O green peppers are 99 cents each but red and yellow are 1.29? That’s so weird all these peppers I’m buying are green.
Fuck you, I’m the cashier now.
Also
Oh, something didnt scan and you walked out without paying for it?
Enjoy your broken spine as cops appear in full swat outfit and tackle you to the ground and beat you with clubs because you are shocked and arent immediately calm and compliant.
Clearly a joke, but they will start a record for you till they can get you for a felony…
Start a felony charge for a loaf of bread?
give me a break. These companies cut corners every where they go. You think there stocking up on hard drives and algorithms to cut up and record people?
Look up the target method. They can automatically connect your face/payment ID to items you haven’t scanned. They get you after you’ve racked up enough cumulative value that you haven’t paid for to count for a felony.
So no, they aren’t sticking you with a felony charge for a loaf of bread. They’re sticking you with a felony charge for enough loafs of bread to value a serious theft charge.
It’s not going to effect you if you only ever stole one loaf of bread. Waiting until you commit enough theft is the cutting corners part you’re talking about.
Facial profiles and items stolen require directories, centralized databases, hard drives, programming, knowing the items. Personal to sift through the data.
Companies think that’s cheaper than self check out?
You must not be an engineer.
It doesn’t have to do with what I think. That is what they do. Why don’t you put any amount of effort into verifying what I said instead of insulting me like you think I just made it up?
You don’t think that loss prevention would be doing that stuff regardless of whether they had employed cashiers at registers or not? Loss prevention has been around since long before self checkout lanes, doing the same things they’re doing now. They already pay those guys. Self checkout is still cheaper if they don’t also have to pay a dozen cashiers.
Also, you seem to be imagining a whole fbi crime scene setup in every store for a job that’s basically handled per location by 2 guys and a computer.
A “database” doesn’t have to be (and usually isn’t) centralized across stores. “Hard drives” can be a single multi-terabyte hdd in the age we’re in now. “Programming” is just out of the box software they teach their prevention guys to use. The facial recognition and knowing items part comes built into the self checkout machine.
You must not be an engineer either, because an engineer would understand that the cheaper option isn’t necessarily lower tech.
Again, take 10 minutes and learn how to utilize a search engine. It’s not something they want people to know, but it’s also not exactly a secret. Target pioneered the kind of loss prevention techniques big box stores use today.
You sweet summer child…
Oh for sure, if I gotta guess I’m picking the one that’s best for me every time.
Self checkout wants my opinion I’ll give it :)
I have no sympathy for companies losing money due to theft at self-checkout, it’s a cost saving measure that’s bitten them in the ass.
They also suck for alcohol, or anything that doesn’t have a barcode, as mentioned in the story. I never buy either of those products at self checkout.
Ha, I once got booted from a Safeway in my early 20’s when I was trying to buy beers and the lady who was supposed to be verifying ID was shooting the shit w her coworker. She clearly saw the thing flashing, but wanted to finish her story. I tried waving at her to no avail. She had a very I’ll get to you in a minute vibe, but she clearly wasn’t talking about work stuff. I had worked at a Lucky previously and they used the same self checkout system system. I knew I just needed to type my bday on their terminal to get it to sell, so I went n did it lol. Hey, self check out amirite? I figured fuck it, I’ll do that part too I guess.
She finally noticed like right before I paid and took my beers and wouldn’t let me pay. I was like here’s my ID, I’ve been waiting like 5 minutes to show you. Manager showed up told me to leave, and never come back, it was a whole thing. Granted, I was 100% being a young , dumb prick, but I was annoyed with the lady not doing her job, and wasting my time. Having been on the other side of that terminal before, knowing how easy it was to do, I was super annoyed that she wasn’t even acknowledging me trying to get her attention. Fun times lol.
I would have done the same.
That said, I really liked the opportunity to not have to socialize with someone
I honestly only use self check out. I don’t buy a ton in a single shopping trip and I just find it easier to do it myself since I bring my own bulky bags that go on the side of my bike. A lot easier for me in general and sucks some places are getting rid of it.
The theft is a feature, not a bug in my eyes!
Alcohol isn’t so bad where I’m at, I just scan it first to give the worker some time to scan their badge and let me continue
Interesting! Alcohol doesn’t have a barcode there?
Here it does. But the self checkout lamp will go to red instantly and a clerk has to come to approve your age.
It has a barcode, but most places haven’t figured out the “show ID to a human” flow yet.
But the self checkout lamp will go to red instantly and a clerk has to come to approve your age.
Which negates the benefit of self service.
Just scan the alcohol first, scan the rest next. As long as it’s not the only thing you’re getting, it’s almost def faster. Even if it is the only thing you’re getting, the time for someone to do an age check compared to standing behind 2 carts/trollies is nothing. Self check for me almost every time is way, way faster. Exception being if I have a ton of groceries (I can scan as fast as teh employees, but the self check shit has more guardrails that slow shit down) or a ton of produce (employees at a lot of stores are required to memorize the PLU, I am not.)
The store near me stops the scanning process and makes an attendant come check your shit. Literally sits on a screen saying “AN ATTENDANT WILL BE WITH YOUR SHORTLY, PLEASE WAIT”.
After a few times I memorized where the bread or fruit (w/o barcode) I usually buy is in the menu and am almost equally fast as an employee would be. So it just took me some time to adjust personally.
I bought beer last time I went through self checkout and of course it called some teenage girl over to check my ID; I’m pushing 60. I just said “No. I’m old enough to be your grandfather.” She was fine with that.
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At Costco it’s great minus the membership checks. Thanks this was a quick process, now let me stop and take my card out so you can see I’m not stealing deals.
Walmart, fuck you hire more cashier’s why am I waiting 10 minutes to checkout at self checkout when you have 50 closed fucking lanes!
My Costco has had “self checkout” for about a year now. There’s a Costco employee that waves you over and scans all your items. I really don’t get it.
unexpected item in the bagging area. place items in the bagging area. unexpected item in the bagging area.
I’m thankful pretty much every store here deactivated that sensor shortly after installing self checkouts.
A Kroger near me recently updated their self checkouts and now they’re way more sensitive, they view any hand movements on its little camera as “you just slipped something into the bag I’m calling the employee over”, and you can’t mute them anymore which is the lost infuriating for me. I have trouble doing things with a lot of noise, and having a loud ass computer yelling about everything it’s doing makes my checkout take easily 3-4x as long. There is no benefit to disabling the mute button, it still screams for employees when something went wrong, and it only frustrates and irritates everyone who can hear it, employees included. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard the employees complain about it too.
Yeah the Meijer by us is sensitive like this and when it starts inevitably flashing with approval needed an employee comes over, scans their badge and an overhead security camera clip of me scanning the last item displays on screen.
Which is so awkward to have to stand there with this employee who I’m sure is just as sick of the process as I am.
I don’t shoplift and I enter all produce honestly, it makes me want to start scanning my avacado as bananas.
Legit!
I’m already being treated like I’m doing shady shit, might as well actually pullshady shit.
Practice your sleight of hand movements. I’ve figured out how to make it look like I’ve just scanned one thing but moved two at both Walmart and Kroger self checkouts without any alarms going off. Helps a lot with my getting my employee discount for having to run a register.
Even worse, here in Canada at the Sobeys owned stores, you can opt to use your own reusable bag (plastic grocery bags are now outlawed) but if you do they prompt an employee to come check your bags. They never actually check, but if there isn’t an attendant around you just have to wait there until they notice and end the prompt. I waited for 10 minutes the other day because the employee went off for a break or something.
Edit: spelling
Oh man I nearly gave my SO an aneurysm because I started scanning items while she set up the reusable bags. Both of us were so over that stupid machine getting made about those bags sitting there!
Oh same note too! If you dare start doing something before you’ve gotten those bags ok’d, or if you plunk down a bag before it prompts you to do so it’s like you’re committing a felony.
You gotta time it with a heavy item. Some machines have tolerances for weight (or so it seems). So I always pick my heaviest item and put it down at the same time I put the bag down. Basically bagging it and placing it down at the same time. That “tricks” the machine into not realizing the extra weight is from a bag since the bag should be within the weight tolerance of the heavy item.
I’ve never had it fail.
You know, around the 5-7 minute mark I’d be dumping my reusable bags and walking out.
I would’ve but I had just spent an hour getting a cart full of groceries and I wasn’t about to go do that again somewhere else. Plus I couldn’t imagine, at the time, they’d be gone that long.
I’d keep the bags. You get what you give.
Is this really something people struggle with? I don’t understand this complaint. I haven’t actually heard that alert in decades.
Edit: thanks to the few of you who have answered. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout—the overhead camera always thinks I’m stealing the soft drink or prescription or whatever that I leave in my cart, for instance—but my problem isn’t ever with the scale thing, even though that’s always the joke everyone makes.
You heard that message decades ago?
Yep. My local grocery store had them in 2003, and that was probably the last time I heard that message.
Okay buddy
But you still haven’t answered the question yet. I’m not saying I don’t have any problems with self checkout, but I never have that problem anymore, and haven’t since the Bush administration, even though that’s always the joke people drive into the ground. I have way more trouble with the camera.
What question?
Whether this is an actual problem you have or just a joke that everyone tells.
The closest grocery store closest to my house is the only self-checkout store around me that still uses scales and they’re awful. There are certain items it doesn’t pick up on and it forces you to bag your groceries after checking out, making everything slower. I avoid that place at all costs, even though it’s the closest to me.
I think they all still have scales, but I think most people’s problems must be with poorly-calibrated ones or something. I haven’t had trouble with them in a very long time. What I have trouble with is the camera above assuming I’m stealing and summoning a person every single time.
I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the ones I use have a disabled scale, but only that one grocery store I mentioned actually uses it. It could be that they have poorly calibrated scales, but if that’s the case, then all of the ones they use are. Self-checkout everywhere else is a breeze.
When I worked at a grocery store, the attendant could override the “unexpected item” alert and it would re-tare the scale, causing problems for the next person if it wasn’t actually broken. I bet that’s what’s happened at the store you avoid; just years and years of careless attendants overriding too quickly and messing up the calibration.
still alive and well at CVS in Manhattan as of last week. using your own bag just instantly locks the machine, even if you want to place it on the floor. I just abandoned it and went to the real checkout.
Interesting. Around here they all have options for if you’re using your own bag. You just hit the button and it tells you to put your bags on the machine, and then you go on with your life. Sad they haven’t rolled that out everywhere.
Remember kids, if you see someone shoplifting or switching the barcodes at your big-box self-checkout: No you didn’t.
Preach!
I’m lucky enough to not need to take the risks involved in order to get by, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to fuck over someone that may be unluckier than me. Idgaf what it is, I’m fucking sergeant Schultz.
The way I see it, you’re doing a public service…
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You’re creating jobs in loss prevention.
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You’re helping make the case for retaining more checkout workers.
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You’re keeping those minimum-wage checkout supervisors safe by not putting them in a position to intervene with desperate people trying to feed themselves.
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You’re helping the store avoid wage theft by having you play unpaid, untrained, unqualified security guard.
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You’re helping the needy feed themselves.
Give yourself a pat on the back, you local hero! 🫡
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My grandmother snitch on some poor bastard stealing crystal light at walmart. If someones stealing fucking crystal light from walmart theyre clearly in way worse than I am.
I worked at a supermarket in a wealthy area for years - no one stole more than the wealthy old crones from the retirement village next around the corner.
The funny thing is she ain’t wealthy, ffs we live in the same house. She’s just got a really stupid and weirdly conservative and at the same time progressive sense of morality.
Especially when these people aren’t shoplifting big-ticket items like TVs. They’re shoplifting things they’re desperate for like food.
Oh - that I just don’t care about. Do you care about the wage theft they’re committing? It’s at a far larger scale than any shoplifting.Why are you so concerned with protecting a massive multi-billionaire-owned company plagued with ethical issues? Are those billionaire boots super-tasty or something?I am not a smart man.
Huh? How am I protecting them when I’m saying don’t stop people if they shoplift food from them?
My reading comprehension is atrocious, apparently.
Sorry.
No they aren’t they are gonna lean in even harder what a dumbass story. One time fixed cost will always win over paying people in perpetuity
Kroger here just added two more lanes of self-checkout. We won’t use them. We’re a family of 3. We buy a lot of groceries. Doing it by ourselves would take so much more time.
Our Kroger had two rows of mini self checkouts, 2x3, and adjacent it was a cashier checkout. They removed one of the rows of minis and replaced it and the subsequent with a conveyor self checkout instead, so 3 minis and 2 conveyors.
Now there are fewer places to check out, and the belted checkout is annoying as all hell to use. If you have 3 items it’s wasteful to use it because you have to walk 5 feet to fetch your bags, and if you have a large cart of groceries you wouldn’t want to self checkout anyway because it’s a hell of a lot easier to have help.
Yeah I think they saw a couple of examples Of stores taking out the self checkout lanes and ran with them. Although you could say the theft that the self checkout lanes allow is a recurring expense, but that’s probably not nearly as much as the saving that the machines give.
It isn’t. Or at least it isn’t as big of a problem as they are letting on. https://www.retaildive.com/news/retailers-crime-problem-numbers/699107/
Shrink has hovered around 1.5% (that’s 1.5% of total sales…) And the NRF has been coy about the fact that 1/3 of that shrink is “administrative” issues - lost product, mis allocated, warehouse issues, broken in transit, etc.
Additionally, a little less than a third is from employee theft, and a the remaining 36% is external theft.
But since they lump mistakes and general admin issues in with theft, they get to claim a higher number whenever they complain very loudly so that they can redirect the conversation away from the massive increase in profits they have had, along with the increase in wage theft cases they are losing, as well as trying to cover up the fact they are closing “under performing” stores in poorer neighborhoods (which not limits access to people in those locations, but the store doesn’t care, they dont buy stuff anyway…).
I keep seeing stories every so often on Facebook about this. I feel like these stories just pop up to bring up engagement on the site. most stores in my area (Florida) have increased self checkout
Jokes on them, I shoplift at the staffed checkout too.
In my experience, self-checkout started with the weight sensors, rather than adding them later. I’ve noticed some stores have a system now without the weight thing, which probably cuts down on confusing and time-consuming error situations, but it makes it seem chaotic. My parents use them in the most fucked up way - leave everything in the cart, scan stuff, bag it, then put it in the cart, and I’m just WHAT? Aren’t they going to accuse you of stealing? Some walmarts aggressively pursue claims of theft from self checkout, like in the case of this lady who was awarded 2.1 million after being accused of stealing, which she said was not true. This article details the story of a lady who said she was arrested after not scanning things by accident, and the article notes “Sixty-two other people were cited and released by police at the same Tucson Walmart between January 2021 and April 2022.”
During the civil trial, which lasted about three weeks, the judge criticized Walmart for the “intentional loss” of the security camera footage, according to court records. The judge, James T. Patterson, said that the court would advise the jury that the videotapes “were destroyed by the defendants with the intent” to deprive the plaintiff of the benefit of seeing them “and that the jury therefore is to presume that the content of the missing videos would be adverse” to the defendants.
Walmart also is starting to use ‘AI’ to detect self checkout theft, which I’m sure will be foolproof and work out great.
And if you’re wondering which item causes the most problems, it’s milk. O’Herlihy explains, “People find it hard to scan milk … Sometimes they get frustrated and they just don’t scan it.”
What?
Anyway, I’m sure they love not paying employees to do this, but it seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
And if you’re wondering which item causes the most problems, it’s milk. O’Herlihy explains, “People find it hard to scan milk … Sometimes they get frustrated and they just don’t scan it.”
Does milk not have a bar code?
If anything, I’d figure it would be produce items that would cause the most drama, but eventually you start to remember those codes. 4011 is bananas. 4799 is for tomatoes. 4065 is green peppers…
I love self-checkout because I bag things exactly like I want and I can get the process completed without having chat with the cashier or Karen out on the bagger for putting just two items in a large paper bag.
I don’t think I’ve ever been stopped or accused of stealing things, but then I usually choose the unit closest to the cashier and I leave all my items in the bagging area until I’m done. That said, I used to be a grocery store cashier, so I understand the process a little better than most, but it’s still easy to make mistakes.
Probably because it sweats and the pure white nature might make the laser more reflective? Only thing I can think of.
Don’t get it. Sam’s and BJs both have scanning apps on the phone. Most amazing tech ever! Costco… HURRY UP! Also, Sam’s and Bjs don’t check my card because I WOULDNT BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT THE CARD ANYWAYS… Costco!!
It is a dumb bit of ceremony, but the door checker just glances at the card. You could roll in with a paper print out and be fine until the registers.
Still, enough people do stupidly wait until they are in the door threshold and then block the path while digging around, so they should get rid of it.
BJ’s doesn’t check anyone going in. You’re free to browse without a membership you just can’t buy anything.
At our Sam’s we just walk right by that door checker. If you show a card they nod, but if you don’t get out your card they ignore you
It’s so that you can’t share your card with friends. You specifically have to live at the same place and have proof when you add them to the account
At my Walmart the employees don’t stop people from stealing food. They told me as much.
Honestly, can you blame them?
Electronics, luxury items, other “nice to haves” maybe. But who wants to be the reason someone goes hungry?
Not to mention, they are getting paid dogshit wages.
And they actually can get reprimanded or fired for doing so. Fuck it.
Can confirm. Used to work for a big retailer and one day caught someone stealing (not food) and confronted them. I was a pretty solid employee who had been there for years but my manager had to fight hard to stop me from being fired; it was a really close call.
Yeah it’s been 20+ years since I worked retail but we weren’t allowed to confront anyone, especially inside the store. We had to wait until they left the store for a manager to approach them and we had to be 100% sure they stole something in the first place.
The worst I ever saw happen to someone is they gave it back when confronted outside the store, it was a $5 can of automotive spray paint.
I was never quite sure if this was all legal reasons or because of the blowback against the brand if someone was wrong and it made headlines.
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For this reason, I think it’s pretty shitty they put condoms in alarm boxes. If there’s something I’m okay with stealing from a Wal-Mart, it’s food and condoms.
Don’t think I could convict anyone stealing safety glasses either.
Walmarts’s self checkout is the only one in my area that doesn’t frustrate the hell out of me. I’ve stopped going to certain other stores simply because I don’t like their self checkout systems.
I’m autistic. I always apparently seem weird to people. That means any time I use a self checkout, the minders stare at me because they think I’m about to steal something. It makes me nervous, and I start getting uncomfortable and self conscious, which I’m sure makes me seem even more suspicious. And either security or the automated system have triggered the “please wait for an associate” so many times. But they always look at the video and tell me “Sorry, this thing is just sensitive/weird/whatever excuse.”, then leave me alone.
I’m not going to call it discriminatory, because I don’t think it is? But it feels like I have to be on my best behavior or I’ll get arrested because I was so focused on trying to pass as “normal” that I missed scanning a tomato. And for the record, I’ve never stolen anything, even when I was low on food and really needed some stuff I couldn’t afford. Hell, I have forgotten to scan something once and went back in to pay for it.
Self checkout sucks, but it’s normally still better than waiting in line and interacting face to face with a cashier.
I feel like a criminal the second I enter a store, I’ve felt like this for at least the past decade, it’s like everyone is a suspect… Like damn I’m just here to buy milk and bread…
It’s easier said than done, but once I learned to stop giving a shit about what NTs think about me, my life in public got a lot better. I still get that from time to time but it’s a lot less often these days.
Walmart wants to do some sort of AI surveillance shit at their self-checkouts, I noped the fuck out of that and go to their clerks now.
I stopped taking my phone out at WalMart after I learned that their security cameras are so good that they can zoom in on your phone and read your text messages.
Grocery store self checkout machines can be infuriating. The weight sensors are way too tightly monitored and often have the incorrect weight programmed. Every time I go to the main grocery store near me I need help from the employee due to their terrible sensors not detecting the weight of lighter items in the bagging area.
The only reason for Costco to do this would be theft prevention or to make sure members are the only ones using their cards.
Literally the opposite is happening. Look at any busy store: self checkout can handle like 10 people, compared to registers which are significantly less at any given time. Registers account for much less business, and corporations are going to try and get by the minimal amount of employees as possible to function. Handling physical cash also adds more complexity with tills having to be deposited, audited, and withdrawn daily.
what is actually happening is far worse then either of the scenarios. Bigger retail establishments such as Walmart is doing away with the brick and mortar stores in general in favor of online only warehouses. No walk in and grab 2 or 3 items, gotta buy it online if you want the item. They were just boasting about it on the Wire (Walmart’s Associate Page not the news site) a few weeks back.
I avoid self-checkout as often as possible. In my mind, that’s taking a job away from a physical person, it’s a cost-savings for the retailer, but customers never see any benefit from it. I choose the person checkout everytime as my little bit of solidarity with my fellow humans.
I’m the opposite. I use self-checkout as often as possible, because it means I have to interact with as few people as possible. I loathe people being forced to ask me how I’m doing, because we both know they don’t care. Or when they ask “Did you find everything?”- does it fucking matter? Either I did, which is why I’m checking out, or I didn’t, in which case it doesn’t fucking matter because thanks to their shitty implementation of JIT their stock has been converted from on-prem inventory to rolling warehouse deliveries every single day. Just let me get what I want and get out.
Have you considered switching to pickup when you can? pick what you want from the comfort of your home, drive to the store at the designated time, an employee has picked all your goods and it is brought out to you. Same price for you, more labor for the company to pay for.
If you’re just ordering non perishable items that’s fine. Otherwise you might get nearly-expired items, over-ripe produce, etc. It’s all up to the whim of the employee, and they may be having a bad day…
So far I haven’t noticed that happening. They seem to be pretty good about grabbing decent stuff. That’s at my Walmart and Target at least
Glad to hear it. I know a guy who got a load of nearly expired groceries and vowed to never do it again.
I make sure that I am on very good terms with them. I help them get the groceries into the car and I joke around with them. It helps that I am sincere and they know that.
I really don’t like doing pickup for most trips because I care about the quality and ripeness of my produce and also purposefully select the furthest away expiry dates for certain things I go through slowly, it becomes a lot to ask someone else to do if there are 20 comment lines for these little details, but if I don’t it just results in wasted food and money :/
Either way the company is getting your money.
But using a real person cost the company more, in theory
So, you just want the poor to continue being poor…
I guess there is good and bad with either style. I generally prefer the self checkout because I can bag my own stuff
Here in Denmark, it’s becoming more and more common to be able to scan your items with your own phone using the store’s app while you go through the store, and you can bag everything straight from the shelves.
You then pay by credit card, also with your phone, scan a QR at a designated exit, and you’re good to go.
They have random checks, but they’ve only been about 1/20 for me.
I used this as a pilot program in Pittsburgh when I lived there. It was a hand scanner running some sort of Android based OS but largely the same thing. You scan your store card to unlock a scanner, scan your stuff as you walk through the store putting things in bags, then you walk to a kiosk, pay, then walk out.
I used to get so many dirty looks from people who thought I was stealing a whole cart of groceries until they saw the receipt print out.
Doing it directly via an app would have been even better!
We really need a code of etiquette for them, though. Trip to the store this morning, and they were down to 3 self-check stations from usual 10 with literally a dozen people in line. Including one couple with a cart full of a week’s groceries and one lady trying to win coupon roulette. Four other people cycled through the third scanner while those two piddled away the day.
