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A New way of Grocery Shopping


heidiiiii

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There is a new way to grocery shop at our local grocer Stop & Shop. It starts next week. They have this large kiosk with scanners and grocery bags. You grab a scanner and grab some grocery bags. You go shopping. As you pick up items you want, you scan them into the scanner and put them into your grocery bag. They even have special scales for produce. When you are done shopping, you bring your scanner to the check out, they put it into the machine, you pay the balance and leave. (if you decide you do not want something, you can delete it from the scanner)

I am not going to use this. I feel it is another way for businesses to get rid of employees. Plus, how are they going to stop people from stealing? Are they going to check your bags? That would defeat the purpose of it being quick and easy.

Do you have this in your area? Would you use it if they offered it? What do you think?

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We have self checkouts. It is like a regular checkout only you do it yourself and it measures the weight. So if you shove something in your bag it will measure the weight and will alert the attendant that the weight is off. I always use the self checkout because there is a shorter line for that then there is for the regular checkouts.

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We have self checkouts. It is like a regular checkout only you do it yourself and it measures the weight. So if you shove something in your bag it will measure the weight and will alert the attendant that the weight is off. I always use the self checkout because there is a shorter line for that then there is for the regular checkouts.

This store has those also. This new way is where you have a hand scanner that you carry around with you in the store. So basically no lines to check out except to pay for your groceries. I only use the self check out if I have a couple things and the other lines are too long. I like to chat with the cashiers. I know them all from going to the store so long. I like the human interaction of it.

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I don't care for self checkouts. The first time I tried it was because I had only 2 things, but it wasn't working right. The next time I got into the line, the guy in front of me had problems and they had to bring over extra help to sort it out. The third time I was standing in the regular line, and an employee took me over to run things through the self scan. Guess what? The thing jammed up somehow and I wound up having to go get back in line.

No self scanning for me.

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They've got plenty of self checkouts here, always with an assistant on duty for every 4 - 6 stations, so they can sort things out straight away if there's any problems. Waitrose has had scanners for all the time we've lived in england (so at least 9 years). I think you register with Waitrose and then you can just go in and use them. They do spot checks every so often, but have their dedicated tills, so you don't have to wait long. It is just quicker than going around with your trolly, waiting in line at the checkout, unpacking it all, having it scanned and packing it all up again. This way you scan as you go and put it straight into bags, and then just pay.

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I would definitely use a self-scanner. Sounds like a GREAT idea! I hate standing in line while the checkers yak it up with the customers, sometimes totally stopping what they are doing while they talk. Or listening to the steady stream of chatter between the checkers about how they can't wait to get the heck out of there...jeez, am I inconveniencing you by buying my groceries??? 

If there is a self checkout, I use it...you can actually get pretty proficient on those things after a few times. 

Anything to speed up a trip to the grocery store I'm all for!! 

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ours has had it for about a month now. i always use the self checkout. i love it. i cant wait to try the new scan guns. i havnt had the chance to use them yet but they look fun lol

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I'm surprised they are putting it in your store, Heidi. They are taking them out here. We have had them for awhile, but I think they figured out people were stealing things.

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I'm surprised they are putting it in your store, Heidi. They are taking them out here. We have had them for awhile, but I think they figured out people were stealing things.

That is what dawned on me Carrie. Too easy to steal. Way too easy. It will not last I bet. Efficiency is great but if it is going to put someone on unemployment then I want nothing to do with it.

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I've been through self checkout - but only when I'm buying a few things. I've never heard of the scanners though. You would think that when they rang up the items on your scanner that they would still wiegh the groceries just to make sure you didn't steal anything. If people are stealing stuff then the store just has to raise prices even more, right?

Those scanners and the self checkout are probably just an attempt by the grocery store to cut costs. It does make you wonder though if they end up saving money that way if they will pass the savings along to their customers?

The place that I work at started charging $5 if you pay your bill with a person. You can make a payment over the phone using the self service options, online, in the store with the self service kiosk, or by mailing it in - the only way you get charged is if you pay with a person. I guess I can see it from both sides. The company did it b/c about half of the complaints that we recieved were from customers who just wanted to make a payment and were waiting in long lines at the store or having to hold for extreme amounts of time to speak to a person over the phone - the other half of the complaints were from customers who had actual billing issues, technical problems, etc. and were upset at having to wait in line behind people who were just paying their bill or hold on the phone for a long time too. The other part of it of course is cost, it does cost the company more for a live person to take the payment than for the customer to use a self service option. On the other side I can see how it might look like the company is trying to get rid of their flesh and blood employees (and that is not good for me). Some people pay the fee anyway just b/c they like to talk to a person and feel more secure about their payment that way or they just don't understand the self service options. I have had a customer tell me that the only way she would pay the $5 fee is that if the money went straight to the me. She said she thought that we work hard and deserved it. I told her I appreciated the idea, but I doubt the company would go for it.

Now my electric company I really don't understand. If you pay over the phone (self service - no person) it costs $1 - and if you pay online with a credit card (also self service) it charges at 2.45% fee - so the higher your bill the higher the fee. I guess that goes back to how much it costs them to process the payment? So I can either jump in the car and use up gas to drive to the electric company or I can buy a stamp. There is no winning with the electric company :ph34r:

My previous job was at a pretzel store in the mall (started there when I was 16 - loved that job) and I would always get fussed at by customer's who wanted a water when I had to charge them 25 cents (tax included - and I just worked there, didn't set the prices myself, but I always got blamed). So finally one day I sat down and figured out the cost of one cup (believe it or not Coke charges for every single one of those cups), one straw, one lid, (plus all of the overhead - ie. how much it cost to run the ice maker to fill a 32 oz. cup, the water, the lights, how much I was paid during that minute and a half, the rent, etc. - it took me forever to figure it all out) and we were losing money on every single water that we sold by nearly half. We finally just bought some of those tiny solo cups that you use in the bathroom after you brush your teeth and kept those by the register. There's nothing like the feeling of guilt that you get when you have to charge a little old lady for water when all she needs to do it take a pill.

Anyway, I'm totally off topic so I'll stop for now.

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We dont have those but we do have some stores with the self check out. I hate those! If I'm gonna check out groceries than I should get at least minimum wage to do so! Ok I'm sorry that was really rude and I hope I did not offend anyone. It's just that I do not have the time to check out my own groceries and I usually have kids trying to throw in more stuff and needless to say it is a diaster. So maybe if Im checking out my own groceries than the store should babysit! That might be an idea I would go for.

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i like the self checkout because its faster. many people dont like them or are afraid of them so they wait on line. the self checkouts are always empty and i can zip right through them.

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So maybe if Im checking out my own groceries than the store should babysit! That might be an idea I would go for.

Lol! I agree. Or maybe if we got a 5% discount or something at checkout if we scan and bag all our own stuff? That would be a big incentive for me to go through self service.

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And how about mistakes? Raise your hand if you had to go to the courtesy booth because you were charged too much for an item. Would you have to stop and go to the booth in the middle of your shopping?

Most of our stores have a rule that if you get charged more then the advertised price, you get one of that item for free and the others at the advertised price. There have been many times I have seen it scan wrong but have been told by cashier that I would have to tell them at courtesy booth. They could have fixed it right there but that is okay..I go and get that item for free instead!

I do not mind the self check but not for a full cart of groceries...I have to shop for it, pay for it, take it out to the car, lug it into the trunk, lug it out of the trunk, take it inside, and put it away. I should NOT have to scan it, bag it, and do my coupons too. LOL

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One time I had grocery shopped at our big box store that sells everything. I had to do everything except price the item. it used to be you only had to bag your items. But I did the check out and self bagged. It was very cold, and sleeting out so I did not take the cart over to the cart corral. The stock boy was collecting carts and ran up to van, knocked on the window and then chastised me for not putting the cart where it belonged. I told him that if the store had customers do anymore for themselves he soon would be out of a job. He muttered under his breath about "smart a__ customers" and took the cart. I feel they should apprcite that I spent money with their store and be happy to walk around after me and do things. Most of the time I do put the cart away and toss my ad papers and not leave them lying around. That day I was tired and cold and didn't feel I had to do everything.

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Rita,

I got the shock of my life the other day. The guy that was corraling the carts (not a teenager) came and put all my bags into my trunk so that he could take the cart. I gave him $2 and said thank you. I know from living in this city all my life that he struggles financially and that is why I tipped him. Even Nat asked me if I gave him any money.

That has like NEVER happened!

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I use the self checkout at the library, but it depends. I had one librarian tell me one time she loved checking out books because she liked to see what people were reading and she got some interesting books that way. I, for one, hate not having the card catalogs though.

As for self scanning at a grocery store - I was very seldom in a hurry and I enjoyed taking my time going through the store. I used to go after work and it was kind of relaxing. But I would be tired too, so I would just bring my cart up to a real person to check out. I figured I had already worked an 8 hr day and I didn't feel like doing someone else's work on my off time. Besides, I liked to talk to the cashier's too while they were ringing my stuff up.

I'm not a fan of scanning anything anyway. I know it's a pain to individually price stuff but when I worked in a convenience store before we got the scanners, I could ring a person up so fast by just putting the price in the register. As soon as the scanners came along, the wait time in line doubled, because now you had to scan each item. I used to be able to just look at the items on the counter and 1,2,3 they were rung up! And we very seldom made mistakes, believe it or not.

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I very rarely use the self checkout unless I just have 2-3 items. I remember when I visited my grandmother in New Jersey, years and years ago and went to the grocery store for her, I was shocked that you had to bag your own groceries. I know that cashier thought I was an idiot as I was standing there waiting on her to bag them. Down south there is always someone to bag your groceries and take them to your car and unload them. Most grocery stores, however, do not allow tipping (we sneak it to them anyway). My son was cashier and bagger for a couple of years in high school and he much preferred the bagging and getting the carts than the cashier part.

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Sharon,

It is not always like that here in the North. If you go to the store when it is not super busy like in the mornings, they have extra people on that will bag your groceries. Only when it is really crazy will you have to help. But usually the cashier will bag as she is scanning.

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