Self service tills.

I have tried this method, including via a mobile phone app, but it’s not for me and neither is self-service 

Having worked in supermarket retailing for over 30 years myself, this is going to hurt elderly people the most and at age 53 myself, I’m not far off that age either - a properly run store MUST give people the option, especially elderly customers - during Covid in particular, hygiene was a concern, but even before Covid we still had very high standards of hygiene, even on checkouts in all the supermarkets I’ve worked for 

I dont like self service tills, because i often have to ask for assistance as though i am training to do the job, and the trainers arent very good either! 

At age 53, I used to work in Tesco for 17 years and we had 13 of these ghastly self-service tills in my last store - just like in my teens in the 1980’s  and when these new tills first came in, I’d embraced them when they were first imposed on us, but then as always, as with all scientific and technological advances which are always good in theory, but never in practice, the problems with them came up thick and fast - call me old school, but at my age, I’m totally opposed to them as they are soulless pieces of tech that almost totally cuts out all human interactions, puts people out of jobs and has endless problems with them - my local store has them and with every single item, time and again, there is always a problem that always needs assistance, so really what is the point of them, as most people I chat to in the store hate them, despite the store trying to force people to use them and cutting back on normal tills and frankly, I for one simply refuse to use them anymore even with assistance as I highly value human interaction and most of the staff feel the same way, especially those my age - I’m quite surprised that Aldi is using these tills now, which is quite worrying - in the next few years, Amazon is planning to take over supermarket retailing like what they have done in China, California and elsewhere, using digital trollies/baskets and other crazy forms of tech that don’t involve going to a till to checkout and pay for goods, but I do agree that people should have the option not to use them 

I haven't been shopping for a while. When I did last go I didn't use self service, I found it difficult and liked the simplicity of the shop assistant doing it instead. Less stress for me than way.

I hate self service tills because something usually goes wrong and I end up talking out loud to the machine. By the end of the transaction I feel so embarrassed I can't leave quick enough. I much prefer a brief transaction with a person.

Last year, at Poundland in Castle Court in Belfast, the self-service till had the worst Santa voice ever; saying, "One of my little Elves shall come, and assist you!" Almost in a Brian Blessed manner.

Self-service tills are shite. They are programmed by people who have no concept of logic (the post office ones are the worst). I can seldom  make them work, they ask gnomic questions and I hate them. Plus they put people out of work which is quite horrible.

At ASDA, if you want to pay in cash at a self-service till, a staff member has to swipe her card; just to activate the ability to use cash.

Sainsbury's self-service till is more cash-friendly. Having used it in Manchester Nine months ago, and Dungannon five months ago. But Sainsbury's is run by a Donor of Blair. 

I think I've saw one of those things once ever in my entire life (while I was on a trip to Glasgow). Considering where I live, I believe that I just accepted that the manned tills are the only tills there are, and that there's no other way.

Unknown said:

The question is - have any of us "honest" autistic people ever tried to diddle one to get a few p off our shopping? I once entered 1 large onion as small!

Only once and funnily enough it involved an onion! It wasn't deliberate though.

After paying for my shopping I spotted one small loose onion still lurking in the corner of my basket. I had a dilemma:

Do I pay for it in another transaction? Do I just leave it there for the next customer to find? Do I give it to a member of staff to put back? Do I retrace my steps and return it to the shelves myself?

I did not want to stay a moment longer in the store so what did I do? The easiest thing and just picked it out of the basket and straight into my shopping bag 

I believe some customers do try and diddle them big time and the stores are implementing ever increasing levels of security. Last time I used one in Sainsburys it took me by surprise that I had to queue to scan my receipt to open a barrier to leave the checkout area.

Small ones weigh less than bigger ones. And it was a long time ago. I haven't been brave enough since!

As I understand it, the return to person-operated tills is because people hate them! It seems that most want that human interaction...

I quite like them, myself, because I don't want that human interaction 

But - I am aware that self-service tills have cost people their jobs. That seems like a more important factor, to me.

My local supermarket was the first, I think, to return to old style tills. 

In thought that the newer tills weighed produce and would detect how big your onion really is.

They stress me up to the eyeballs. The question is - have any of us "honest" autistic people ever tried to diddle one to get a few p off our shopping? I once entered 1 large onion as small!

There are pros and cons.

One advantage is when paying cash, the machine is more honest and reliable when giving change.  At a manned till I have been short changed by an operator several times in the past.

Problems with the self service tills often depend on the particular model, most weigh the items you buy but in certain shops such as my local Aldi they don't detect very light items at all and staff have to override the machine.

With self service tills, staff have to be on their feet all day. On manned tills they can sit all day.

Self service tills need staff to ok restricted or age restricted items.  Even when they video the customer, can't they use AI to estimate the customers age.

 I like being able to have a short interaction with a human at a till or pay point, even if it is just an exchange of smiles and a P & T Y.  As a predominantly "alone" human, I find these short and purposeful interactions with other humans quite important.  It is important for me (at times) to be forced to interact with others, and these small and short interactions are being sliced away from my world.

Moreover, self-service tills hate me.  The majority of times that I use them, something goes wrong.....and not just once....repeatedly.  They are not good for my soul nor my blood pressure!  I'm not a fan of the ever increasing computerisation of my interactions with the world.

I also prefer self service, mainly because I’m partially deaf so it’s a lot easier to read the totals and I can get on with it all by myself without having to concentrate on listening to anyone. I scan my weekly shop as I go round then all you have to do is scan the self service screen and pay at the end. Yet some people are on a campaign to get rid of them without thinking of how useful they are to some other people. I appreciate some people can’t use them so having some of both is the best idea

As someone who is visually impaired, I cannot use self service tills without assistance. 

Recently my local morrisons added a lot of self service tills, and only a few of the cashier remain. This has meant longer queues. 

I understand the hygiene thing, but I think it's good to have a balance of both types. Sometimes a chat with a cashier, is the only conversation someone will have in a day/week.