I usually go through the ’self checkout’ lane in stores when they are an option, largely because they have shorter lines so assume I will get through faster. Like most people, I have been frustrated by items that don’t weigh enough for the machine to acknowledge they are in the bag, such a greeting card, and the times when the machine imperiously demands I put the 20 lb tub of cat litter on the small surface area among the salad vegetables before it will let me proceed. Despite this, I still prefer these lanes when I’m in a hurry and don’t have many items to scan!
I mostly enjoy the tussle with technology, and for the most part the staff standing at the terminals are well versed in the idiosyncrasies of the machines, and have hit the ‘override’ button before I have time to turn round and ask for help. I just read this article on the BBC website about the arrival of this technology in England. Although English by birth I have lived in the US for 20 years, so am intrigued by the cultural difference in the perceptions of the benefits and losses caused by these machines.
The ‘unexpected item in the bagging area’ issue also drove me crazy when these machines first appeared in my local grocery store. It ended in a year or so of avoiding them, until my daughter persuaded me they had been adapted to be less tyrannical, so can completely sympathize with that complaint! I do wonder why it seems that nothing has been learned from the US self-scanning experience so the same teething troubles didn’t have to befall British customers.
I also have sympathy for the people who find the machines to be publicly humiliating. At a nearby grocery store there is often a teenaged boy at the computer terminal overseeing the self-scan section. He has assumed every ounce of the authority invested in his position, and can be quite intimidating. A few weeks ago he suddenly ran up behind a woman who was peacefully scanning and bagging her items, ducked under her arm, and whipped a bag of potatoes out of her hand. He then ran his magic swipe card through the machine, rapidly hit a series of keys then put the offending potatoes into a plastic bag – all without a word of explanation to her – then turned on his heels and sped back to his computer muttering under his breath. She turned round and looked at me, and we both shook our heads in puzzlement and then she carried on. If we choose to use the machines to avoid embarrassment, it seems human nature may mean that we still don’t get off scott free!
I also have to admit to some sympathy for the man who says he uses these lanes to avoid discussing the weather with the cashiers. In my case I do so to avoid being groaned at by the cashier and bagger for having the audacity to disturb their flirting or chatting!
A more efficient self-checkout system would seem to be the handheld scanners that you use as you put items into your basket, and then pay the resulting bill at a special checkout. I have seen them in use in English supermarkets, and have wondered why they haven’t taken off in the US. Mind you I also can’t understand why I can buy a bottle of wine in a Sainsbury’s at any time the store is open, but to get the equivalent bottle in Pennsylvania have to go to a state authorized Wine and Spirits store during limited hours, but that is another discussion!
The bottom line is that I am sure the self-scan machines are there primarily for the convenience of the supermarkets, and that they save money when I stand and scan and pay without any interaction with a member of staff. On the other hand when I don’t want to discuss the local sports team or am in a hurry, I appreciate not having to wait behind the elderly person counting out many coins.
Overall I am glad to have a choice, and recognize that theoretically these machines benefit all of us by keeping overhead costs down, but also hear the request for more human interaction. What do you think?
