On: Why Your Customers Don't Want to Talk to You

[ams6110]

The problem is with the scanning of the bar codes. I think that the checkout clerks develop a technique for passing the items over the scanner quickly yet in such a way that the barcode is read on the first pass. In the self-checkout lane I often have to move the item back and forth, turn it a various angles, before it finally scans. I'm about 10x slower than an experienced checkout operator.

Then, if you're buying alcohol or anything in an aerosol can you have to have your ID checked which is another slowdown. If I'm buying more than about 5 items I will get in the regular checkout or "express" line rather than self services, even if there's no waiting.

[Silhouette → ams6110]

It's not just the bar codes, though. The devices I'm talking about simply don't work very well. They complain about unexpected items in the bagging area because their weight checks aren't configured with sensible tolerances. (This is so irritating that it is now routinely parodied on satirical TV and radio shows.) They fail to scan credit/debit cards with annoying frequency. There is little space, so if you've brought some decent bags to put your shopping in but they've been buried at the bottom of your basket as you went around the store, you have to try and unpack everything to reach them but have nowhere to put it. None of these things is a problem on the staffed tills right next door.

I went over to the shop this afternoon, and while I was there, no more than three of the six self-service counters were in use at any given time, even though there were something like half a dozen people queueing for the one remaining manned basket-only aisle right next door, and despite the efforts of a staff member whose only purpose seemed to be trying (and failing) to convince people that the self-service counters really were worth the hassle.