Self Service Is The Scourge Of Grocery Shopping

My wife and I shop at Loblaws' Atlantic Superstore in Nova Scotia. As older shoppers we appreciate good service along with good products and pricing, but the service end of the deal has been diminishing steadily such that we are shopping elsewhere more and more as time passes. In the last couple of years our local Superstores have had their cashier desks removed, the ones where the bags hung next to the cashier and were loaded as she scanned them in, replaced by desks where the products are all moved to the end of the surface by where the shopper is standing. The intent is clearly to entice the shopper to pack his or her own bags while the cashier scans all the items in. We refuse to pack our own bags. The cashier has to stop scanning and pack the bags as the piles accrue, slowing down the whole process.

Lately some of the cashiers' positions have been replaced by self service checkouts. With fewer cashiers people are essentially pushed towards the self serve checkouts or wait in longer lines. The other day my wife was in a line of eight shoppers, each with a cart, waiting at the single open checkout. There was no quick checkout open. An assistant was at the self serve checkouts but nobody was using them. My wife asked why another checkout could not be opened. They brought the assistant from the self serve to open a checkout. The assistant staffing the customer service desk then had to go to the self serve checkout to help the one person who had appeared there. Nobody staffed the customer service desk.

This is all ludicrous. Good customer service is part and parcel of a good shopping experience. Weary people leading busy lives need to have this chore done as smoothly as possible for them. My beef is not that self service checkouts are made available but that the whole level of personal service is diminishing. Good service is included in the price of the products I am buying. If I am expected to use the self service checkouts, I should receive a discount of, say, 5% for doing so. Absent that, why would anyone choose self service other than to save time? More and more time saving is becoming available due to the deliberate diminishing of service at the regular checkouts. I have not me anyone yet who "prefers" the self service; many like us absolutely refuse to use them out of principle.

Am I alone in these frustrations?

I've seen this happen at the Bedford store where the clerk doesn't bag the grocery items. I don't mind bagging my own but it seems stupid for the clerk to scan an item, then grab a bag from behind the checkout and place it on top of the grocery items. It's the same amount of work for them to place the items in the bag.

I've really come to dislike the Shoppers self serve checkout.

I don't even remember a time at our area Superstores where they bagged the groceries for the customer, it has always been self bag. As for the newly installed self serve check outs at our SDM. No one uses them - they sit empty and the line up for the 1 open till is usually long as quite frankly they have very limited use -credit or debit only - can't use them if you have cash or coupons or an item with a manager's sticker or buy lotto or bus tickets - the list goes on.

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Originally Posted by Buddyboy546

I have not me anyone yet who "prefers" the self service; many like us absolutely refuse to use them out of principle.

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Originally Posted by coupongirl99

... As for the newly installed self serve check outs at our SDM. No one uses them - they sit empty and the line up for the 1 open till is usually long...

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Well, I guess I'm the strange one* as I use the self-serve checkouts almost exclusively. Why???

1.) Primarily because I dont have to wait in those long lines you speak of when I only have a half-dozen to a dozen items.

2.) I can scan them, bag them, pay for them, and be gone in record time. Or at least faster than a clerk can scan them mis-bag them (see #3) and then I pay for them.

3.) I get to bag them the way I like. I prefer to sort them in bags for when I get home.. bag of fridge items... bag of freezer items... bag of shelf/cupboard items... bag of items going to the basement for storage... bag of snacks to hide from the wife... etc

*or maybe it's New Brunswick that's strange, because no matter where I shop in Southern NB (from Moncton to Saint John) people are always using the self-serve checkouts. It would not be uncommon for me to wait for one to free up (usually not long as they are considered express lanes for the most part)

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...quite frankly they have very limited use -credit or debit only - can't use them if you have cash or coupons or an item with a manager's sticker or buy lotto or bus tickets - the list goes on.

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Loblaws stores tend to discourage cash at the self-serve, but Sobey's ones handle cash. (not that it matters to me, I pay with my phone)

Also, I have bought manager-stickered items AND used coupons at these tills. Might be different in other regions, but at both Sobey's and Superstore (and even Walmart) the attendant processes them for you if need be.

You are right, that you cant pay for Lotto because Lotto tickets are an age-restricted item... and I've never seen bus tickets for off-the-shelf purchasing. However, these are both specialty items that you almost always have to get from an attendant because they are behind glass, or in a drawer.


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All that said, I get the OP's point about the level and quality of service slipping. And I agree to that point of view entirely. --- Yes, if I go to a traditional checkout, I would expect the clerk (or dedicated bagger) to bag my items for me. Go to Costco, they bag your stuff. Go to virtually ANY grocery store in the US and they usually have a dedicated bagger there... or the clerk does it for you.

If I choose to go to a self-serve checkout (for whatever reason) then I have opted to self-bag. But if they're going to make me do it myself anyway at a regular checkout, then I'd just as soon go to the self serve checkouts and do it the way I like.

I had this similar debate recently with my brother and sister-in-law who said "but using self-serve checkouts takes away a job" -- to which I argued "If they performed their job more than to fire my items down a slide to a landing area for me to finish the job myself, maybe I'd re-consider using them instead. But if I'm doing 2/3 the work, then I might as well do it all myself anyway"

@Buddyboy546 I was also a holdout, refusing to use those darn self serve checkouts. THEN one of the WM I frequent took out the area where there used to be like 5 cashiers and one lineup, and replaced it all with these self serve things.
So what I did was this.....I acted like I do not understand anything about how to scan, swipe, weigh, lookup an item, use a coupon....all of it. I PLAY dumb!

The result is I get the attendant nearby to do the entire order for me....and I always thank them.

As someone who was a head cashier when I was younger, I avoid the self serve check outs. I would rather wait and keep someone gainfully employed than use the self serve check out. The only place I would use it would be Walmart as I hate the store and when I rarely go in to pick up one product that has been discontinued at my grocery store, I buy 12 of them and leave. Even with self serve check outs, prices keep increasing.

As for bagging my own items, I actually prefer that than have some inexperienced person put my eggs and light items at the bottom and pile heavy stuff on top.

Good customer service is becoming rare so when someone really helps me, I make it a point to ask their name and send in a email/letter to the store.

I only recently noticed that the newer of the two Shoppers in town has a 6-item purchase limit at their two self checkout areas. Never saw that before or I don't visit the store enough to know when the signage is updated.

At Walmart, I'll wait for a cashier, even the one or two times I've used my debit card when my cash has run out.

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Originally Posted by walkonby

@Buddyboy546 I was also a holdout, refusing to use those darn self serve checkouts. THEN one of the WM I frequent took out the area where there used to be like 5 cashiers and one lineup, and replaced it all with these self serve things.
So what I did was this.....I acted like I do not understand anything about how to scan, swipe, weigh, lookup an item, use a coupon....all of it. I PLAY dumb!

The result is I get the attendant nearby to do the entire order for me....and I always thank them.

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You totally made me laugh.. you rock

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Originally Posted by walkonby

@Buddyboy546 I was also a holdout, refusing to use those darn self serve checkouts. THEN one of the WM I frequent took out the area where there used to be like 5 cashiers and one lineup, and replaced it all with these self serve things.
So what I did was this.....I acted like I do not understand anything about how to scan, swipe, weigh, lookup an item, use a coupon....all of it. I PLAY dumb!

The result is I get the attendant nearby to do the entire order for me....and I always thank them.

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Hey walkonby..i hear you girl ..our walmart they see you with few things in your cart ..walmart employee is there saying self service checkouts are available..im like Mmmmmm not very education with those little suckers yet ..LOL i told girl from Walmart..didn’t come here do work of cashier and checkouts my items out and bag them ..i like wait in line for real person serve me ..but thanks anyway for letting me know .

I also avoid self checkout... in general I find it takes much longer since I'm trying to get the cashier over to approve the coupons or price matching.

Another oddball here. I love the self checkout at the grocery stores. In general, it's much faster for me, and most of the time I'm not doing a big shop. I like that at RCSS there are 6 self checkouts and only one line up for them. This means that if one person has a slowdown, it doesn't affect everyone in line the way it does at a cashier manned cashed. The self checkout also allows me to see if all the prices scanned properly while scanning items, and not have to make a stop at the often busy customer service desk on way out to have correction done.

I also liked when the RCSS here went to self-bagging about 7 or 8 years ago. Was so tired of cashiers packing my items in ways that made no sense (like putting cans on top of the bananas I carefully chose and getting them all bruised up). Our YIG still has the cashiers bagging.

With the self-checkout at SDM I have to be careful not to scan the item multiple times. It doesn't wait for the items to go into the bag before being able to scan again. I quickly found the delete item button on the SDM self-checkout, so it works.

In general the customer service offered at my RCSS, YIG and SDM is pretty good. But sadly I know that's not the case everywhere.

I am a huge fan of self-checkout especially at SDM and Walmart. There is a SDM on my university campus and it is always busy. The self checkouts are in use most of the time and it is convenient, because there is always a big line and you can tap and be on your way. However, I noticed the self-checkout at the SDM closer to my home are rarely used, which is good for me because I can be on my merry way.

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Originally Posted by coupongirl99

I don't even remember a time at our area Superstores where they bagged the groceries for the customer, it has always been self bag. As for the newly installed self serve check outs at our SDM. No one uses them - they sit empty and the line up for the 1 open till is usually long as quite frankly they have very limited use -credit or debit only - can't use them if you have cash or coupons or an item with a manager's sticker or buy lotto or bus tickets - the list goes on.

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What about those Saturdays when a local organization (high school, hockey team or cause) has youth hanging at checkout to bag your order with a donation box nearby? I see them at Fortinos (part of the Loblaws grocery family) somewhat regularly. As for bagging at Fortino's, it usually depends on the cashier if she or he bags and how many customers are in the lineup.

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Originally Posted by super807

Another oddball here. I love the self checkout at the grocery stores. In general, it's much faster for me, and most of the time I'm not doing a big shop. I like that at RCSS there are 6 self checkouts and only one line up for them. This means that if one person has a slowdown, it doesn't affect everyone in line the way it does at a cashier manned cashed. The self checkout also allows me to see if all the prices scanned properly while scanning items, and not have to make a stop at the often busy customer service desk on way out to have correction done.

I also liked when the RCSS here went to self-bagging about 7 or 8 years ago. Was so tired of cashiers packing my items in ways that made no sense (like putting cans on top of the bananas I carefully chose and getting them all bruised up). Our YIG still has the cashiers bagging.

With the self-checkout at SDM I have to be careful not to scan the item multiple times. It doesn't wait for the items to go into the bag before being able to scan again. I quickly found the delete item button on the SDM self-checkout, so it works.

In general the customer service offered at my RCSS, YIG and SDM is pretty good. But sadly I know that's not the case everywhere.

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I wonder if there continues to be a grocery bagging competition at the annual grocer convention? Do stores teach bagging to grocery cashiers or is it more learn from experience at the job?
I agree, sometimes bagging by cashier is not always how I'd like things put in. Especially if I fail to voice that I am rolling or carrying my stuff, so please put item X in this bag but Y & Z in those bags. It never fails to astound me how one cashier may try to put everything into one bag then kind of double-take when I say I cannot carry the order out like that.

I'll admit to using Sobey's self-checkout for a drink or say 5 items of groceries. But if I am feeling off or something, I prefer to wait in a cashier lineup for the use of a belt when I just cannot take the idea of self-scanning my items and pivoting to the metal bench next to scanner. Or if I'm redeeming Air Miles, I cannot use self-checkout.
When I had the chance to visit a Zehrs in a small town, I always used self-checkout for drinks since Saturdays were busy at 9am and lineups were long (and I was attending a club meeting upstairs in the store).

I'm going to take the self-checkout premise a bit further... When I shop at some stores in the US (Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale, and Stop & Shop to name a few)... they allow me to use my mobile phone to scan the UPC into their respective app as I put them in the cart, (or in case of Stop & Shop you use a scanner gun you pick up on entry to the store -- which you can only get if you're a loyalty card member).

Regardless, I scan the items as I put them in my cart so I really only have to handle them once. I actually have my bags in the cart and I'm bagging them as I go along.

When I get to the checkout and scan my membership card, the whole cart is processed in one fell swoop and I pay. -- At Sam's Club, I can pay for them right in the app and not even have to see a checkout. I just show my digital receipt at the door.

These are even faster because you only have to handle your items once when you pluck them off the shelf and cart/bag them.

In my backwoods area of Quebec, there's not much in the way of self-service. Sprawlmart is the only shop I can think of and I do tend to use that as I generally only have a few items.

Once when I used to self-serve checkout in Provigo in Montreal, I had to wait for another cashier to clear my alcohol purchase as I didn't have any ID on me*, that was annoying.

*I'd left my purse in the car with the brood and just took my PC and debit cards with me. I didn't make that mistake a second time.

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Originally Posted by bhlombardy

I'm going to take the self-checkout premise a bit further... When I shop at some stores in the US (Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale, and Stop & Shop to name a few)... they allow me to use my mobile phone to scan the UPC into their respective app as I put them in the cart, (or in case of Stop & Shop you use a scanner gun you pick up on entry to the store -- which you can only get if you're a loyalty card member).

Regardless, I scan the items as I put them in my cart so I really only have to handle them once. I actually have my bags in the cart and I'm bagging them as I go along.

When I get to the checkout and scan my membership card, the whole cart is processed in one fell swoop and I pay. -- At Sam's Club, I can pay for them right in the app and not even have to see a checkout. I just show my digital receipt at the door.

These are even faster because you only have to handle your items once when you pluck them off the shelf and cart/bag them.

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Oh, I love that. Handling everything only once sounds fabulous. I bring my own bags too, so would have no problem with this.

stop using self checkout. they kill jobs and all spending on credit / debit is tracked.
don't use it, it will go away.

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Originally Posted by dyalect

stop using self checkout. they kill jobs ...

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I still don't buy the "lost jobs" aspect of this debate and here's why:

The Sobey's and Superstore in my neighbourhood have as many cashiers working at any given time as they ever did. They have ALWAYS had at least 3 or 4 people working the checkouts before the self-serve lanes came in. They were only ever fully staffed at peak times. -- Now they STILL have 3 or 4 cashiers on at any given time, including the one person that oversees the self-serve checkouts. They are STILL fully staffed at peak times. The Sobeys in my neighbourhood only took away ONE actual full-service lane (not four) and put in FOUR self-serve checkouts, and there is ALWAYS one person working those... plus the original 3 (on off-peak times) working the other lanes. -- No loss of staff here.

The truth is, self-serve checkouts arent a staff-cutting strategy by retailers. It's actually a throughput and efficiency tactic which allows them to process more transactions per hour, increasing their volume throughput. As a shopper, if I see long lines that I do not want to wait in, I typically leave the store and abandon any thought of completing my purchase and I'll shop elsewhere. But when I see an alternative that is moving people through more quickly (ie: self checkout) , then I'm in... and THAT is what the retailers are hoping for.

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don't use it, it will go away.

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For self-serve checkouts to go away, you'd have to convince enough shoppers at every single store to not use them so that not even ONE self checkout EVER gets used. If even ONE of them is being used at any given time, then the store is still breaking even on the throughput model (one checkout to one attendant)... but I'm afraid those low numbers are not likely going to happen.

Neither will you see the full-service checkout disappear. There are still people using them. Want to know how I know??? Because I STILL see them in line at those checkouts. There are commonly people who have too large of an order to make self-serve even remotely practical for themselves -- and yes also there are those who might want to pay cash, or who want their groceries bagged for them, or who like to flirt with the cashier, or whatever their reason. (and also, these are not the people I want to be stuck behind!) Either way, the full-service lanes arent going to vanish either. Those jobs are safe. So please stop saying how self-serve checkouts are killing jobs... they arent.

Saying that using self-serve checkouts is killing cashier jobs is a bit like saying you shouldnt cook your own meals because you'll put professional chefs out of business. Or you shouldnt drive your own car because taxi and bus drivers need to earn a living. And better not grow your own vegetables in your backyard, or farmers are going to struggle! -- Seriously, there are plenty of people who use those services to keep them in business.

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...and all spending on credit / debit is tracked.

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On the credit/debit front:

Cash is practically obsolete. MOST people use credit & debit as their primary method of payment, regardless of where they are shopping, let alone the type of checkout. And especially if they are shopping for a family. Not many people with $150-$200 grocery orders are paying for them using cash... especially when plastic is so much easier, faster, and is more likely to garner you rewards of some sort. (and also, people with the $150-$200 family sized grocery order, arent going through the self-serve either... just saying)

As for being tracked:

All shopping with loyalty cards are tracked too... in fact that's the whole point of them. We get rewarded for letting them track our purchases. I've accepted that... so why should I care that Sobeys, AirMiles, or even Scotiabank knows what I've bought? I've got nothing to be ashamed of. If someone wants to know that I bought 12 boxes of Pop-tarts, so be it. What are they going to do with that information? ... wait, I dont care. All I know is that I just scored 200 AirMiles and 4% cashback on my Visa.

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Originally Posted by bhlombardy

Cash is practically obsolete. MOST people use credit & debit as their primary method of payment, regardless of where they are shopping, let alone the type of checkout.

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Remember when shoppers used to pay with cheques? I told my DD this and she's like "Whaaa?", LOL

The very odd time I go to Walmart I do like to use the self checkout....because I can unload all my change to pay for my order :) Collecting my change now for a freezer stock up :)

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Originally Posted by couponmummy

Remember when shoppers used to pay with cheques? I told my DD this and she's like "Whaaa?", LOL

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Yea, I do.. and if any one of them was ahead of me in line, I'd be PRAYING for a self-serve checkout!

The thing is that they can't raise prices, so they cut cost by making us part-time cashiers.

I actually prefer self-service. I have a face where strangers like to talk to, but I find small talk exhausting. I like the option of self-service, I just hate to be coerced.

You need to sort out your feelings. Do you really enjoy interaction with cashiers? Or do you hate to have to do the work yourself? Are you afraid of technology? I'm getting a vibe that you just hate change. If you do prefer cashier interaction, there are plenty of other stores you can use. You might have to pay a bit more and buy different brands.

For me, I absolute hate inefficiency. What I do is to use Amazon more. I buy my household cleaners and personal care from them. And I use Click & Collect service at Walmart and Fortino's for food. I even switched to Pilly for pharmacy delivery. I have cut my shopping down from 3 hours a week, to 1/2 hour a week.

I highly recommend click and collect because you pay the same prices, and no additional fee.

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Originally Posted by couponmummy

Remember when shoppers used to pay with cheques? I told my DD this and she's like "Whaaa?", LOL

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And not only personalized cheques, I remember using counter cheques - for those who don't know, there would just be a blank book of cheques at the till and you would fill in your address and account number.

Gah, I'm old.

I haven't used a self-service checkout, because I haven't been in-store grocery shopping since I became disabled.