Seriously?
The problem is they still have lines with live human people in them. They should all be self-checkout at this point.
When I have the option to deal with a person or a computer, the computer always wins. Computers don't have bad attitudes. They aren't busy talking to their girlfriend in the other isle when they should be doing their job of checking me out. They don't accept sacks of pennies and hand written checks, meaning I don't have to deal with people who still live in the 19th century and try to pay with sacks of pennies and hand-written checks. They know how to ring me up, don't give me the "sorry I'm new I'll have to get my manager" excuse, and other annoyances involved with fail able carbon based life forms.
The only problem the self-checkouts have at this point is the inability to detect and house odd-sized items. This will improve though if... you guessed it... more people start using the self-checkouts.
But more importantly if we remove the human element from the cashier, the blame for long lines will be put back where it belongs, namely the idigt shoppers who don't seem to understand the un-written laws of shopping.
1. Have your money ready ahead of time.
2. When that belt has some space on it... don't space out! Start putting your stuff up there.
3. If it's a place where they don't bag for you, don't wait around for the chashier to bag for you! You've got two arms use them!
4. This is 2014... you have two viable options to pay... debit/credit card and paper-cash-money. You better know how to use both as well. If you are under the age of 70, are in possession of your full mental facilities, and need help using the little card swiper you have failed as a human being. But hey that doesn't stop the idgit cashier from acting like I don't know how to use one, telling me what to press when the message on my screen clearly says "waiting for cashier".
This is why discussions with you are some what difficult. First of all, how are we removing the human element from being the cashier? If I check out my own items, THEN I BECOME THE HUMAN CASHIER.
1. duh
2. no belts in self checkout (except big box stores likes costco)
3. this has no bearing on self checkout
4. I dont think you've ever hit the payments option on a self check out, or at least the ones around here still take Cash, Credit, Debit, foodstamp vouchers, foodstamp cards, and even checks. This again has nothing to do with me having to ring up my own groceries.
You keep putting our worst case scenarios. Makes me think you never got stuck behind someone at self checkout that doesnt know how to ring up their bagged fresh fruit.
"When I have the option to deal with a person or a computer, the computer always wins. "
explains A LOT.
This is why having discussions with YOU are so difficult. You can't be bothered to fully read what I say.
No you are complaining about long lines, which leads me to believe that you want to get out quicker. Your argument is that their aren't enough lines open. My counter argument is that nope... the lack of lines isn't the problem but rather incompetent cashiers take up too long compared to a superior setup of a machine and a supervisor to help those with issues at the auto check out. I then go on to say that the people in the checkout line are ALSO the problem. I mean couldn't you read that?
Yup you'll be the cashier ... that takes the count down from two idiot humans to only one.... so twice as fast by default.
Your response to #2, again, shows that you just don't read what I post. I had already shifted the discussion to why traditional checkout lines are so slow... because people don't follow the unwritten rules. What does that have to do with self checkout? Also if again, you'll actually read what I posted, I note that one of the two issues with self-checkouts are the inability to detect and house odd-sized items, aka your grapes counter-argument and your point about the lack of belts. In other words I had already covered that.
I don't think I've ever seen any options other than cash and debit/credit. Even if there are other options, people certainly don't use them. That's because people that use those options (with the exception of food stamps of course) are the exact same type of people that can't figure out how to use the self-checkout. The traditional lines are for them. You on the other hand had just a couple of items and could have figured out how to use the self-checkout.
So in other words you were part of the problem in creating long lines. You had no business in that line but refused to get out when someone was willing to help you, thus making the line slightly longer for everyone behind you. But I didn't want to go there, I was trying to be polite.
I don't know where you shop but where I'm from the self-checkout area has 4 stations. I've never seen more than three full, even at Christmas. On the other hand there are always a mountain of people, just like you, with 8 things in their cart complaining about the long lines. Well go use the self-checkout! That's what it's for!
Just for the record, I don't have a problem with EITHER option. I use both depending upon the situation and generally don't have issue with either. I took exception with the fact that you were blaming long lines on the lack of cashiers and that somehow not using the self-checkout would get more lines open. Not using the self-checkout will get the nice lady supervising the self-checkout fired. Now from a pure logic factor what I posted before is true, the human element is what makes lines slow. I wasn't complaining about slow lines though, merely pointing out what actually makes them slow.
Now if your argument is that they should open more lines and that would make things go faster you won't get results doing what you are doing. To do that you go to the store every week, make a big fuss about how the lines are too long and then walk off and leave a full cart of melting groceries. Do this regularly and get all of your friends to do so. THAT will get more lines opened because the store is losing money and they are aware that they are losing customers. I mean after all, your "protest" was to happily wait in line and give them business? Yeah! That'll show em!
Long story short, the self-checkouts have nothing to do with the lack of lines, nor do they negatively impact the amount of isles open or the speed of which you can be checked out. Quite the opposite actually, as I was originally pointing out. The reason you have less isles open is because the owner of your supermarket is too cheap to hire more cashiers.
I went off on a tangent with my original reply and I do apologize for that, but I think the sheer lack of logic with your conclusion in your resolution blew a fuse in my brain.
Just for the record, I'm pretty sure I read an article some time back that the average amount of lines open hasn't really changed over the years with the exception that stores hire fewer part time workers at the holidays. I can't find a link to it though, so that doesn't really help you.
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