Self-checkout lanes = evil

[funeralcrasher]

Here's a really neat idea from slashdot today:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/25/0157202 by lar3ry (10905)

Here's a suggestion. Scan a dozen items, and then walk away, throwingup your hands in frustration, saying "I can't believe this store wantsme to do their job for them!"

Don't pay, don't try to take your"purchases" with you. If a manager sees you do this, tell them flat outthat their "self checkout" sucks, and you will not waste another secondin this store that has no concept of "customer service" and that youare taking your business elsewhere.

You have every right to decide at the last minute that you don't want to make the sale.

Younow have a self-checkout lane that is effectively blocked until a reallive human clears out the items from the machine and from the computertally. That human will probably also have to restock the items,although those items may simply go into a queue area for people whosejob is to restock. Either way, it allows you to vent your frustrationand make a point. AND... since a real employee has to get involved, itmakes the machine slightly less able to become a cost saver.

Heck,have a group of friends "slam" all the self-checkouts this way as aform of organized protest. Include people from a variety ofbackgrounds, ages, etc. Do it a few times to a store before themanagement refuses to let you enter the store, and then go on to thenext store. Or... do it to a bunch of stores, round-robin, returning toa store a week and a half later when some other manager is on duty.Lather... rinse... repeat. If possible, tell the local news stationwhat you are doing, and see if you can get other people similarlyfrustrated to join your cause. (The more people doing this, the better!)

It's called "customer feedback."

Comments

[ericdabear.livejournal.com]

LOL avoiding yahoos like that is why I choose the self-checkouts in the first place!

Ok, so I just got back from my trip today.. did I miss something about this? o.O?

[eboe.livejournal.com]

c'mon, self-checkout lanes are awesome! they blow away waiting for the unintelligent to have their groceries rang up for them by some underpaid and undermotivated person. long lines = self-checkout for me. except when forced to shop at walmart. the fucking cashier has to come over and enter your birthday to buy an r-rated movie. retarded.

[o0olellyo0o.livejournal.com]

hahahahahahaha

[radargrrl.livejournal.com]

ROFL!

I love it! I can't stand those damn things...not only do they suck up legit jobs from people that need them, I don't trust them as accurate!

This is a GREAT way to monkeywrench the system!

[terracinque.livejournal.com]

I like self-checkouts. And the prank suggested by slashdot would only make more work and irritation for poorly-paid hourly workers who have no power to affect the store's policy on self-checkouts.

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

I'm not suggesting anyone follow through with that, but supporting self-checkout lanes is voting for staff reduction with no benefit to the consumer, other than the illusion of faster checkout times.

[ericdabear.livejournal.com]

But is it really all that much of a staff reduction?

For example.. the Kroger near my old place had, let's say.. 12 registers and 4 checkout lanes. Before the self-checkout lanes, they had on average 3 registers staffed and open. After the self-checkout lanes they had... .3 registers staffed and open AND an attendant for the self-checkout lanes. I can definitely understand your complaint if self-checkout lanes cause manned register lines to disappear though, maybe they just haven't happened at the stores I frequent in particular.

I would say with 100% gusto that they have decreased my wait times significantly though. (except, as someone pointed out, at Wal-Mart where the average shopper's I.Q. rivals that of the automated check-out machines such that they have a spectacular battle of will every time they come in contact with eachother.

Are you off today? I think you are. You weren't over there before and I haven't been over there much to bug anyone today. I hope you're having a good day off! (you're on messenger though.. hmm. I'm being completely scatterbrained today) So if you're not off and I just haven't seen you .. um.. you're welcome for not bothering you much today! :D

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

I'm here, though I came in a little late today. :)

[c-death.livejournal.com]

i've done that before at Albertson's, which was never patrolled. I would get picky about the weight/scale and I couldn't do much else, and nobody around, so I would give up and walk out and go to Safeway.

[c-death.livejournal.com]

wow my grammer just sucks ass. s/i/it

I've found the Home Depot self check out to be faster then regular checkout.

The local Albertson's had horrible service anyhow, nobody on the self check out and only 2 lines open during post work rush. They sucked ass, then closed; I was not too heart broken.

[grendel317.livejournal.com]

Reaction 1: Why don't you like self-check-out lines? I've found that I'm typically about as efficient at checking myself out as the cashier jockeys would be, and often significantly more so. Plus, it lets 1 employee handle 4 lanes. More efficient is good, right? Occasionally you're stuck behind some schmuck who can't figure out a touch-screen or something, but I haven't found that to be significantly more common than the old lady with a zillion coupons and a sack full of loose change that you run in to in the traditional lines. Oh, and, if you really can't stand the automated checkout for some reason, I've never been to a store that didn't also have a normal fully-manual line available. I mean, seriously, what's not to like?

Reaction 2: Wow, what a total pain in the ass that would be for all the people waiting behind you. And the ex-cashier-jockey who job it now is to put up with your histrionics. And, basically, everybody around you. Why would you do that?

[leslidiana.livejournal.com]

Oh yeeeah!!

[johnbutler.livejournal.com]

Yep, let's get rid of those self-checkout lanes, and fill up staff positions in all the existing (suposed to be) manned checkout lanes. And pay all those workers a $15 an hour "living wage." I mean, it's not like it will make the food cost any more... or will it?

[pkbarbiedoll.livejournal.com]

:o)