Grocery Chain Begins "Scan & Go" Shopping To Eliminate Check Out Clerks.

[TheMastersNemesis]

King Soopers in Colorado just started a "scan & go" programs. Customers will be encouraged to pick up a scanner and scan each item they select. At the end of their shopping trip the scanner will total their bill. They then can scan their credit card or probably a King Soopers debit card and leave after packing their groceries.

That means that customers will not need the assistance of a check out clerk. Plus KS has expanded its self service check outs and reduced regular check out lanes. If you follow the logic shopping is headed for self service with no need for check out clerks. There will likely be customer assistants, but there will a ba reduced staff.

I guess eventually customers will stack their own shelves. They will do all the work but still pay the same for goods.

[PoliticAverse]

1. Actually robots will be stacking the shelves (a task in retail I don't miss). n/t

[Blue_true]

30. That is not far away.

No candidates or government officials are thinking about what happens to workers when there are no jobs.

[jberryhill]

2. Think bigger

Soon, they will have customers grow vegetables in their own backyard, and pay for them with an app, to provide freshness and the convenience of not having to even go to the store!

[Wwcd]

3. Post of the day winner.! 🍻

And you know people would pay for that App too.

My background is horticulture. I need to hire me an App developer..fast


We have had the hand scanners in Walmart, Kroger & Albertsons stores for about 6 mo.

I dont use them & I'm not sure how big a hit they are. I don't see a lot of people using them, but I don't spend much time in grocery stores either.

[ProudLib72]

6. Can I have a hotdog bush?

Best kind of meat ever!

[Initech]

14. Don't give them any ideas!

[Kilgore]

4. Happening here in WA state for over a year

Walmart installed checkstands with a scale, belt and hand scanner. A regular check stand without the person. Its designed for self checking a whole basket of goods.

They also have cut way back on the number of checkers, so there is really no choice but to self check.

[DrDan]

34. we have self-checkout in the Walmart near us - been there for years - I prefer to use it

[TheBlackAdder]

55. Wal*Mart has a policy to keep checkout lines at least 3 customers deep, as people will accept it.

.

Their mentality is that people will stand in line if they save money.

They also do not want customers to get used to Target-level service, where new lines will open dynamically.

If they quickly open lines, when 3 deep, then customers will expect them to do that in the future.

.

[LSFL]

5. i use them

Less than 20 item....self checkout.

[LisaM]

7. I don't like self checkout, for a variety of reasons (lost jobs being at the top)

but I was at one recently (not by choice, my SO and I were shopping together and he headed over there) and it's MADDENING. We had brought two bags, and we'd walked to the store, so I wanted them to weigh the same. Let me tell you, that system doesn't like that. I put a couple of heavy things in one bag, then tried to switch to the second bag with a few more heavy things, than I was going to start putting the lighter things on top in both bags and it was terrible. It also didn't recognize all the types of peppers I had.

But, mainly, I don't care to support the lost retail jobs. I remember when being a grocery checker was a good job, some of my friends' mothers retired on it. And they were always at the store, friendly and ready with a hello and a little conversation when we were in line.

I cannot understand the mindset behind consumers who don't support keeping those jobs.

[rurallib]

10. I will stand in a line before using self checkout

If they want me to do their work, give me some money.

Better yet give someone a job with good pay and benefits.

The future sadly will be RFIDs and there won't even be any checkout stands - push your cart through the door and all items in your cart will be scanned, totaled and onto to a pay station - credit card or debit card only.

[LisaM]

12. Which means everything you buy will be tracked.

Yeah, no worries there.

[Demsrule86]

49. I agree. Hubs Mom retired from A&P...she loved her job. It was a nice store.

I shop mostly at locally owned stores like Sparkles in Northern Ohio...great store with friendly cashiers and not one stupid self-check in the place.

[Ptah]

8. What about all those workers

that used to put price tags on each item?

[DrDan]

35. or those blasted scanners that aid the checkout - and the cash registers that calculate the charges

and change back (if paying in cash) - and those auto-doors, and electric carts for those needing assistance.

Yep innovation is killing us.

[nuxvomica]

9. I use self-checkout only if the cashier lines are busy

But there are problems with them. After the first item, the machine prompts me to enter my phone number for the "rewards" program but every time I've done that the machine doubles the count of the last item I scanned and I have to remove the item from the list and find a human employee to approve the removal or the machine just stops doing anything. I complained to a cashier about it and she said "Good! Maybe they'll get rid of them."

[LoveMyCali]

22. Hmmm

I haven't noticed if it duplicates the first item when I use self checkouts. Guess I should be more aware from now on since there's a good chance we have been shopping at the same store.

[Dream Girl]

11. This has been going on for years where I live

[Jim__]

13. Technology is going to eliminate a lot of jobs in the near-term future.

We need to implement a guaranteed basic income to help people get through times of unemployment. To get that, we need to elect people who have some vision.

[Demsrule86]

47. That isn't going to happen...and any who believe this is the answer to companies screwing us out

of jobs should consider the new work requirements for Medicaid... America will never go for basic income so time to thing of alternatives.

[brooklynite]

15. I can walk into any Apple Store, scan a product with my iPhone, use my fingerprint to pay, and leave

Progress.

[Merlot]

18. And how often do you buy goods at an apple store?

My guess is not as often as you go grocery shopping. Plus, apple stores keep a lot of employees around.

I refuse to check/bag my own groceries unless i get a discount for doing the work of the person they just laid off.

I know it's a loosing battle, but still, I want someone else to bag my groceries. It's just more work for me, and I have enough to do already.

We're all going to be working for free so corporations can save money.

[brooklynite]

20. When was the last time you demanded that an Operator place your phone call?

[oberliner]

27. What about gas station attendants?

[Demsrule86]

46. Not in my opinion. Just another way for greedsters to make a buck while screwing us...and Apple is

the worst. I don't buy any products from Apple.

[Wellstone ruled]

16. As of late last week,Smith's(kroger)

rolled this out. First thing I noticed today was this,theft by a person using this app. Yes,that person had her order double checked by a Corporate Person assigned to that store during this roll out. The Person who tried to slide by,was reminded that she only scanned one item when she had three in her cart.

Oh must have forgot,yah right.

[Blues Heron]

28. safeway has a recorded message

"remember to scan each item BEFORE placing it in the bagging area!!"

LOL

[Wellstone ruled]

54. Have to say this,

a fellow co-worker at one time,his daughter was the chief of Target Product Security. Notice Target Stores do not have self Check outs.

In retail in is called Shrink,another word is theft.

Target Store data showed it was cheaper to have Cashier's first to minimize shrink, and to better make Target shopping experience better.

[TexasBushwhacker]

17. The Walmart near me got rid of all their self checkouts

They were having too much theft. People would scan some, but not all, of their items.

[Merlot]

19. Home Depot just installed them. I hope they have the same results.

I seriously have no sympathy for stores that get ripped off with the self-checkouts.

[Lee-Lee]

25. Yeah the thieves have figured them out

They know the things work on weight and visual look, so they know how to manipulate them. That pair of jeans might have a small kids size t-shirt inside close enough in weight, or that magazine may have a greeting card inside of it, etc.

And of course a common one is the bulky item on the bottom of the cart they “forgot” to scan.

[RandomAccess]

21. I refuse to use self check-outs. They never

offer me a discount for doing so, while they're making more money by having less labor costs. Nope, not going to contribute to their greed in that way.

[Kaleva]

24. If you self check out at gas stations, you contribute to the loss of jobs.

[Demsrule86]

43. There is a full service station a few miles from house...an independent. I support him.

You don't have much choice otherwise.

[Bluesaph]

23. That creates better jobs

Grocery workers get shit pay compared to technicians who service the machines. Not to mention if they are manufactured in US.

Just another viewpoint.

[Lee-Lee]

26. That's true, but someone already serviced the registers

So no new job was created, they jobs making and servicing the register now just make and service the self-checks, while 4-6 cashiers were replaced by one person in that middle desk watching them all.

[JDC]

29. There is a chain in New England that does this

The scanners sit in their charging stations and rarely do I see them used.

I think they forget about the bagging process. Even if I shop with my own reusable bags, i dont want to bag as I go.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

31. So

the food prices must have dropped dramatically bc they won't have overhead, right?

[KG]

32. as if.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

33. Then fuck em.

BOYCOTT!!
I refuse to use them.

[DrDan]

36. one of my favorite posts of the past few months was on this same subject

the OP was whining on about the loss of jobs caused by these self-checkout stations. The OP continued that they now preferred to shop on-line.

smh

[heaven05]

37. and soon robots

will be stocking the shelves, cleaning the building, providing security along with hundreds of cameras. Human beings are only going to be needed as pawns for war, both civilian and military.

[HAB911]

38. Not unless they start paying me a salary

[left-of-center2012]

39. Self checkout has been around for years

How is this different?

[Demsrule86]

42. They have no cashiers...none. I won't use self checkout...my little protest against greedy ass

companies...I will wait an hour to check out with a person or leave and go elsewhere.

[left-of-center2012]

51. Self checkout has no cashier

There may be one employee nearby overseeing six or so self checkout spots
in case you have a problem.

[Demsrule86]

53. I don't use them....and our Walmart has dropped the idea of no cashiers. They lost money.

[Demsrule86]

40. Walmart tried this near us and have abandoned the effort...it was a disaster.

[pnwest]

41. My problem with self checkout is that

it’s just damn quicker to have two people working on getting my stuff rung up - me unloading while cashier is ringing - then me fumbling around in my purse, while cashier loads bags in my cart. It’s just too damn slow and disorganized to self check with anything more than one bagful - and I got shit to do, man.

[treestar]

44. The reason this may not catch on

They move the work to the consumer. Having to scan everything and use the machines is handing work to the consumer. Any computerization does something of this. People will get tired of it. There is already a fatigue with passwords and usernames.

[Agschmid]

45. This has been happening in Mass for like 3 years at Stop and Shop.

[Blue_Adept]

48. Yup. I do wonder how well it works by location.

I know some people in their 40's that use it but older folks tend not to. I have no idea with younger shoppers.

I wonder how much of it will be generational, though things spread over time and as it becomes more popular. This just hasn't been popular as I think people simply find it too complicated or not worth the effort.

[Agschmid]

52. It doesn't seem to get much use IMO.

[Blue_Adept]

50. I love self check out

The Hannaford chain here in MA got bought out and Shaws picked up a lot of their stores and removed all the self check out things.

I do my main marketing at Market Basket (no self checkout) but I do smaller pickups and such during the week at Shaws because it's closer. I loved the self checkout for a couple of items because I could just get it done fast and out.

Some days I really just have no desire for human interaction. Other days I'm good for it and will hit the line.

My eldest daughter has anxiety in dealing with people sometimes and really preferred the self check out line.

I'd rather just have options. Eliminating options sucks. The self checkout was also great for employees going on break as they could just get their drink and snack and check out. Now in Shaws they have to stand in line during the day with all the elderly folks that come in and wait forever just to get it.