[…] Me: “I don’t work here”
This gives me big “ok boomer” vibes. Instead of this, imo, snarky response, could you not simply politely say that you prefer a human cashier?
Remember the human.
The point is that we are being asked as paying customers to perform work which previously employed people to do it for us, strictly out of a profit motive for the store.
They are destroying jobs by shifting the workload onto the customer, so that some chain cunt can marginally increase their already immense wealth while fucking over the workers and the customers.
I suppose you might also leave trash at your seat in a movie theater or restaurant. After all, cleaning up is someone else’s job and you don’t even work there. Plus, you can pat yourself on the back for contributing to that person’s job security with your added burden like some of the people here.
That’s not the same, in OP’s case it’s about the store outsourcing the work onto the customer while cutting labor costs so some rich fuck can get slightly richer, while not littering is a matter of basic social responsibility, not a labor situation.
That’s not the same, in OP’s case you’re doing the business’s job for free so some rich fuck can get richer by fucking over both the workers and the customers, while in the other case not littering is basic social responsibility, not labor substitution.
Bro, are you really getting this fucking serious for a meme, chill the fuck out
I know I’m in the minority but I prefer self checkout so I don’t have to talk to people. Same reason I quit customer service work. I do not want to hear about your day I want to pay for my shit and leave.
In Europe it’s becoming popular to have scanners at the store entrance that you can take and scan your products as you go. Sometimes you can also do it with a phone app instead. Then, at the self-checkout, you just scan one code instead and pay right away. I love this system because it’s quicker and you get to avoid the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly.
the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly
Haha, spotted the German. This isn’t really a thing elsewhere, not to that extent.
Speak for yourself
I mean the level of pressure is lower elsewhere than in Germany, of course it’s still easy to feel anxious anywhere
You say it’s not a thing anywhere else, but you also say it’s easy to feel that way anywhere. Those two statements aren’t congruent
Yes the first one came out wrong. The “this” which I claim is not as much of a thing outside Germany is the insane pressure to pack your bag extremely quickly, not the feeling of anxiety.
I would kill for this. Maybe not kil, it’s not a big deal. But I used to walk into my local grocer and just drop shit in the reusable bags I always bring. Then people were stealing, obviously, so they said you gotta use the baskets or a cart. So I use a cart, and it’s not a big deal, it doesn’t matter, but if I could scan, drop in my bag, and walk on, it would save a couple minutes. But as I said, it’s not a big deal, nothing matters.
I will never understand those who are afraid to face down a cashier. Is it REALLY that bad?
So many people complain about how modern society is isolating, but then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves.
Am I afraid to face down a cashier? No.
Is it REALLY that bad? No.
Can I make awkward small talk with a stranger? Yes.
Do I want to make awkward small talk with a stranger? No.
Am I relieved that I’m not forced to interact with a stranger and can continue to have to my own inner thoughts and not have to spend time rehearsing in my head what to say if they ask me how I am because I feel weirdly compelled to answer it honestly instead of simply saying “fine” like most do? Absolutely.
A grocery store I used to frequent, I always picked this one lady’s cashier line if she was around 'cause she was nice to talk to. She liked Mortal Kombat and making her own pickles.
Hearing about small talk an the checkout never ceases to be bizzare to me. In all the countries I’ve been to, the cashiers only say the sum to pay and then goodbye.
Are cashiers in the United States of America really required to initiate meaningless conversations? I’ve also heard of the occupation of a door greater, which sounds even crazier.
Are cashiers in the United States of America really required to initiate meaningless conversations? I’ve also heard of the occupation of a door greater, which sounds even crazier.
The corporate ideal has their weird idea that everyone desperately wants to have conversations with employees. I think it comes from positive feedback often taking the form of, “Your employee was so warm and helpful and we had a delightful chat about X.” and never, “Your employee was polite and didn’t bother me with needless conversation.” One of the trainings my employer has even includes a scenario, which is presented as ideal service, where the employee ends up chatting with a complete stranger about his dead wife including sharing pictures from his wallet.
That said, while I’m sure corporate cares none of my in store managers cared when I was a cashier. Indeed, I had regulars who would seek me out because I specifically didn’t attempt to inject small talk into the interaction. I’d still get pulled into it by customers who initiated such but otherwise it was mostly, “Morning. Coupons? That’ll be $X.XX. Have a good one.”
then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves
Mmm yeah, cos it’s such quality time interacting with the cashier. Like, you’re not totally wrong about the problem, isolation does make us even less able to handle interaction, but making people bag groceries for a living is not the way to solve that problem. Anyway, it’s not fair to force your desire to have a conversation on someone who is trapped working somewhere.
I used to work service, and having people to talk to generally made the day much better. I definitely had favorite customers, and what do you know, it was typically people who were social.
It’s not that bad, it’s just more bad than self check.
Personally I hate waiting in line, I can feel the life leaving my body. I self check for speed.
Apparently line impatience is an ADHD thing, but regardless of where it comes from I appreciate being able to do it myself instead of waiting.
I have add. Proper diagnosis from a doctor and everything.
I’ve had to learn how to curb impatience. It is not a permanent affliction, it is a bad habit. Patience is a virtue that can be nurtured.
Yes cultivating patience is a great skill, but I have no interest in spending more time in line than I have to.
I’ve never even considered it. If I have too many items, I go cashier. We shoot the poop or we don’t, I bag my groceries and go home. If I have few items, I qualify for the self-checkout, I do my shit, say “Thank you” to the person who monitors the lanes, and then I go home. I give none of it a second thought because it’s such a meaningless part of my day.
sometimes I do, but if I’m having a really good day I like to see if I can spread it to the customer service staff.
Genx here
Ok boomer
Some of us prefer non-human interaction
Still ought to be discounted since it’s eliminating jobs.
there’s a five finger discount
Do you prefer any human interaction?
/s kinda
Not most :P
Just do like me and replay a Homestarrunner cartoon while waiting in line. Then reference it like the 18 year old at check out knows what the crap you are talking about.
‘I’m sorry, Mergetrude, can you halp an old master gather his particles…?’
fun fact: you can get a discount at a self-checkout! grocery stores hate this one trick!
Uhh yeah there’s a camera there now, and literally my local grocery store of choice, Food Lion, fucking shows you your ass on its display screen. Which is basically saying “Fucking do it mother fucker, we dare you, we double dog dare you.”
You could probably do it if you never plan on entering that store ever again.
Yeah, better pay cash n wear a mask tho. They are starting to bust people for that.
https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/self-checkout-machine-retail-theft-shopping/64244074
UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA! 😡
I get that you are technically doing someone’s job for free, but you can always collect your “pay” by giving yourself a “discount.” Personally, I prefer to scan my avacados as potatoes so I can have my avocado toast every day and be able to save up for a house. I’m almost there, it’s only gonna take 30 more years for a down payment! 😁😀🙂😐☹️😢😭
If im too exhausted to steal competently, ill just wait in front of a checkout line.
It’s also kind of a labor issue.
oh nooooo, how dare they offer you a convenient option that saves time
UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA. Sorry, Jandro, I’m not here to get yelled at by a clanker.
I’ve heard self checkout is terrible in the US, however in Europe they’re generally pretty nice
I went to the US for a few days. Their self checkouts seem to be universally awful, compared to the UK or German equivalent.
While the hardware is far less reliable, and more convoluted, it’s the users that seem the main issue. Self checkout is generally intended (over here) to shift the fast, small shops out of the main queues. 1 big line and a dozen or more tills. In the states they treat it as just another till. Built for trollies, and 1 queue per till. Combined with a slow user and it becomes hell rapidly.
idk why people say it’s bad! even at fucking Walmart i don’t have issues
maybe I’m just lucky, but I’ve never had that particular issue. the only time it’s been slightly annoying is if I’m buying alcohol and the people watching self checkout are busy, and other than that, they’re easy to use. I don’t buy huge chunks of groceries at a time, though, ad I imagine large shops would be annoying
clanker
*Claptrap
You support taking away jobs
if you wanna know my actual beliefs on the matter, people shouldn’t have to do meaningless labor to live
What does that have to do with taking away jobs? A lot of jobs are meaningless doesn’t mean you help corporations save a buck.
Tell me the OP is from the US without telling me they’re from the US.
Countries I have visited, I never see a self checkout. Not sure if that is the norm.
Then you havent visited many, its incredibly common in all parts of the world
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I have witnessed far to many people with full carts que into the self check out, and than they get frustrated when every other thing they scan throws a flag.
Bitch, SCO is for 10 items or less!
Here in NZ, the self checkout is the preferred option for any amount of shopping. It’s so much quicker and you don’t have to engage in pointless small talk. I just got home from doing some grocery shopping and they had about 10 self checkouts and maybe 2 or 3 human ones that nobody was using.
Australia also.
At the larger chains they’re pretty good now.
Its rare you need assistance and there’s always someone hovering around.
I don’t enter a store without coming out with beer, an item that needs to be age verified by a cashier. I always have to stand around waiting for one of them to leave the cash register and come over and clear it.
Pisses me off.
Give me my god damned beer so nobody gets hurt.
Yo, recommend me a beer! I don’t like hazy stuff but everything else is on the menu.
Look, I don’t know where you live, your standards, or your money situation, so it’s a tricky ask. For me I drink the cheapest shit because I drink a lot of it, but I recently went to Laos, and they had a beer, like basically the only beer they have, called Beerlao, which is partly made with rice, and it’s fucking FANTASTIC.
If you can find that shit on the shelves, try it out. Though tariffs just hit Laos exports with 50% so, my advice stands- buy the cheapest shit possible and drink a lot of it because what is about to unfold in the world will require you to be drunk or dead to endure it.
Is it really? I’ve never seen such a sign in my corner of the US. Often there’s only one human operated checkout.
The ‘let the kid touch the hot stove’ approach.
It worked on me, but I fear other people might nurse their burns and pray that next time things will be different.My experience is different. It’s a dense urban grocer. Now that you mention it, I’ve been to Target in the suburbs where SCO was like thunder dome. A little more room for bagging, but not much. I feel so bad for the one team member dashing around checking IDs and explaining why coupons from a decade ago no longer work.
My location (different grocer ) may be privileged, because, even when it’s slow, there are two full service registers. I remember how gross it felt watching a checker at Walmart in 02 also bag the groceries because baggers didn’t exist any more.
Reminds me of this Bill Burr clip.
"You know what I hate about these corporate chains? You go in there you’re paying for a business, they make you like do half the job now. I don’t get it. Like I walk in there,
- Hey, lemme get a turkey sandwich. Lettuce, tomato, on rye, with mayonnaise.
The guy behind the counter’s like,
- All right, turkey sandwich, lettuce, tomato, on rye.
- And mayonnaise.
- Oh, the mayonnaise is, uuh, right over there.
- Really? Why don’t you, UUH, fucking GO OVER THERE and, UUH, put it on my sandwich?"
(Yeah I just wrote that out. Why? Fuck you I don’t have to explain myself to you.)
Back when Fudruckers was a thing, I always got upset when people wanted to go there.
If I’m paying you $18 for a mediocre hamburger, you can put on the damn lettuce.
The self checkout person always thinks I’m cute and gives me good deals
Hate to break this to you, but you are on the QTEE list and everyone is looking at your picture while they get coffee in the morning in the break room.
This thread has made me feel so incredibly millennial.
Wait, is this a thing? What’s wrong with you people?
I shop in the morning to avoid lines. But, before self-checkout, they’d only have two registers open, so there was still a line. With self-checkout, in the morning, there’s never a line so it’s faster.
I like Walmart self-checkout machines better than others I’ve used, such as at Lowe’s or Target (I don’t shop at Target anymore) because I only need to put in my pin number, there’s no other confirmations. I ignore the rate the store, donation, and print or email receipt questions while I put the groceries back in the cart, those all time out and the receipt prints by default.
I’m happy enough to chat or not chat to strangers, so that was never an issue for me. I’m sorry so many of the younger generation were apparently so poorly socialized, it must be stressful.
As an aside, the rating thing at Walmart self check out is for the cashier, not the store. If the clerks get below a certain average rating they get penalized (or at least they don’t get certain benefits or some shit, from my understanding). I don’t know if they count purchases that don’t rate at all, but I know some people rate 1 each time because fuck Walmart, but that ends up hurting the cashier, not the store.
Self check out is faster especially since I can scan the items when I’m picking them off the shelves. The faster I can be outside and spend less time in those kind of commercial spaces the better. And no I don’t have agoraphobia. I just fucking hate the vibes of most stores.
But we love it when you visit… (Camera cranes in for an unrequited hug.)
