I had some roast beef sliced to order at a Walmart deli counter. It was weighed, and a label was printed and stuck to the ziplock type bag.

When I got to the self checkout register, I tried scanning the package many times, but the scanner would not read the bar code that was printed.

I called a Walmart employee (WTF is this "associate stuff?); she tried to scan several times, no joy. I asked her if she could do a manual override and use the keypad to enter the price that was marked on the package. She just tossed the package into the canvas tote bag in my cart and said, "Have a nice weekend." (the roast beef was free)

Next thing you know, it will be self deli service. Put out the cheese and meat and a slicer and let the shoppers have at it...yum LOL

I've noticed the people doing the scanning are really surly.

You accept shopping carts because none of us where alive when you had to wait your turn for an employee to go get the stuff you wanted. That was kinda slow, so the stores started letting the shoppers run around with carts getting their own stuff.

I'm sure there were those that wanted an employee discount from doing their own shopping then too.

Of course, this has been coming full circle for a while now with the rise of online buying and customer pick-up.

We're a weird species.

I much prefer teh self check-out line.

The standard check-out you're likely to get the customer with a very large purchase, the person who wants to pay by check or, the employee who only operates at one speed and prone to chit-chatting.

I actually don’t mind the self checkout. One or two fewer people touching my stuff is always a good thing.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
My Publix is that way, not a single self check out lane, its right next to a High School, lots of kids work there but not as many as in the past, it's more adults than kids anymore.

I'm sure it will have one eventually.

The Publix down the street from me just ripped out 4 normal lanes and will be installing self check lanes in their place.

Link

Costco is making big changes to self checkout - and so is Walmart


Costco, Walmart, Wegmans and other chains are among the shops making a move away from the use of self-checkout stations in their stores.

Self-checkout machines were first used in the 1980s to lower the cost of hiring workers. During the pandemic, lots of shoppers found themselves using self-checkout machines for the first time to aid in social distancing.

Today, retailers are limiting self-checkout. They've found that self-checkout can result in high merchandise losses largely due to customer mistakes. Some products have several barcodes along with defective barcodes.

Some products - like fruits and meats - need to be weighed and entered into the system using a code that customers sometimes enter incorrectly by accident.

Shoplifting is another issue, with customers finding techniques to steal and taking advantage of the low-security measures in the self-checkout aisles.

Among the tactics people use to steal from major chains include entirely skipping over scanning an item, swapping a cheap item for a much more expensive one, scanning fake barcodes worn on their wrists, or scanning everything and simply not paying and walking off.

The losses are reported to be high in comparison to human cashiers helping customers finalize their purchases, with a study saying that companies with self-checkout lanes had a loss rate of about four percent, which is more than double the industry average, according to CNN.

To mitigate these losses, Walmart removed self-checkout machines at some of its New Mexico stores. Shoprite got rid of them at a store in Delaware after customer complaints, and last year Wegmans removed a nifty feature that allowed customers to scan, bag and pay for their groceries via their mobile phones while they shopped after losses were reported.

Costco said it's adding more staff to self-checkout areas after finding that non-members were sneaking in with membership cards that didn't belong to them.

Costco management said this year that losses increased "in part we believe due to the rollout of self-checkout," reported CNN.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

Costco said it's adding more staff to self-checkout areas after finding that non-members were sneaking in with membership cards that didn't belong to them.

The Costco near my house, and every other Costco location that I have been to, has somebody at the entrance door verifying membership cards.

Right off the top of my head, I can think of two ways to walk into Costco without displaying a membership card. In fact, I did that yesterday -- no intent to defraud, I just took the shortest route from the parking lot to the hearing aid counter. Nobody asked me to show membership.

Being the only occupant of my residence and never having had the need to shop "in bulk", I don't understand the necessity and BFD of having a Costco "membership".

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

Costco said it's adding more staff to self-checkout areas after finding that non-members were sneaking in with membership cards that didn't belong to them.

The Costco near my house, and every other Costco location that I have been to, has somebody at the entrance door verifying membership cards.

Right off the top of my head, I can think of two ways to walk into Costco without displaying a membership card. In fact, I did that yesterday -- no intent to defraud, I just took the shortest route from the parking lot to the hearing aid counter. Nobody asked me to show membership.

They don't really check tightly at the door, I've waived my phone with the costco app open but not to the membership page showing the name and picture, anyone can get in with anyones card, however, at the checkout, especially self check they have an employee checking the cards.

If you had a million people nationwide using someone elses membership, every year, at $50 a pop it's $50 mill in fee revenue they miss.

So it makes sense to check it since I pay for it, someone else shouldn't get to go in for free and get the same benefits of membership.

In 14 (I think) states you are allowed to buy booze at Costco without being a member.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Being the only occupant of my residence and never having had the need to shop "in bulk".

I believe you explained it right there . Costco isn't for everybody .

The biggest “safeguard” I have seen locally is the long lines for an employee to compare your receipt to the items purchased. Usually it seems the employee with the least capacity for abstract thought is who they put at the doors.

Sunday I ran into Walmart to grab two items. I hit the self check out and hit the roadblock at the door. There were five or six carts lined up. A female employee who weighed about 400 pounds was sitting in a chair. She would the demand your receipt and the topper was she’d take her walking stick and root around in peoples carts comparing items on the receipt. You know, the nasty end that goes on the floor of the bathroom when she goes in it.

I walked around the line and walked out the door.

If they do not trust me to check out, then they should consider hiring someone to do it for me.

I never use self checkouts . I just got home from Walmart . They had at least three registers open which shocked me . I checked out quicker than the Self Checkout would have been . They were backed up with sheeple and I breezed right through the other register .

It’s official. Publix by me has self checkouts now. They were hard to get to with the lines backed up for the two regular registers they had open.

Also, all the refrigerated items are now behind glass doors. People are leaving their carts in the middle so they can open the doors.

quote:

Originally posted by tsmccull:

In 14 (I think) states you are allowed to buy booze at Costco without being a member.

Trying to remember . . . I think I had to show my Costco card to buy booze. We don't drink that much, but when I do buy liquor, it's normally at Costco. Maybe one bottle a year.

You do not need to be a Costco member to use the pharmacy for Rx medications; that's one of the two ways that I referred to above, to get into Costco without showing membership ID.

The food court at the Costco location nearest to me, is outside the store. Anybody can walk up and buy any of the food items there, including a huge whole pizza for ten bucks.

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

Being the only occupant of my residence and never having had the need to shop "in bulk", I don't understand the necessity and BFD of having a Costco "membership".

There are quite a few things that a one-person household can benefit from at Costco. Lowest gas prices around. Optical department and hearing aids, great quality at the lowest cost you can find. You can equip your kitchen with all the appliances and cookware that you need, again great quality and low prices. Things like TV, computers, Apple stuff. Clothing items (half dozen undershirts for eighteen bucks / pkg). Tires and batteries. Decent wine selection. The list goes on.

The "shopping in bulk" typically applies to grocery items, but that's just one area of Costco, and even there, it's not all huge quantities. I was there just yesterday and picked up, among other things, a 32 oz. jug of organic maple syrup, a quart of half & half (at $1.99, compared to over three bucks at the grocery store), a two-pack of their excellent thick sliced bacon, two 1.5 lb. packages bundled together (use one, freeze one), thirteen bucks for three pounds.

Costco membership will also get you a no annual fee VISA with 3% cash-back on restaurants, 2% cash back on anything you buy at Costco, 1% cash back on just about everything else, and 4% cash back at gas stations -- any gas station, not only Costco. This cash back pays us (wife and me) more than enough to cover the annual Costco membership fee.

If you haven't been in one, just visit a Costco location. Tell them that you are considering membership and would like to look around. They'll let you in, to do that.

^^^^^
Thanks, Mr. V-Tail. [thumbs up]

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:

Thanks, Mr. V-Tail. [thumbs up]

I forgot to mention, buy stuff like appliances, TV, computer stuff, etc. using the Costco VISA, and the already good warranty is extended for at least an additional year, automatically, at no extra cost.

If you join Costco and then decide that you don't like it, they will refund your membership fee at any time. In full, not pro-rated.

You really can't lose.