Went to t- town yesterday and was shocked by the new check out system. Not all lines do this but several do. One employee oversees 3-4 lines. Shoppers take their cart to the register. They scan their own items and place them into the bag which appears to be on a scale of some type. After scanning all of your own items, you self pay. There is a touch screen to make payment selections. You can pay with credit card by swiping or with cash. Cash seems to go into this machine that looks like a coke machine cash slot. It even takes change and dispenses change. It takes food stamps too. The lady in front of us had some problem. Her bag weighed more than the register said it was supposed too. She had to have the bag checked befor she left the area. I wonder how this will work long term.???
I have used it at a couple of Super Wal-Marts and a few grocery stores. I like the self checkout deal. I can go through, scan my stuff, pay for it with my ATM card, and out the door fairly quick. The lines are not long at these registers because most people are afraid (technologically challenged) of the self-checkout line.
They have had those out here for the past year or two. I first noticed them at Kmart of all places, then Walmart eventually came out with their version. They seem to work ok. Though when I goto checkout, if there is a line of 2 or more at a self checkout, I'll just go into the 20 items or less lane with a real person. They can usually check out 4 people in the same time that it would take 2 to figure out the self-checking device.
They've had that here in Houston for a couple of years also, at several grocery stores and some Supercenters, etc... I like it at the grocery stores when you only get a couple of things, so you can get in and out. You can pay with debit, credit, cash, and can even use coupons!
Food stores in Fort Worth has had it for years. It takes a couple of trips through to get the hang of the system. Use it all the time when I visit my aunt. You all know Alabama is several years behind other states when it comes to technology. That is one reason high paying technical jobs are lacking here.
I first saw these at Wal-Mart in Houston, TX when I was there in February, It was pretty neat. But you are right the people who are using them are just learning and I guess were afriad to mess up or something because it took them for ever get thru the process. But after awile it will just be another thing.
I had to stop and ask self,"Do I really need to be here", and self says,"Only in the cover of darkness."
I used the self check at the Wal-mart in Tuscaloosa a few weeks ago. I wish that the grocery stores and all Wal-marts would get one. It is great for people that only have a few items and don't want to stand in line all day.
unfortunately reality doesn't work as smoothly as it should. I've had the privelage (sp?) of getting in one of these lines with only a few items, confident that i would be able to get in and out quickly...however, the only self-check out line open was occupied by an elderly couple that just couldn't seem to figure things out...because the scales are so sensitive and the time delay that is required between items being scanned and bagged, it just isn't feasible...it's just another sad example of how mechanization is taking more jobs from real people...if wal-mart would quit trying to be cheap and take some of their billions of dollars and hire more checkout clerks, everything would be fine...
i agree with you schmidt1. i for one don't like to stand in line for long periods of time, and if I had to stand behind someone not knowing what they were doing, it would seem like to me, instead of hiring a girl to over see those lanes, just put her behind the register and let her do it. we could also use someone to unload our buggy's and load them back up. now that is the way to treat a walmart customer!
They have had those up here for about 2 years now at the food stores and I personally love them, they save time and you get to make sure of all the prices when you ring it thru. Sometimes when the salesgirl rings something up and it is on sale they don't recognise it and charge you normal price for it. I know it takes away jobs but up here it is a fast moving line and it really is much easier.
I have use one a couple times at WalMart stores. The first time went smooth I thought til I tried to leave and my bag set off the alarm. The cashier came over had to check everything and come to find out that the security strip inside the movie that I bought didn't get turned off when I checked it through. She said that was real common of the self check out lanes. The last time I used one there was no problem. Seems to me if a person is so unsure of how to use them they would be best off going through a line with an actual cashier in the first place.
