Grocery self-checkout

My Wal Mart has it. Scan and go also in fact.

Just used the new Sam’s Club express exit last week, and that was pretty damn impressive. If you use scan and go (which I do always), you complete your checkout on the app. Then you exit through an “arch”, which I presumes scans the items in your cart and matches them to your checkout. An employee is on the other side and gets basically a green light / red light indicator, and just told me “you’re good!” That was it. Couldn’t have been easier or quicker.

My Walmart has it. But all the “ethnic” products are locked up, which was the main source of theft.

OP lives with poor people, because those are the only places with shoppers who cannot be trusted. Some shithole in a blue city or some shithole in a red rural county most likely. Either place is full of addicts and checkout girls.

The rest of us get self-checkouts.

A retail manager told me the companies make a profit from self checkout even with theft - the money they save on staffing costs more than compensates people scanning though 2 cheap items when the second item is very expensive. And a lot of expensive items are now tagged.

The self checkout kiosks are super calibrated to the weight of the item you are scanning. If there is a mismatch a red light goes off and the employee comes over. Not even sure how you would shoplift something easily that way. I mean, you can just flat out steal and leave the store with something you didn’t pay for, but the self checkout wouldn’t have been what facilitated that.

Scan and go, I can totally see being a problem. And Sam’s really seems to have a plan to address that.

But I don’t really correlate self checkout with the rise in shoplifting.

My Walmart has self checkout. You have to print out a receipt and there's someone at the door to check it (or at least pretend to).

[quote]he self checkout kiosks are super calibrated to the weight of the item you are scanning. If there is a mismatch a red light goes off and the employee comes over. Not even sure how you would shoplift something easily that way.

Because there's usually only one member of staff manning all of the self serve machines and a lot of the time will just authorise it without checking.

Self-checkout in my area (eastern LA Co.) - Walmart, Target, Vons, Sprouts, Amazon Fresh

No self-checkout: Stater Bros., Aldi, Trader Joe's, Grocery Outlet

The thing that surprises me is that the DIY stores, such as Lowes and Home Depot, have almost only self-checkout while some grocery stores have moved away from it. There are so many high value items to be stolen at a DIY store.

Self-checkout is a form of union busting. Those cashier/clerk jobs (at least at most grocery stores) are union jobs with benefits and pensions. Installing self-checkout reduced the need for human clerks -and the money you spend on them. Since the grocery chains are making billions in profit, they are taking advantage of their workers and ultimately damaging the American economy.

R10 has a gas station attendant and travel agent.

Hate to burst your bubble, R11, but I've driven electric cars for over a decade (no Teslas). And a travel agent can be a very good thing to have. Mine saved me over $3,000 on my last trip!

Not all change is progress.

Okay. So only the advancements you enjoy are allowed. No we would for you.

I assume the big losses are from professional shoplifters, not regular customers.

Don't waste your time r12.

Maybe some Walmarts have gotten rid of it, likely stores that had a large theft problem from the self checkouts, but mos of them still have it.

R15. I know you're right, of course. There is no use arguing with Luddites---they're on the lowest rung of the intellectual ladder---but they are infuriating.

Despairing of sacrificing living wages and decent jobs so employers can up their already-obscene profit margins has nothing to do with embracing or rejecting technology. Call me a socialist, not a Luddite!

[quote]The thing that surprises me is that the DIY stores, such as Lowes and Home Depot, have almost only self-checkout while some grocery stores have moved away from it. There are so many high value items to be stolen at a DIY store.

The demographics who shop at home improvement stores (ie, homeowners) aren’t the typical retail shoplifters.

Hate IT

It’s always fucking up things and staff have to come over and void something any way. Hire a god damned teen to check the groceries

I love using self check out. I think the people that complain, dislike or won't use it, are people that have never figured out how to scan an item properly. I guess it's another way of saying a lot of people are just plain old dipshits.

[quote]Self-checkout is a form of union busting. Those cashier/clerk jobs (at least at most grocery stores) are union jobs with benefits and pensions. Installing self-checkout reduced the need for human clerks -and the money you spend on them. Since the grocery chains are making billions in profit, they are taking advantage of their workers and ultimately damaging the American economy.

Are you posting from 1965? Only the legacy major grocery chains (Kroger, Albertsons, etc.) are unionized, and many of their locations are not.

Walmart, Target, Trader Joe's, Aldi, and the majority of ethnic markets want nothing to do with unions.

Self-checkout is rumored to not be delivering as great of cost savings as expected.

In addition to increased theft, there are apparently additional costs that weren't factored into the original business case, including things like increased credit card transactions (even if Walmart gets transaction processing at interchange + a small amount other retailers do not), higher than expected maintenance costs on the checkout machines, more extensive inventory management requirements, lower customer satisfaction.

My impression is that most customers under 70 or so prefer self- checkout so it's hard for me to believe that customer dissatisfaction would drive the elimination of self checkout. People don't even remember gas station attendant any longer, for example.

Found this online as to how self service shoplifting is done. Sure seems like a lot of work to steal a steak! Slipping something in a purse sounds a LOT easier!

The banana trick

The banana trick is punching in a cheaper item’s code while weighing a heavier item. This shoplifting tactic gets its name from bananas being one of the cheapest fruits.

The process is pretty simple. The shoplifter places an expensive item on the scale, for example steak, and then keys in the code for a cheaper item, such as bananas.

The pass around

The pass around method works by simply transferring some items to the bagging area without scanning them. The shoplifter scans one item and then places it along with a second expensive item in a bag at the same time.

Most self checkout systems include scales to measure the weight of scanned items. However, the variance in weight of many common items at grocery stores means that it is still possible to trick the scale into thinking no extra weight has been added to the bag.

The switcheroo

The switcheroo is a new form of one of the oldest grocery store theft scams. When shopping, the shoplifter switches the barcode of an expensive item with that of a cheaper one.

Previously, it was performed by picking a similar looking item, for example changing the code of one type of meat for another. Now, because the main self checkout security measure is a scale, it’s more important to pick items that weigh a similar amount.

This opens up the possibility of much bigger price differences between the scanned item and real product, as it becomes possible to, for example, scan tenderloin as potatoes.

I find more frequent glitches with debit/credit cards with self checkout.

R12: on my last cruise, the airline kept mucking up my return itinerary while I was traveling. A massive headache for her, but my agent had something reasonable in place by the time I disembarked. My brother had his paid (not upgraded, nor points) first class seat downgraded to coach; travel agent got the fare difference refunded.

I have a pretty good experience at CVS but only because I still have a red card with a barcode for a membership called CarePass (or similar). It costs $5/month but they offer a $10/month credit. But to me the real advantage is (I think) scanning the card and being somehow recognized as a lower risk customer. I’ve never had a “Wait for Attendant “ message appear and I wonder if they have different security settings for registered consumers. I might be wrong, a sample size of 1 person here.

I remember now the CVS red card is called an Extra Care Card

Both the regular Walmart and the Walmart Store (for groceries) near me have self-checkout. You can only purchase a certain number of items using self-checkout, though. I know it's 20 at the grocery store.

In the regular store. there are quite a few areas that have locked shelves where you have to ring a buzzer to get an associate to give you the item. They started locking up more and more items in the health and beauty area, but that got to be a real pain in the butt, so I stopped buying those things there. I noticed last time I was in the store, they'd reversed course and removed many of the glass panels and locks for these items.

Target in West Hollywood had the self checkout registers blocked off for over a year. Finally removed them all together a couple of months ago.

5-10 years from now it's going to be humanoid robot things with forced chitchat addressing you by name and reminding you to sign up for their monthly rewards program

I mostly hate self-checkout. Uniglo is the only place I've been that has it figured out - you just dump your shit in the bin and it totals it for you. But the grocery store? It's a pain in the ass. I never have used it at a grocery store where someone didn't have to intervene. And, I like talking to the cashiers.

The CVS stores near my neighborhood all have 'self checkouts' and encourage everyone to use them. Probably because their employees are too busy running around the store 'unlocking' Plexiglas cases which keep the shaving cream, shampoo, razors, etc. 'nice and safe'.

If I just have a few things and the checkout lines are backed up (looking at you Vons), I love them. Don’t usually have any interventions when I use them - they seem to work well. Also, Sam’s Club Scan-N-Go is one of the best things to happen to retail in many years. It’s amazing.

But otherwise prefer a standard checkout.

[quote] I remember now the CVS red card is called an Extra Care Card

CVS ... the store where the cash register receipt is three feet long, because they think customers are going to read a bunch of shit on a narrow strip of paper about all their current deals and special offers.

A few years ago used Self-Check-Out at ShopRite on McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn. Noticed it was gone when I was there last week. When I questioned cashier, "too much fraud."

[quote] But the grocery store? It's a pain in the ass. I never have used it at a grocery store where someone didn't have to intervene. And, I like talking to the cashiers.

You’re in your 80s, right?

R36, some of CVS's "bunch of shit" includes $5 off Cash Rewards. Sure helps my budget.

R36 Living in the past I see. I haven’t even seen a paper receipt from CVS in years. I get them on email automatically.

I have never gone to Walmart, but I've never seen anything locked up at any grocery store or apothecary I visit.

[quote]some of CVS's "bunch of shit" includes $5 off Cash Rewards. Sure helps my budget.

So it's $5 OFF their jacked-up price, which brings the item you're purchasing down $5, to the MSRP which Walgreens, Target and Walmart have it priced at. They're not losing a cent on your purchase - it's the price it should have been sold at in the first place.

I skip scan at walmart all the time. I rip the off so fucking bad. I feel like Robin Hood. I'm white though and when I boost there I usually do it on the way home from work so I don't look "the type". So even if I were to get caught I'd play dumb and only have to pay for what I "forgot" to scan. You go in there as a fat black lady, acting loud, a shower cap on, ripped pants, and having a cart full of stuff, then yeah. They're going to profile you and watch you like a hawk.

Having things locked up just leads more people to shop online. You can get free store pickup at most places, and they'll bring it out to your card. No need to go inside at all. You can also order for home delivery -- Amazon has almost everything, often at better prices, and you get free shipping with Prime.

Yep, don’t want my money. Fine, I’ll shop in the nicer areas.

R43 Wow. Now that’s a post.

Yeah. Souch criminality and racism in a few sentences.

It wasn't racism it was reality. I'm agreeing with blacks that they're profiled.

Yeah. Fat black ladies with shower caps are profiling victims.

Someone answer me this, if they know three is massive fraud at the self check out, why aren't they catching it as it happens? When they do inventory and find out X number of items are missing how do they know it was stolen at the self check out instead of someone just putting in their handbag or coat?

R50 They probably don't. But they realized over the years that their shrinkage went up with the introduction of self-checkout, and therefore connect the two together. I'm sure once they started removing self-checkouts, they realized they have less shrinkage.

I think they did catch people red handed...I read a few reports where cops were called and the thieves were arrested (walmart)

I thought in CA if you steal less than $900 you're good to go.

There was a video on TikTok of an aisle in a chain drug store showing everything locked up except the sun screen.

R53 That was basically overturned when Prop 36 passed (by a wide margin - 68:32) last November.

Stores are moving (slowly) to RFID tags on all merchandise. Hopefully things will start to improve.

I shop at HEB, every time I go through self checkout, the cashier's are always a flamboyant gay and his fag hag gossiping and talking it up. They have no idea what is going on and seem annoyed that a customer needs help.

It's enduring.

[quote] I'm sure once they started removing self-checkouts, they realized they have less shrinkage.

They have already removed them in some stores, if they will realize it when they have removed them, they should have already removed them all, or maybe the stealing from self checkouts isn't any worse than other ways to steal.

I know that in Walgreens, certain products are locked in a clear plastic box where the cashier removes it with a key when you pay...in nyc

R55 I’d guess that technology like the Sam’s Club “exit arch” will arrive sooner. It’s really impressive to see, and no tagging of merchandise is needed.

R23, right , my complaint. Just like a ton of AI, the “innovation” is actually a drawback