Are self checkout lanes rare?

[fan-of-fans]

I was wondering about this. I know some stores are against them.

Out of the stores here the only ones I can think of that have them are Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot. The big box stores.

I do recall Kmart having them for a short time way before anyone else did (early 2000s).

Not sure when Walmart installed them as I only recall them in the last 5 years or so. The issue with Walmart self checkout is there is still a line to use the self checkouts as they are all placed around a confined area and you have to wait to use the next available one. Never understood why Walmart will put in 20 manned lanes and only use a small fraction of them.

The only other store I've seen them lately was a newly remodeled Winn Dixie in another town. Surprised Publix didn't put them in their new stores here, but maybe they don't like them.

 

[washdaddy]

Self service checkouts just went into the Walmart's in this area.

The one place they have been popular though is in the grocery stores. The will have a group of them together with one clerk overseeing the terminals and have one line feeding them so the next customer takes whatever comes available first.

No matter the store if it's a 24 hr operation the self serve lanes get shut down during the late evening and overnight hours since there is usually less staff in the store and less traffic.

 

[joeekaitis]

Here in Sunny SoCal . . .

 

 

Still going strong at Home Depot and Lowe's where a dedicated helper is at the podium overseeing things and ready to assist the slightly tech-challenged.

 

The local Walmart Neighborhood Market has a 20-item limit on theirs and the continually distracted Customer Service person is one's only help when an item triggers an alert (they card you when you scan alcohol-containing non-beverages like Lectric-Shave and Skin Bracer).  Also, they're in a security lockdown group that shuts them all down when questionable activity like a suspect credit/debit card occurs at one.  It's a rare day when they're all working.

 

None of the local full-service and bag-your-own grocers have them.  The dear departed Fresh & Easy was the only grocer that was exclusively self-service at the checkout.

 

[gyrafoam]

All the big box stores around Roanoke have the. So do the grocery stores.

Just more "dumbing-down" of the public.

They raise prices, lower quantities and then take away customer service.

I don't care how long I wait for a human. I never use those self-service kiosks.

 

[panthera]

All our grocery stores except one has them

And they range from just barely OK (when they're running) at Walmart to brand new and still totally awful at Safeway. Worse than awful.

The ones at The Homeless Despot are constantly in a bad mood, I don't go to Lowes because of their anti-gay policies.

Menards doesn't use them and King Soopers makes you enter a PIN even for a credit card transaction...you can imagine how well that goes over.

They're basically a disaster. We need more cashiers.

 

[angus]

Here in Southern Connecticut, the only grocery store that has them is Stop & Shop. They are a real pain and end up taking more time since it seems every other person needs an attendant for help. Items don't scan properly, the bagging areas trip and stop with only a few items, but say they are "full".

Shop Rite doesn't have them and Big Y tried them for a year, then pulled them out for much the same reason...

 

[brucelucenta]

Actually I rather like the self check out lane myself. I use it at Sam's Club, Lowes, Walmart, Reasor's grocery store, Home Depot and anywhere else I see one. I seldom have any problems with them. I didn't know Lowes has an anti gay policy.

 

[ea56]

Every big store has them where I live, Safeway, Target, Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes. The very worst ones area at Target and Safeway, especially Target, they never seem to work properly. And at Safeway and Target they usually now only have one or two regular checkout counters open, they want people to do their own checkout. The best self checkout is at Walmart. Their scanners work flawlessly and I don't mind doing my own checkout it they work like they should, but if I have to wait for a clerk to fix a problem, where is the time savings? Lowe's are pretty good too. I also wasn't aware of any anti-gay ploicy at Lowe's, I'm very sorry to here about this.

I think the big retailers want to phase out clerks entirely if they can any way manage to make this happen. Make America Great Again, not so much.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 6/10/2017-11:40]

 

[maytagbear]

Simply put :

I hate them, do not use them, and yes, they are an attempt to slash staff.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[pulltostart]

Here on the Gulf Coast

They're in HD, Lowe's, Target, Winn-Dixie, and are starting to appear in Neighborhood Markets (WM).  Publix does not seem in a hurry to embrace this feature and that doesn't really surprise me, as the main thing that Publix is service.

 

lawrence

 

[appnut]

I won't use them.  Difficult for physically-challenged individuals. 

 

[lordkenmore]

Around here, the Kroger grocery stores have self checkout at all the stores I've been in. The last store (an aging store due for replacement) got them maybe 2 years ago. (They were obviously used, but, again, the store is slated to be replaced. The only reason they did any work on the store then was an influx of business.) Safeway/Albertsons, however, seem to have gotten away from self checkout. At least at the 2 stores I've been. (I seldom shop either.)

 

The library I use also has self checkout. I remember the line that it wouldn't cost jobs--they had so much work for the staff. But when a budget crisis hit, the former clerk position was totally eliminated. At the branch I used, pretty much everyone in that position decided it was time to retire. (There was talk about letting them stay as shelvers, but few wanted to do that job. Or do it again.)

 

I have mixed feelings about self checkout. Part of me is disturbed by the fact that it could cost jobs. But I also like the fact that in strange stores I'm not faced with a clerk dripping with fake friendliness. Plus I suppose it can save embarrassment if one were buying some embarrassing product. With self checkout, there isn't a clerk grabbing and seeing each item. Of course, whoever monitors the security cameras might see one buying that embarrassing product...

 

[launderess]

Just off the top of one's head

Home Depot, CVS and a few other places at least here in Manhattan, NYC have self-checkout.

Personally love the things as can be in and out rather quickly. With so many places slashing cashiers/staff anyway often you have only one or two persons working the entire store (and one of them can be a manager), so lines are often backed up quite severely.

Then you have the "how much is this?" group who query every single item in their rather large basket full of goods. Or, "is this one on sale"? Which prompts a whole back and forth as to what a circular actually states is on sale versus what the person has in hand. Then you have those who are still flummoxed by using their credit or debit cards to complete the transaction.

Many supermarkets and convenience stores here are union, thus inroads with self-checkout has been limited. But with a new mandatory $15/hr. minimum wage along with overtime, PTO and other laws that will increase employee costs, am willing to bet the scheme will expand. You are already seeing banks almost devoid of tellers and or they are rolling out all sorts of ways one can complete transactions without having to bother.

 

[supersuds]

FWIW, Publix expanded to Knoxville about three years ago, and all of their stores here have self-checkouts available.

 

[wiskybill]

The only way...

that I will consider using the self checkout is the day that
I get a discount for doing it all myself.

Bill

 

[cadman]

What's interesting is that we got self-checkouts in this area 5 or more years ago at the big box stores, Walmart and grocery chains. I actually liked using them as they were faster than standing in line. The odd thing is that most have since been removed and replaced with (understaffed) manual checkouts.

The places I shop most anyhow never went in for them, so no huge loss I suppose.

 

[xraytech]

I do not use them, and will not use them.
My thought is at the prices I am paying I expect service from a store employee. I feel that if I check out my own order I should receive a discount.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Self-Check, U-Scan--and ONLY S-C & U-Scan!!!!

Simply put: No-one will be the check-out guy that I am--I only go to them myself...

 

I never win on telling the "real person" an "actual price" on a mis-priced item (that is made-up) and somehow the "____ sells it for $____" is eliminated, as had from "NOT needing to the ad", to "NO price-matching without"--and ME not being allowed to, though I'd been the one bending over backwards for everyone else in every case, so here is my kiss-off...

 

 

-- Dave

 

[mattl]

All the stores around here have them, at night they are the only lanes open.  They are the ONLY checkout I will use, hate dealing with   cashiers, many are too slow.  I want to get out as fast as I can.  Plus, I much much prefer bagging my own stuff. I recall a few times I used a cashier and I ended up with 13 bag of groceries when I could have easily put then in 4 or 5.