NEVER EVER use self-checkout.......

[Joe the Liberal]

Or no let me rephrase that, NEVER EVER shop at Wal-mart, on second thought, don't do either.

I was visiting my parents for thanksgiving today and they were pretty busy. We had a few other relatives coming over too so they were getting everything ready. I got there early and my parents needed a few other things like drinks, napkins and a few other random items. Since my parents were busy I said I would go to the store and pick them up real quick. I hate going to Wal-mart but it was within walking distance (about 2 blocks) of the house and why bother wasting gas to go elsewhere for such a small task?

Anyways I get to Wal-mart, get everything and go to the self-checkout, I don't know why I decided to go with self-checkout but I would soon regret it :banghead:. I scan my items, which comes out to a total of about 14 dollars so I hit "finish and pay" then "pay with cash". I then put in a 20 dollar bill and.......nothing happens, I wait and still nothing. The "amount paid" still says $0.00 paid, so I call the cashier lady and tell her about it, she doesn't know what to do so she calls over another lady. This new lady is very rude and mean, I tell her what happened and that this thing stole my 20 dollar bill. She tells me that there is nothing she can do and that I will have to wait until they audit the machine which doesn't happen until tomorrow. If the machine is 20 dollars over they will call me and tell me to come get my 20 dollar bill back. I left my name and number and took my items to an actual person this time and got the hell out of there. :mad:

Now I must wait to see if I will get MY 20 dollar bill back, which I doubt, I mean what's to stop them from just taking it and calling me a liar? The rude lady even opened the machine up and took all the money out of it and put it in some blue money bag so what kind of audit can be done if money has been taken out of the machine prior to the actual audit? The only proof I have would be the store cameras but I have no access to them, and again what's to stop them from just saying that they (the cameras) weren't working that day or something? I basically went there and got robbed of 20 dollars, not to mention I had to pay AGAIN for my items. :grr:

Live and learn, I know it's only 20 dollars but still, It was stolen from me by THEIR piece of crap machines through no fault of my own and I'm entitled to get it back. If I don't get that call tomorrow to come get my money back I don't know what I'll do, I guess I'll just have to go back and talk to the manager and see if he/she can do anything. Lesson learned: NEVER EVER use self-checkout, the cashiers are faster anyways and more efficient. Also never shop at Wal-mart (unless you have too of course, to save money and all that), like I said the lady was extremely rude and mean but it's just an asshole of a company all around although I think we all know this by now. :mad: :mad: :mad: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

:rant:

[blockhead]

1. tell them to bring your money to YOU.

[Joe the Liberal]

2. Lol assuming they don't just take it for themselves. n/t

[david13]

3. I have used the self check out many many times, and never had

any problem. And the atm a few times, and never any problem.
dc

[vadawg]

7. lol are you implying its operator error rofl

[jobycom]

4. You live in a different world than me.

When I go to Walmart, the "human" checkout lines are long and slow, and they are far more likely screw things up than the self-checkout lanes. I cringe when the SC lanes aren't open. I quit shopping at one grocery store because they didn't have self-checkout, and they always screwed up. Once they managed to keep my debit card open and charged the person behind me on my card. I bought about 8 bucks of stuff, they bought about 150 bucks. Didn't mak my checking account happy.

Always use self-checkout, never use cash, is my motto.

[blueamy66]

27. $150 worth of stuff at the SC

That would have taken me over an hour to check out myself.

:7

[1gobluedem]

5. I hate self checkout

I've never gone to one where the scanner recognized everything I was buying. I always have to get the clerk. Plus if you're buying alcohol you have to go to the clerk, if you have a bottle return slip you have to go to the clerk; it's not worth it. And it puts humans out of jobs.

And I hate WalMart even more. I've only set foot in one once in my life, didn't buy anything and will never, ever go back.

[Odin2005]

6. I hate self-checkout.

So fucking confusing and prone to errors. The only time I ever used it I flipped out and came close to having an autistic meltdown because of the frustration. Never again, ugh...

[donheld]

8. Love Self-Checkout, and use them all the time

[phasma ex machina]

17. +1

[rcrush]

9. They wait until the next day to count a register till?

Walmart is weird.

[elleng]

10. Never done that at walmart (never shop there)

but would NEVER happen like that at grocery stores where I do self-check out! Always have very attentive and nice cashier ladies or gentlemen there!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

:hi:

[old mark]

11. We shop Walmart all the time - sometimes 4 times a week - and have very little trouble

with self checkout. It sometimes is a little slow to respond. If you just wait for it to go through its program, it's fine.

mark

[madmom]

12. I used to work at Wal-mart and I can tell you that is NOT standard operating procedure...

Should have asked to see the store manager, if they refused to give your money back.

[rcrush]

20. Is it odd that they didnt want to count the register until the next day

What places operate like that? Arent you suppose to count the register after each shift? Thats how I did it at any store I worked or managed.

[Maine-ah]

43. yep, me too.

normally they would have shut it down right there and pulled an audit. But, when I worked there, they didn't have self check outs yet.So maybe those are done differently :shrug:

[rurallib]

13. As a union friend of min e told me. Self-checkout = lost jobs

Ergo, I never ever use them. I will wait in line for 10 minutes or more before I use a self-checkout.

[Orrex]

14. I wonder about that, at least locally

My grocery store had 15 check-out lanes, of which I never saw more than 10 open with a cashier. A few years ago they swapped out the five generally unused registers with self-checkout lanes, while the other 10 registers remain open with cashiers.

I know that my local store's practices don't translate to a national policy, but at least in the case of my local store it doesn't seem that jobs were lost. Heck, when they closed their DVD rental section, the workers there were moved to jobs elsewhere in the store, so the store at least appears to make an effort.

[rurallib]

21. It was probably an overly simplistic statement, -

but when I am in a grocery store that has self-checkout that thought always goes through my mind. Even if it is a part-time high school job.

[dembotoz]

26. not overly simplistic and i see fewer high school kids doing checkout

Several i know have been layed off from other places and the local food store was the only place that would hire them.

No self check out.

[FlyingTiger]

35. So, who builds and maintains the self-checkout machines?

And monitors them, audits them, installs new programming, etc.? Checkout fairies?

[Taitertots]

38. You do realize that is totally insane, right

Why don't we stop using modern agricultural equipment to save jobs?
Why don't they stop using electric floor cleaners and use only brooms? That would create some jobs.

Opposing efficiency in the interest of job prevention is the antithesis of progress.

[Stargazer99]

40. I'd rather deal with a human that can think in parallel

than a machine that is stupid as hell

[Taitertots]

41. Ok, you think people offer better service

That is absolutely different than wanting to protect jobs. I'm not all together sure why you posted that as a response, considering it has nothing to do with what I posted about.

[mix]

15. i admit, i avoid self checkout

but i will give it a spin next time

[elocs]

16. I used the self checkout, once. At K-Mart, I think.

I only had a few things and when I scanned the first item the machine screamed "void" or something equally stupid over and over. That was it for me.

My philosophy now is that unless I am getting a serious discount I am already paying for someone to check me out. Also, I think it is intuitive that the big stores would look at self checkout as a way to eliminate jobs. Maybe that cashier, even at Walmart, is a neighbor of mine. They probably need the job and I don't see why I should do anything to facilitate the store in eliminating jobs.

[Joe the Liberal]

18. UPDATE: I got my money back.....

So I didn't get a call back this morning which got me angry as I started the day off. So I decided to go back and see what happened to my money. Simply put I walked in an talked to a nice elderly lady at the customer service desk who got me my money back after I explained everything which is great because I didn't think I'd ever see that money again. :D :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :D

[hedgehog]

19. You are to be commended for returning to tell the rest of the story.

[Blue Diadem]

28. I'm glad you got your money back.

Thanks for updating the story.

[hippywife]

22. I never use them in any store.

The more popular they become, the fewer jobs will be available. It's as simple as that.

[Orrex]

23. Yeah! And let's get rid of ATMs, too!

[oregonjen]

24. I used one at my local Albertson's and it didn't register a sale item

I wanted to buy spaghetti sauce, the one on sale, 30 cents off. At the self-checkout, the sauce on sale came up regular price, so I flagged a clerk down, she went and checked the price, saw it was on sale and gave me the item free. I was confused at first, but if their sale items come up regular price, we get the item free. Pretty nice.

[pitohui]

25. are you serious? nawwwww

they just don't like you, when this happens to me, they open the machine right there and get it out, it ain't rocket science?

is it because i'm blonde?

don't hate on me now because i'm blonde...

there are always cops just outside at my walmart, why didn't you request one of them because you wanted to report missing/stolen funds?

i would not accept "maybe we'll give you the money tomorrow" as an answer and i bet the cop wouldn't either!

i'm pretty sure you got scammed, honey, they're not treating everyone like this

this ain't walmart, this is a couple of bad employees in cohoots methinks

[mnhtnbb]

29. I never use anything but the debit card at self check out for groceries and I rarely

use self check out because I hate it. And I NEVER go to Mal-Wart unless I have tried every other
possible store first.

[nytemare]

30. I stopped shopping at walmart because of those machines.

I used to work nights, and would grocery shop early morning after I got off. The store only had one 10 item or less register open, and the self-check aisles. When you have 20-30 items, and the machine screams out "please place item in bag" after EVERY item scanned when you have put the item in the bag, it can become tiresome.

What aggravated me is that my groceries alone could pay the salary of a real employee 4 to 5 times. I asked the manager why they could not have at least one regular aisle open for shoppers who had a good number of items, and got some mumbling about the hour of day and that I could go to the express aisle if I wanted.

I never had problems with self-check machines at other stores. Of course, in the other stores, the self-check aisle was a choice, and I only had a few items, and I didn't get a parrot nagging me after every item.

[Orrex]

32. The Walmart in my town shuts down its self-checkout lanes after 11:00 PM

And I don't think that they offer an express lane after that time, either. However, they doo keep half a dozen "full service" cash registers open.


Could be different in your area, of course, but it never occurred to me that they'd operate the self-checkouts so late.

[nytemare]

33. Your area Walmart seems to have more sense.

Perhaps my local one has changed. I'm not sure though, as I haven't been back there in about 2 years. My local Target has about the same prices, and the shelves are neat and stocked.

Wow, they keep 6 or so registers open? Mine had one express lane and the self check. I might have still been shopping at Walmart, were it not for the self-checks. I must say, I do like having the shelves look neat. That comes from blocking shelves in high school at my local grocery, though.

:)

[rcrush]

42. I would get pissed when our Walmart did that at night

In my old job I would get out of work at 2 am and Walmart is the only place open to buy food. But when I get there theres always 2 regular check outs open full of idiots and none of the self check outs are working. I'm thinking "WTF It doesnt take anybody to run these things! Why cant at least 1 be open!?"

I thought that the night manager was just too lazy to count the registers so they didnt even put any out. I knew a few people like that.

[pitohui]

31. ok i'm gonna tell you a cool thing to do for self check out

please use this power only for good not for evil

in other words, do it only when you don't have a million people waiting their turn

but i like to bring my coin bucket and pay in pennies, you get full value for the pennies (unlike coin star) and you would never use the pennies otherwise so it's a kick, it's like getting the item for free

i'm guilty of doing this for as much as $14 and some cents at a time

...!

[gmoney]

34. You can avoid Coinstar fees by getting a gift card

You can take your money in Amazon gift certificate (or other stores/restaurants) and you get full value for your coins... good if you shop at one of those places anyway. I get a lot of stuff on Amazon, so it's perfect for me.

[Digit]

36. I like it!

My local grocery store shuts down the regular lanes late in the evening which forces you to use the self-checkout.

I am sensitive to the fact that using the SC during the day may mean loss of jobs and I think SC is more time consuming anyway, so I avoid them even if it means waiting in line.

Your idea is a way for me to quietly protest and get my pennies cashed.

My credit union also has a coin counter and there is no charge if you are depositing it into your account but I like your way MUCH better.

[Turbineguy]

37. I can't use them.

They seem to be too technical.

[Moondog]

39. The Wally World in my area

used to have self check out, but they tore them all out and replaced them with check-out people a couple of months ago, as part of a larger remodel job and attempt to compete with Target.

[rebel with a cause]

44. Have had this same thing happen to me several times when

cashiers short changed me and in different stores than just Wal-Mart. The next day they have always apologized but it really teed me off when it happened. One woman did it to me in a mall some years back and I even saw her pocket the change. I complained but nothing was done and they flatly refused to even check into it. Two days later I saw in the paper that this was a racket that some people had done during the Christmas rush. 'You think!'