quote:

Originally posted by Stringdriver:
Just for fun, when going through self check-out, I will change the language to Spanish and crank the volume...
Hey, it's the little things that make me laugh. And... if you've never done that... GO DO IT. Hahaha
A great break from the grind.

String

I am so doing that my next trip to WM. I'll report back.

quote:

Couple that with the "Unexpected item in bagging area" announcements from the machine,

if the self-checks at Walmart have the hand scanners, then it deactivates the weight sensor in the bagging area. They make it a breeze. I refuse to use the ones that weigh the bagging area now.

Meijer is a 24 hour regional chain. The one in this area hands down has the worst self check lanes. "Assistance is on the way" is the normal sound, that is if there is someone stationed there.

Late one evening I left probably twenty items on the terminal and in the cart, it locked up, nobody around, not a soul. After five minutes (I timed it) I said screw it and left.

They "upgraded" the terminals about a year ago, result, same as ever. I've complained to corporate, standard answer "we are looking into this."

Going to a lane with a real person is impossible most of the time. Between the lack of speed of many of the clerks combined with the filled to the brim carts not to mention customers that want to discuss/argue/complain/question prices on every item,audit their receipt wile in line, you get the idea.

I would not go to Meijer except there are items that neither Wal-Mart or Kroger in this area carry. Forget asking Kroger to look into these items, the request goes into the trash can I assume.

Wal-Mart across the street, now there self check is fine. Always a live person manning the master terminal and never a lockup.

I don't know how they keep people from not ripping the store off going thru self check out.


buy one get one free ?

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Stupidity has invaded my local Kroger. It's a simple concept. If you have a BASKETFUL of groceries...I mean a stacked up, MOUNDING pile in the basket, do not...repeat...DO NOT use the @#$%ing self check-out scanners. Go to the "normal" check-out lane with a cashier and utilize their friendly scanning and bagging services. There were at least three IDIOTS violating this simple concept yesterday around 1330 hours.

Jeezus...it shouldn't take a PhD in Rocket Surgery to figure out the self check-out lane is for "quick" egress.

That is all.....

/[rant]

call me stupid, unless its an express lane I am checking out myself to get the bagging the way I want and to make sure Kroger in particular is giving me the right price before I pay.

quote:

I don't know how they keep people from not ripping the store off going thru self check out.

Cameras and other loss prevention secrets. Back when there were cashiers, a tape was made of every checkout lane. Special software that scanned the tape to look for suspicious motions made by the cashier, such as bypassing the scanner with the item was helpful as well.

quote:

Originally posted by XLT:
I don't know how they keep people from not ripping the store off going thru self check out.


buy one get one free ?

There are sensors in the bagging area to detect any sort of sleight of hand move to beat scanning something and bagging it. You ever get that "UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA!" thing? You just triggered that.

The Meijer by me does is right for self checkout. They have the area manned all the time and that person also keeps out the idiots that try to bring a cart with 50 items into the area. I use self checkout there all the time and love it.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

I don't know how they keep people from not ripping the store off going thru self check out.

Cameras and other loss prevention secrets. Back when there were cashiers, a tape was made of every checkout lane. Special software that scanned the tape to look for suspicious motions made by the cashier, such as bypassing the scanner with the item was helpful as well.

kroger does not have that,

they do have a camera in some locations on the bottom of the normal checklanes to scan the bottom of the basket, (it alerts the cashier of the product on the bottom of the cart)

as far as self checks,
they depend on 2 things,
honest customer (not as prevalent as you would think)
and an attentive attendant (hard to hire for)

ran a store that was in a hoody area, and theft thru the self check out was a daily thing,
esp on busy days, when the attendant would be distracted helping another customer

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

I don't know how they keep people from not ripping the store off going thru self check out.

Cameras and other loss prevention secrets. Back when there were cashiers, a tape was made of every checkout lane. Special software that scanned the tape to look for suspicious motions made by the cashier, such as bypassing the scanner with the item was helpful as well.

kroger does not have that,

they do have a camera in some locations on the bottom of the normal checklanes to scan the bottom of the basket, (it alerts the cashier of the product on the bottom of the cart)

as far as self checks,
they depend on 2 things,
honest customer (not as prevalent as you would think)
and an attentive attendant (hard to hire for)

ran a store that was in a hoody area, and theft thru the self check out was a daily thing,
esp on busy days, when the attendant would be distracted helping another customer

Walmart has high-quality cameras now above the registers and they are about to give us a program that they've been developing/testing that will alert us in LP if an item is left in the cart or crosses the scanner/is bagged but not rung up. there may be some false positives, but I just made a case on a young woman who is skip-scanning hairspray. My guess is she huffs it. but in the last week alone she skipscanned about $60 worth of hairspray through self-checks. I'm currently -28 cans of that hairspray in inventory, too.

Self checks are a MASSIVE hole for loss prevention and I hate them. but the camera systems and programs are definitely catching up.

LP is just a never-ending, losing battle anyway. but it can be a fun one, too. and it's putting me through college.

I have come to despise our local Kroger for this.

Worst instance was a recent Sat when I roll in about 0630 and grab a few items plus a 6-pack. Get to the front, no registers open. Go to self check out and, of course, can't scan beer without an assistant.

Nobody comes
Nobody comes
Nobody comes
Nobody comes
Nobody comes

Shit, nobody even in sight!

Look up number, call store.

Hey, listen, that's your call over the store PA system ringing.
And ringing
And ringing
And ringing
And ringing
And ringing

After no less than 20-25 rings, give up and hang up. Toying with idea of next steps.

1. Walk out
2. Go to other register and skip beer
3. #2 plus just shove unscanned beer in a bag and dare them to speak to me.
4. Go to every open register, scan beer to lock up the whole fucking place, spike 6-pack on accident and walk out never to return.

Fuckers.

other than spiking the 6 pack, scanning a beer at each register to lock them up is a great idea...

I like the self check out if I have only a few items and the regular lines are long.

As far as carts go, I've found that no matter where I park my cart to get something (if it's crowded) no matter where I leave it someone will want something behind it. I mean, I could park it in front of the pickle flavored ice cream case and someone will be buying it.

quote:

I mean, I could park it in front of the pickle flavored ice cream case and someone will be buying it.

Do not park it there. You are likely to encounter an angry pregnant female.

quote:

Self checks are a MASSIVE hole for loss prevention and I hate them.

A business must weigh the $ saved vs $ cost of loss prevention. Cost also includes customer service & lost sales $. Once a client of mine discovered the Loss Prevention Manager was stealing laptops from his electronics store.

I am reluctant to use self checkouts, but if I do, it is for small purchases of things that don't have to be looked up or weighed.

I used to work the midnight shift, which meant that I was awake at night, even on my off days, and slept during the day. I shopped at walmart for groceries since they were the only store open at 2am when I was wide awake.

All was fine, until they completely did away with their night time cashier. I had $200 worth of groceries, no cashier in sight. I went to the self checkout girl and asked where the normal cashier was. She said that they no longer staff a cashier at night, you have to check yourself out. I left $200 worth of groceries right then and there with her, told her to keep the shit, and walked out. I'm not cashing myself out with $200 worth of groceries.

I like the self checkout at my local grocery store. Typically, I don't have more than a hand-basket full of groceries, and I still remember some of the produce lookup codes from my time working groceries. I can scan, bag, and pay for my goods in less time at a self checkout than a "regular" checkout lane takes, and I do so whenever reasonable. If I've got a cart full, I'll use the regular lane (I end up bagging my own stuff half the time anyway) and not clog up the self checkouts. But for the average ordinary after-work grocery stop, the self-check is a better use of my time.

Yeah, yeah, they don't give me a discount for doing the work myself. So what? My time has value (to me, at least).

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

I mean, I could park it in front of the pickle flavored ice cream case and someone will be buying it.

Do not park it there. You are likely to encounter an angry pregnant female.

HaHaHa!

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
I'm not cashing myself out with $200 worth of groceries.

Where would you put them? The bagging area is maybe 2x2. Scan, bag and stick in the cart? Doesn’t the “Please replace...” start up?