Self checkout

Nancy Young said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Your grocery bags are atop a digital scale. If the weight
changes and you haven't scanned anything then you'll get a
friendly little reminder to "please remove the last item
placed in bag"...

I'm sure some people are taking advantage of this "honor
system" but I'd assume that the cost of theft per hour is
much less than the employee salaries needed to run each
checkout...

We've had them 'round here for a while now... honestly they
annoy the hell out of me. At the times I need them (late at
night when I'm just dropping by for a few items) the darned
things are closed...

~john

x-no-archive: yes

Quoted message said:

How exactly do they know you scanned everything? What's the
technology? Because you know people would be taking the
five finger discount left and right if that was possible.

The machine can't stop you from leaving stuff in your
cart and wheeling it out unscanned, if that's what you
mean. In the stores I've been into, the self-check seems
to be in a place where people could see you if you were
trying to do that.

I really hate those machines, at least the ones in my local
supermarket. I've used them about ten times, and twice now
the whole thing has crashed while I rang up my order and
I've had to pick everything up, take it to another machine
and start over. They also fail to recognize certain items.
I had high hopes for the machines, but they need to work
the bugs out.

Naomi D.

Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

Quoted message said:

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Quoted message said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

There's only one grocery store in my area that has self-
checkout cash registers. The Kmart down the road used to
have them too, but that Kmart was shut down. Both stores
have/had a human being watching all the self-checkout
registers. I think there are also closed circuit TV cameras
watching those registers. The self-checkout registers pose
no more of an opportunity for shop lifting than the front
door of the grocery store has always posed.

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

I love self-service checkouts. I just used one about an hour
ago at the wholesale club and always use them at the Wal-
Mart superstores. I prefer to do my own quickly and leave
rather than make chit-chat with the clerk...I usually end up
with a clerk that's a zombie or who gives me an odd look
over something I bought...or listen to the clerk chat with a
different customer, her boyfriend, another clerk, whatever.

At the wholesale club, the items pass through a scanner and
they check your receipts at the door (no matter how you
check out) to make sure the number of items in the cart
matches the receipt. There's also some sort of scanner on
the belt...I haven't paid much attention to it. And there is
a shift supervisor stationed near the self-checkout lanes to
make sure there's no theft, help someone who is stumped by
the machine...

At Wal-Mart, the bags are on some sort of scale and it keeps
track of the additions to the bags as you check out. And a
shift supervisor nearby.

I just wish they'd give a little discount or something.

R'gards,

Paula

PaulaGarlic said:

I prefer to do my own quickly and leave rather than make
chit-chat with the clerk...I usually end up with a clerk
that's a zombie or who gives me an odd look over something
I bought...

Is it just me or do most Walmart clerks appear run-down,
angry or "zombie" like?

~john

In my neighborhood Price Chopper has the do it yourself
check out lines. I hate Price Chopper for a lot of reasons.
I normally shop at the store that's farther away that I
like more. Sometimes I end up at Price Chopper because it
is more convenient. When I do, I use the self checker
because it gets me out of there faster and because I don't
have to deal with the humans who work there, a fate worse
than self checkers.

The first few times I used them, I hated them. I'd scanned a
daily newspaper, put it in the bag and kept getting told to
put the item in the bag. I already had. The trouble turned
out to be that the newspaper doesn't weigh much. The scale
on the bad carousel couldn't tell I'd done it right. If I
scan the newspaper last, I have no trouble. Further, I now
know to call the employee over at the first sign of trouble,
not to try to reason with the blasted machine myself.

At my Price Chopper, there's one employee keeping an eye on
4 self checking machines. Obstensibly, he's keeping an eye
out for thieves while helping with problems. I'm not sure
how this works in reality.

I'm the goody-goody never steal type so the following is
academic information only. One way to cheat the system
that would probably work is type in the number code for
less expensive produce while weighing more expensive. The
weight is the same. The scales won't know you've got
gourmet mushrooms instead of cabbage. Another way would be
to put light weight items in the bag along with heavier
ones. My newspaper is the perfect example. Scan in several
cans of tomato sauce and throw the newspaper in the bag at
the same time.

--Lia

Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

There are people who basically act as a Pit Boss who watch.
Those are the ones who will suddenly appear and tell the
computer that you are old enough to buy beer, or find the
right code for a fresh food item, etc.

Levelwave© said:

Nancy Young said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know
people would be taking the five finger discount left and
right if that was possible.

Your grocery bags are atop a digital scale. If the weight
changes and you haven't scanned anything then you'll get a
friendly little reminder to "please remove the last item
placed in bag"...

AH! Okay, that makes perfect sense. I knew there was some
safeguard in effect, I just didn't know what it would be.

Quoted message said:

I'm sure some people are taking advantage of this "honor
system" but I'd assume that the cost of theft per hour is
much less than the employee salaries needed to run each
checkout...

We've had them 'round here for a while now... honestly
they annoy the hell out of me. At the times I need them
(late at night when I'm just dropping by for a few items)
the darned things are closed...

Never say never, but I don't see using them on a
regular basis.

nancy

Quoted message said:

Nancy Young <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know
people would be taking the five finger discount left and
right if that was possible.

There's only one grocery store in my area that has self-
checkout cash registers. The Kmart down the road used to
have them too, but that Kmart was shut down. Both stores
have/had a human being watching all the self-checkout
registers. I think there are also closed circuit TV
cameras watching those registers. The self-checkout
registers pose no more of an opportunity for shop lifting
than the front door of the grocery store has always posed.

No, I was certain I'd heard of the technology involved, and
it wasn't cameras or people. Not to say they aren't there,
but that I knew that wasn't it.

nancy

We've had them here about 6 months and I love them! So much
quicker than the checkout. I don't know about down your way,
but up here there is a monitor to assist and keep their eye
on things as well, I imagine.

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

Levelwave© <[email hidden]> wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Nancy Young said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know
people would be taking the five finger discount left and
right if that was possible.

Your grocery bags are atop a digital scale. If the weight
changes and you haven't scanned anything then you'll get a
friendly little reminder to "please remove the last item
placed in bag"...

Likewise, if you scan something and it won't fit in the bag,
the voice will still remind you to do so. With so many
people hesitating over what to do in cases like this, I'm
waiting for the next voice to say, "put the fricking item in
the bag, dammit!"

Quoted message said:

I'm sure some people are taking advantage of this "honor
system" but I'd assume that the cost of theft per hour is
much less than the employee salaries needed to run each
checkout...

We've had them 'round here for a while now... honestly
they annoy the hell out of me. At the times I need them
(late at night when I'm just dropping by for a few items)
the darned things are closed...

~john

"MOM PEAGRAM" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We've had them here about 6 months and I love them! So
much quicker

than

Quoted message said:

the checkout. I don't know about down your way, but up
here there is a monitor to assist and keep their eye on
things as well, I imagine.

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting
around with a couple of the checkout counters, I
thought (naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the
store is only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines
are out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff
and then put money (or, I assume, a debit
card/whatever) and away you go. How exactly do they
know you scanned everything? What's the technology?
Because you know people would be taking the five
finger discount left and right if that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

Sucks here in Brampton, Ont. I'm always so glad to be in
the clerk check out because all I hear is beep, beep,
beep! -- mistake, mistake, mistake (thank god I didn't go
there - so annoying). Never works properly - and I don't
have the patience.
E.

Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

The ones around here have the bags mounted on a scale of
sorts. So it detects the addition of weight to the bags. Not
very sensitive however, so small items don't register anyway
and very large items can't be put into the bags anyway.

There is always someone at the desk who is watching and
helps when things go wrong.

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

So far the only ones I have dealt with are at Home Depot.
There's a scale under the bags, so if you put anything in
there that hasn't already been scanned, it tells you to
scan the item. Also, there's a person in the middle of the
4 registers watching over things. Of course, it's still
possible to "fool" the machines, just as it's possible to
fool live checkouts...I guess it's just a matter of who
you are! lol

kimberly

PaulaGarlic said:

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know
people would be taking the five finger discount left and
right if that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

I love self-service checkouts. I just used one about an
hour ago at the wholesale club and always use them at the
Wal-Mart superstores. I prefer to do my own quickly and
leave rather than make chit-chat with the clerk...I
usually end up with a clerk that's a zombie or who gives
me an odd look over something I bought...or listen to the
clerk chat with a different customer, her boyfriend,
another clerk, whatever.

That's how it was when Acme was really Acme. Horrible. I
rarely left the store less than irritated, every shopping
trip was a new adventure. The clerks would actually stop
checking out your groceries, lean back and have long
conversations with each other. Oh, wonder why they'd forget
your coupons. Out of control.

It's not a problem any more. Apparently Albertsons brought
in real managers.

Quoted message said:

At the wholesale club, the items pass through a scanner
and they check your receipts at the door (no matter how
you check out) to make sure the number of items in the
cart matches the receipt.

That kind of bugs me.

Quoted message said:

I just wish they'd give a little discount or something.

My point exactly, do I get a discount for doing their job?
What's next, I have to stock the shelves? Hey, it's fine if
you like that kind of thing, I'm not particularly interested
in it or I'd work there.

nancy

Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is only
a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

They have six of those at the A&P/Food Emporium here. They
were working a couple of weeks ago with a man standing where
he could see all of them. Later they were not using them.

I go there for paper towels, TP and detergent.

Rodney Myrvaagnes Opionated old geezer

Faith-based economics: It's deja voodoo all over again

Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is only
a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

We have self-checkouts in the local Kroger's; but I have to
admit I despise them. They have a scale underneath and the
machine knows if you have scanned stuff by the weight. The
problem is that light items and big items cause the system
to break down, necessitating a wait while the one clerk
keeping an eye on a number of the things gets around to
coming over and fixing it. Personally, I think it's faster
to bite the bullet and go through a "real" line, unless they
are very long and I only have a couple of mid-sized, mid-
weight items. It's a good idea, but the technology is still
pretty buggy.

Regards, Tracy R.

"Nancy Young" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

The little town I live in just opened a WallyWorld with some
self-checkout counters. Now, being the techie geek my wife
calls me, I had to try it out.

I now love them! If I only have a small quantity of items, I
can be out the door in just a few minutes. The trick to it
is that the bagging area where you put the foods in a bag is
a big scale. After you scan an item, the computer knows how
much weight should be hitting the bagging scale. I haven't
tried any produce where you have to weigh it though so I'm
not sure how that will work. But then there are some large
things that you don't bag. When you scan those, there is a
"skip bagging" button to press so it won't complain.

Of course, there is also one employee watching over the four
self-checkout counters to watch for the five finger discount
type people as well.

Anyways, that's how they do it at my new wallymart!

Bret

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Nancy Young said:

Yup, I knew the day would come. I saw them farting around
with a couple of the checkout counters, I thought
(naively), wonder what's wrong with them, the store is
only a few years old. Duh.

So, they're here, doubt I'll use them unless the lines are
out of control.

Here's my question. I understand you scan your stuff and
then put money (or, I assume, a debit card/whatever) and
away you go. How exactly do they know you scanned
everything? What's the technology? Because you know people
would be taking the five finger discount left and right if
that was possible.

Just curious. nancy (and, no, wouldn't try to steal)

Hate it, hate it, hate it. Very few people seem to be able
to ring through a cartful without multiple errors which must
be ironed out by the clerk on duty to assist. IMO there's
not much worse than a machine giving you orders, and these
are particularly bossy-sounding. Ugh.

gloria p