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.

 

[gusherb]

Every grocery store has them except Whole Foods, Meijer being the first in the area to have them back in 2000.

Home Depot has them but no Menards in the area has them, and neither Lowes near me has them.

Target and Wal Mart have them.

I've never seen a self checkout in a drug store.

I am seeing a lot of self order kiosks at cafes and fast casual restaurants these days. I've avoided using them successfully for quite some time now as most of these places that have them happen to be places I actually spend cash at and the stupid kiosks have no means to pay in cash. Sometimes the people working the drink counter at Whole Foods try to get me to use the kiosk and I insist I'm paying cash, their response is "you can pay at the register" followed by me saying "I'm not waiting at the register I'm in a hurry" or "I'm eating in the restaurant". Seriously if someone ever decides to make me pay at the register up front one of these days I'll just walk off without paying for my drink, possibly not intentionally.

 

[kimball455]

Hi ..
Locally in Cape May County Walmart and Home Depot have self checkouts. Only one ACME location has self checkout due to shoplifting at some locations.
Harry

 

[petek]

I didn't care for them at first but grew to.  I was really surprised when our Walmart removed them two or so years ago.  I heard it was on account of theft. 

 

[perc-o-prince]

In addition to the above,

Price Chopper and Hannaford supermarkets here. Like Matt said, I prefer to bag my own and don't like waiting for the dolt at the end of the runner to hand me a bag once he's decided he has enough in his bag.

Chuck

 

[DADoES]

 
There are no "big-box" stores here ... Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.  The regional grocery chain doesn't have them.  WM does, which I used a few times but *always* had some issue or other.  The final straw was when I used one that would take only credit or debit card, no cash, and there was NO notification of the restriction until a little on-screen blurb at end of the transaction.  I didn't fully register the meaning upon glancing at it so I'm standing there like an idiot repeatedly putting my cash into the slot and having it repeatedly spit back out, wondering WTF is the problem, until the attendant comes over to investigate.  I shot off a gnasty email to WM.  A local manager of some level called me the next day.  All sorts of excuses why they couldn't place a large sign on the units that don't take cash so customers know in advance which to use or not.  I refuse to use the crazy things there any further.

I used one at Home Depot (in another town) several weeks ago.  Had the usual fussing from it about "unexpected item in bagging area, please remove item."  Just, no.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Self-service checkouts

My experience was always getting: "Unexpected item in bagging area!".

Recently my local Tesco upgraded their units, and they seem to have gone the opposite way, telling me to bag the item!

I usually pay by card, but on one recent occasion put a £10 note (GBP £10) into the machine - it was snatched from me fingers without so much as a by-your-leave! I'd swear that Ebeneezer Scrooge was in the machine.

 

[passatdoc]

Our local Costco used to have them, but they were removed during an expansion/renovation several years ago. Customers had trouble using them (admittedly, they weren't very user friendly) and supposedly there was an increased incidence of theft (items thrown in without being scanned).

I never had issues with their self-check out lanes, and in fact used Costco more often, since to buy 3-4 items I didn't have to wait in line behind half a dozen customers with $500+ carts. I shop there far less often now. One remedy would be to implement Express lanes, like supermarkets, for patrons with only a few items.

 

[jmirawm]

Discount....

I have been meaning to go to the Customer service desk and ask how to key in my employee discount at the self checkout. Because for that brief moment I am working for Wal Mart. HA

 

[fan-of-fans]

I know Home Depot had them at least by 2006, I remember buying a baseboard and it told me to place it in the bag, finally I tapped it on the bottom of the bag and it registered. I used to get the same thing there with the unexpected item and I would take it out and it would say to please place item in bag.

The units at Lowes I notice are always out of order.

 

[norgeway]

I wish

They were outlawed!! I HATE them.

 

[launderess]

With the push to raise MW to $15/hr.

Am thinking self-checkout will spread more and more. McDonald's is already introducing/expanding self ordering/checkout in the USA.

Quite honestly in many retail businesses staffing is already so low that self-checkout might be welcomed. There are times at local chain convenience stores where you have only one cashier at the registers with a line that stretches deep.

The other problem is from banks on down many places are having problems finding persons who not only possess the necessary skills (math and so forth) to be trained and work cash registers, but can also pass required background checks.