshole and pain in the hole. They have no empathy for what it's like for attendants and other customers. They cannot even imagine what it may be like.

So how do you handle it when the price rings up wrong? Figure it's not worth the time and hassle for ten cents?

He remembered me. He knew the situation. Hey. Fuck off. That's all. Fuck off.

-R150

And what, R149, did you decide concerning the cache-pot? Pray don't keep us in suspense.

DLers don't like self checkout because one of their few power thrills in their petty little lives is to make some prole wait on them and be required to accede to their every demand and idle question (like insincere "how are you?"), while smirking and patting themselves on the back for how smart they obviously are that they are not on the other side if the aisle.

It's the same mentality that screams and screeches at the few restaurants that have eliminated tipping in favor of simply paying servers a fair wage because they believe the purchase of a meal entitles them to "punish" waitstaff for their behavior.

R156 Really? How do you know that? Did he greet you by name or reference the other incident? And even so, he may have been ordered by superiors to follow this process. Stop shitting on low wage people who just want to keep their jobs.

[quote] So how do you handle it when the price rings up wrong?

When I'm in self checkout and a price rings up higher than the price on the shelf I simply call the attendant over, tell her what's going on and she (or he) decides if there is enough of a difference to require someone to go check the price on the shelf. Rarely is that required as most times it's a simple matter of the price on an item going up (or the item came off discount) and no one bothered to change the sticker on the shelf. The attendant just changes the price on the screen and I move on. Easy peasy.

And yes, many times the price that appears on the screen is lower than the price on the shelf. Same issue as above. They put something on sale and some lazy employee couldn't be bothered to change the price sticker on the shelf. And I take the lower price gladly without saying a word.

I've done the scan and shop at BJ's twice and the only downside to it is they scan a bunch of the items at the exit and the people behind you get a little agitated.

That kind of stuff pisses me off.

You want to check my receipt like I’m some kind of fucking thief? I paid for my shit, fuck off!

[quote]So how do you handle it when the price rings up wrong?

I delete the item and set it aside, then give it to the attendant (or place it at the attendant's station) as I leave. There's nothing I need badly enough to wait for an attendant to come over, verify the correct price and change it in the system. I go through self-checkout precisely because I can get in and out in a flash.

[quote]You want to check my receipt like I’m some kind of fucking thief? I paid for my shit, fuck off!

Sam's Club would drive you up the wall.

In the UK the only place that I have ever had my receipt checked is Costco. The savings against other retailers here aren't enough (if any?) to make it worth the extra time so I have never been back.

I hate using these things. The employees at one of my stores just stand around watching you and it's uncomfortable. I'd rather have what passes for human contact these days and talk to a cashier. Plus half the time there's a problem with the machine. It's triggerpalooza.

R166 Half the time? More like you're the problem. I use self-checkouts almost every day and don't usually have a problem with the machine.

Self checkouts are just an ordinary part of life for people these days. I never think about it. Just go to the store, use the self checkout and leave. Odd how so many Dlers are so flummoxed by them.

R168 Old people who can't adjust mostly. It's not too hard to scan and make sure it scanned (takes less than a second), then put it on the scale.

I’m faster at self-checkout with a full cart than most people with 5 items. I also bag better too and actually balance the weight between the bags do I can walk home without tipping to one side. The only thing at self-checkout that’s annoying is the error that pops up when something doesn’t weigh enough to be recognized after bagging.

The bagging area is too small in some of the markets I have been to. It's annoying because they make you feel pressure to put all items in that little area or all kinds of bells and whistles go off.

[quote] I also bag better too and actually balance the weight between the bags do I can walk home without tipping to one side.

You need to come shopping with me so I can learn from you.

Took a spill recently smack dab on my booty because I lost my balance carrying bags. Hurt for a couple of days.

[quote] Odd how so many Dlers are so flummoxed by them.

We may be flummoxed, Sonny, but at least we’re not confused by them.

I prefer self-checkouts.

[quote]The employees at one of my stores just stand around watching you and it's uncomfortable.

How can you ever leave your house?

[quote]We may be flummoxed, Sonny, but at least we’re not confused by them.

According to the many threads on here, you are

I'm old and I happily use the self-checkouts because I'm introverted and don't like having to chat with strangers.

But I just like to support stores that aren't trying to squeeze every last penny from their employees and customers by relentlessly cutting back on the services that make their stores a tolerable place to shop, instead of a mechanized production line.

[quote] I was waiting online to pay in a charity shop the other day and the 60ish christian Haus Frau was raming things in bags willy nilly helter skelter. She was meticulously careful and precise about pricing! But bagging - what's to think about? The line was several customers long so I had plenty of time to consider if she was being antisocial or bitchy by her bagging actions. (Also to consider if my chache pot were worth this wait.). Decided, no, she simply couldn't imagine there were spontaneous split-second decisions that could have been made to bag odd objects somewhat well.

Mary!

Eh R166 I am not the problem, my local Stop n Shop has some crappy self checkout machines. I am not a dinosaur yet ,but thanks for being a real cooze.

But how do you write a check at self checkout?

R157 aren't your sweet, following up on my dull story. Yes, I became mesmerized by the grim scenario and followed through to the end. Needless to say she poorly packed my cache-pot finds - and what treasures they are. One was very heavy bezeled glass, not crystal. It seemed indestructible and weighed much more than the thin clay ones. Sure enough, the glass was the last to go in the bag, on top of the brittle clay, and it was positioning awkwardly and also the bad couldn't stand on its own because it was so top heavy. All she had to do was start with the heaviest and sturdiest. It was so OBVIOUS. But no. Of course she did the opposite. I'm sure she had only one reasoning - "glass is fragile".

I went to a table by the door and repacked the bag. She saw this and made a sour face at me. So I went over and asked her for a couple sheets of her newspaper she had in stacks for packing. Well you would think I had asked for pot roast dinner, She tore a page of newspaper in half and gave me the half, keeping the other.

Kroger has outlets in Wisconsin. They're known as Pick N Save. They acquired it from Roundy's and promptly ruined it.

[quote] I went back to get something AFTER I'd already checked out and paid at the self-check out. I just left my buggy there with the receipt laying in one of the bags. When I got back to the self-check out, I saw the attendant had my receipt in his hand and he was going through my buggy - cross referencing what was in the buggy with what was on the receipt. I knew what was going on upon first sight. I was so pissed off about this.

Mary!

You should all shop at the Try and Save!

Whenever I see someone bring a massive cart through self checkout I assume they're shy and trying to avoid talking to a cashier. Why else would they do it?

The cashiers are zombies, I frequent a few stores, and at one it's like pulling teeth to talk to any of them. I guess I need punchable buttons, a flat black screen, superimposed onto my flesh.

R186 the cashiers are zombies because they know that they are just a cog in a machine.

And the owners of the machine view them as both defective and easily replaceable, so torture them with insufficient pay and hours without concern.

I suspect the posters claiming they have no trouble at the self-checkout are people who only buy pre-made stuff with unambiguous barcodes. Any deviation from that—e.g. produce—and the whole system breaks down in my experience. you flip through the choices and they don't have what you're looking for. Or in some cases the scanner just messes up and you get a "please wait for attendant" message (at the Stop-n-Shops or Shaws where I've been).

R188 you may wish it to be so, and for the majority that use them it may be.

But not for me. They have this thing called a database that you can easily use to look up the codes for fresh vegetables by name and/or image.

It works just as it does for the store clerks, except that they have likely memorized at least some of the codes saving them 5 seconds of work.

The more you anti self checkouters talk, the more apparent it becomes that you just don't know how to use them without causing yourself trouble.

[quote]Any deviation from that—e.g. produce—and the whole system breaks down in my experience.

Nope. I buy tons of produce and never have an issue.

I LOVE self checkout. I'm a fast scanner and even with a cartful of groceries I can whizz through it faster than a clerk can scan things. And no getting stuck behind olds who move slow as molasses and then have all their fucking coupons and pay in cash or - god forbid - a fucking check.

I buy produce at the self-checkout. You just have to get used to it. I prefer self-checkout now. It's easier to monitor the prices & whatever discounts I'm supposed to be getting.

I also buy stuff with bar codes, junk food, etc. Via the self-checkout.

I USED to love self check out because the wait time was shorter and long supermarket line waits make me crazy, but the other day I was in a Whole Foods the wait time was much longer for the self check out than the regular check out...the one thing that made them more convenient in my book and it's gone now that it's caught on. Meh.

You people buying produce in supermarkets should get it at farmers' markets instead because it's fresher and has been raised without pesticides.

[quote] Grocery stores hire baggers to help keep things moving along

Here in 1964

R195 and almost all let go in by 2005.

[quote] Whenever I see someone bring a massive cart through self checkout I assume they're shy and trying to avoid talking to a cashier. Why else would they do it?

Because it’s twice as fast, that’s why. Why waste the tine unloading your cart onto a be,t so someone else can check it out when you can check it out yourself without unloading? Plus I like to pack my bags myself. Produce, dairy and deli go into cooler bags.

[quote] when you can check it out yourself without unloading?

Huh?

I was making a joke upthread about paying with a check just to annoy people behind me. It got me wondering if stores even accept checks anymore. Seems like everyone is mostly credit or cash anymore. At least Ruby Romaine got her check cashed, after a few racist remarks and using her great-granddaughter for sympathy!

R14 I haven’t seen a gas station with a full service lane in over 30 years

R200, it's against the law in NJ and Oregon for customers to pump their own gas, so the stations are required to do that for you. I don't know whether they also do the things that all stations used to, like check oil & water & tire pressure, wash windshield, etc.

No, they don’t.

R194 believes produce is "raised" and that by some miracle farmers who sell at farmers markets don't use pesticides.

R203, California requires vendors at "certified organic" farmers' markets to establish that no pesticides have been used on the crops they're offering for sale at those markets. Not all farmers' markets are "certified organic" but most in the San Francisco Bay area are.

Not all of us have access to farmer's market, even when we live near farmers.

At R194, I was making fun of purists who insist that all pets be rescued and all food be organic. I do consider those to be ideals worth pursuing when feasible, but I know it's not always possible for everyone. I'm lucky to live where I do and be able to afford the higher prices charged at farmers' markets, and I do try not to take that for granted.

Well, you subtle bitch, you R206!

Organic produce isn't much more expensive than regular in the UK, Free Range eggs are also pretty much the norm now.

I suppose that costs reduce with increased popularity?

R208, I am not sure but get the impression that "organic" is a marketing label with a niche demographic, limited to the better off financially (and usually better educated, thus following health & enviromental trends)here in the US and therefore they charge more for it.

Though it is gradually becoming more common and affordable, with options even in our discount or big box stores like Walmart.

That's crazy r201. I wonder why they do that.

I agree, R209. But higher prices at farmers' markets for crops that were raised without pesticides on small family farms reflect the resulting lower yields for those farmers vs. big agribusiness, and the associated greater expenses in bringing their crops to market. There is a certain snob factor at play for some customers, but "boutique" farmers never get rich, believe me.

A lot of times though the label says "organic" but it isn't.

R210, I think the published reason that it's illegal to pump your own gas in NJ & Oregon is safety. Maybe there's some ulterior motive, because 48 states manage to survive despite people pumping their own gasoline.

R213, as a former temp(fake) Oregonian, it is a make-work program for the newly released prisoner, the first time/after school job, or for those incapable of moving on to other things.

At least, by my experience of their assistance. And yes, some would wash the windows if you asked.

R211 according to farmers, none of them make money.

But someone is. Probably Cisco foods or Tyson.

Oh, what the hell does Mike Tyson have to do with it?

I won’t use them. I’ll wait in line for a cashier. I’m patient.

You'd have to be very patient in some stores in the UK, at certain times of the day they don't open any non self-service checkouts.