It's time to refuse to use self-serve checkouts
I AGREE wholeheartedly with Kevin Winson's Soapbox article "Supermarket self-checkouts throw up a lot of questions" (Derby Telegraph January 24).
I have said for a long time that self-service tills are the thin edge of the wedge and were designed to replace staff, and friends and family just laughed at me.
Having worked in customer service for a number of years, I can assure you that they are designed to replace staff and, in this world today, where customers are just rush-rush, they cannot see what their intent is.
I remember when a certain large newsagents introduced them in Derby and customers were encouraged to use them and I said to the manager they were designed to reduce staff and he said, no, it was to improve customer service. I think not.
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I remember going into a large DIY superstore locally and, when I got to the checkouts, there were only self-serve ones available and, when I asked for a manned checkout, was told there was only self-serve. I placed my goods (£100+) down and walked out.
Wherever you shop where there are so called self-serve tills, there is always a member of staff having to sort out problems.
When there are no checkouts and queues at self-serve then perhaps customers will realise the truly wonderful service you receive at checkouts.
It would appear that one store in London has stated it is in response to customer needs. Who conducted the survey and just who was questioned? Would this be same customers who use the internet to shop because they cannot be bothered to support high street shops?
Wake up, smell the coffee and don't be browbeaten into using a self-serve checkout, as they will invariably take you longer to shop, and don't believe that they are there for our benefit because nothing could be further from the truth.
Bob MacDonald
Eden Street
Alvaston
4 Comments
by Derby_born
Monday, February 04 2013, 9:18AM
“These checkouts are rather pointless when you see them rejecting goods and requiring supermarket staff to sort them out. Okay maybe for a small number of items, but should not be allowed to take the place of human staff who can help and advise customers.
I have worked as a shopping volunteer, helping elderly, sight impaired people with their shopping, and these contraptions can be a nightmare for someone with sight impairment. I find it quite shocking that the Telegraph allows comments like the one below that refers to eldery people as "old codgers". As one of my regular clients once said to me, "we all grow old one day". But I suppose such comments are indicative of the decline in standards within our society.”
by CoachOgre
Saturday, February 02 2013, 9:12AM
“Stuntrider, you assume everyone is old, pagenotfound you are just as bad. As someone in their thirties, I have been stuck behind many younger people, often couples with loaded shopping trolleys of food, drink DVD's, pharmaceuticals trying to self scan items that the machine will not read or that require an assistant to process especially on a Friday or Saturday party night. I have also seen one assistant run ragged trying to cover numerous machines (12+) being abused by irate and angry customers because the 'self scanners' do not do what they want or it keeps saying 'unexpected item in bagging area' after you have scanned the item. Self scanners are fine for people making quick small purchases of up to 10 items but supermarkets are now installing bigger ones and shutting checkouts down thereby removing choice and forcing people to self scan. Staff are trained on these machines and they hate them because of inherent problems so why should it be any better or quicker for the untrained general public? So I have to agree with Kevin and Bob, bring back customer service at checkouts and reduce self scanners to 10 items or less, that is a basket of shopping not a trolley, display clear instructions and list what cannot be processed without authorisation through them such as plastic/metal cutlery, alcohol, DVD's, painkillers etc.”
by Stuntrider
Friday, February 01 2013, 8:12PM
“Get a life for god's sake. They are there for a reason ie, if you've nipped in for paper or a pint of milk for instance. they are not there to antagonise moaning old farts like you.”
by Pagenotfound
Friday, February 01 2013, 1:03PM
“yes please boycot them so that, at lunchtime, when I have 30 minutes to buy and consume my lunch before getting back to the office I don't have to wait around behind a clueless old codger trying to figure out where the coupons are inserted”