Forum menu
In Newport Sainsbury's on the Isle of Wight, the lady who supervises the self-service checkouts in the morning is charming. My only gripe is the automated instruction voice: no, I have not swiped my f******* nectar card. Otherwise, it seems a sensible way to speed up an unpleasant chore.
If I want a personalized shopping experience I go to a bike shop.
I'd rather that than [s]stand around looking helpless and stupid[/s] be packing the goods into my shopping bag while someone presses buttons for me!
"Fixed",as they say, "that one for you"...
Well, normally I 'self-scan' at silly o'clock in the morning cos I don't want to shop amongst folk who treat the supermarket as a day out/social activity.
As long as there is a choice, then that's fine.
It's the only social activity I get. 😥
I quite happily chat to the girls on the Waitrose checkouts. I'd rather not bother with the pond life they employ at my local Tesco...
I refuse to partake in a system designed to reduce the number of staff jobs and increase the profits of powerful supermarket chains.
Your brave and noble stand for the little man might have a little more weight if you weren't already shopping at one of the 'powerful supermarket chains'. 😛
These machines make shoplifting a doddle, gawd bless 'em!
"Fixed",as they say, "that one for you"...
Don't get you, I pack my bags at the same time. That's kind of how the tills are designed. Rather than waiting eagerly at the end of the little chute for the kind worker to pass me the stuff they've beeped through soullessly for me.
Most of the staff at the various supermarkets are not very good conversation anyway, and half the time rude and careless with the produce. Why bother with any of it if you can do the job yourself, faster and without having to force poor conversation. Unless you like idle chat grunted at you about the level of custom in the shop or the weather.
samuri - MemberI'd like the self service tills to shout out what you've just bought each time.
"TUB OF 'ROID CREAM!!!, £2.89"
"CONDOMS, EXTRA SMALL!!!, £3.50"
"ASDA OWN BRAND LAGER!!!, £1.17"
Tell the assembled, just how do you seem to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the prices of said items?
Unless you like idle chat grunted at you about the level of custom in the shop or the weather.
And herein lies the very crux of the debate.. It would appear that some people have a need in their lives that can be fulfilled with inane smalltalk delivered by people that despise their own existence.. quite a disturbing state of affairs if you stop to think about it for long enough..
I'd rather not bother with the [b]pond life[/b] they employ at my local Tesco...
That's incredibly insulting to people who are just trying to make a living. Having worked in shops, by far the worst aspect is people coming in who treat you like dirt and think they're superior to you, just because they might have a 'better' job.
Supermarkets are awful enough without adding being heckled by robots into the mix.
Give it a few years and they'll become self aware. Then they'll probably refuse to let you pay until you replace your tub of Pringles with some tofu.
They are excellent for buying lightweight expensive things (e.g. Cereal and Fox's Chunky Biscuits) as baking potatoes. Also good for cheap Pick N Mix (put through as bananas).
It's one in the eye for tesco, and I get cheap sweets and cocopops.
I like the self-serve tills. What else exactly would I be doing with that time? Waiting for the till person to pack my stuff? Making embarrassing small talk with the bored and tired till person?
I refuse to partake in a system designed to reduce the number of staff jobs and increase the profits of powerful supermarket chains.
ahaha haa hahaaha hah haa ahahah aha ha ah ah ah ahah ah a hah ahha!
Ooh, self-service tills, I'll give that a go.
*scans alcohol*
*Beep* - "age verification required"
*waits a week...*
Hm, works well, this. Must be some usage of the word "express" that I'm hitherto unfamiliar with.
I love the petrol station self service machines, no more queueing to get to a pump, then queueing to pay. Local B&Q introduced them, saying no staff would be made unemployed due to them, 6 months later there one staff operated till instead of 6, where did the other 5 ppl go?
I think they are OK for small numbers of items - less likely to get stuck
I think it's disgusting that you regard people working low-paid jobs as "pond life".
I agree about the B&Q ones. I used to wonder why they had the "B&" bit in their name.
Mrs BigJohn & I refer to the ones in Tesco as the "Buy one get one free" checkouts. 😈
You don't need to be outraged on their behalf. I'm sure they'll cope...
Sometimes the assistants in tesco help you with the packing on the self service tills. That's really wierd - you're doing her job and she's doing yours.
Pay at pump is brilliant, I love filling up then driving away like you stole the fuel, and no temptation to buy junk food whole you wait ages in the queue
I love all these automated tills and stuff and use them whenever I can. I first saw them in the USA in 2005-ish (In Durango as it happens) and thought they were a good idea then. The new UK ones are bigger and posher and make more noise which I don't like but if you're fast, don't bother pressing the buttons (Just start scanning) you can usually get the recorded voice to shut up before it starts talking, or mid sentence. I also think they've turned the volume down on them a lot since they were first installed a couple of years ago. I've certainly mentioned to staff that they don't need to be so loud or say so much. I reckon they just need a MUTE button to improve them 🙂
Weirdly, in my local Tescos there's often a queue for the self service even if there are empty human tills. Can't say as I have a preference, it's not like I've ever had any particularily brilliant social interaction with a checkout operator after all. I'm not so desperate for social interaction that I need to go to the shops for a chat.
The entire supermarket concept is about selling you things for less by cutting costs. This is just a simple, visible one but it's hardly the first job that your chosen supermarket will have killed. Just try and keep some perspective.
I think it's disgusting that you regard people working low-paid jobs as "pond life".
You've not met some of the Mendip street cleaners then!!
By the way most of my family work or have worked in Tesco
cos they give 10%discount free shares good holiday and well above minimum wage they are a pretty good firm to work for
errr.. having read this thread.. the comment made by nickc about Tesco workers being 'pondlife' has to be taken very out of context before you could possibly imagine getting your knickers in a twist about it..
unless of course you really do believe that the workers in stereotypically superior Waitrose are a more advanced breed of human being than the people that work in Tesco..
some definite self harming with firearms in the podiatric area by the hysterical twisted underwear brigade methinks..
niiiiight all..
Deporsonalisation? Not if you work there! It's like being back at school- messing about, gossiping and virtually zero real responsibility! Beats being sat in a grey office with the same 3 faces everyday. Socially, at least, it's great!
as for pond life, Get over yourself! in our ASDA there are Graduates, Masters students, ex RAF Jet Technicians, retired coppers, retired Bank Managers, housewives making extra cash, allsorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds.
some definite self harming with firearms in the podiatric area by the hysterical twisted underwear brigade methinks..
Well done give yourself a Gold Star.