"Express" (hah!) Scan-it-yourself checkouts

[Pete C.]

The self checkouts are very variable. You quickly learn which stores have ones that work properly and which don't and you choose whether to use them based on that.

[Jules Richardson]

I wonder how much weight they'll take before they break? Might be interesting to try...

[Steve B]

== The only reason for these DIY machines is because WalMart started the practice to save paying for cashiers. The rest of the stores like a bunch of friggin rats after the infamous Piedpiper, followed suit. Our local Co-op put in four DIY checkout thingies. Most of the time they sit there unused but a "supervisor" hovers around doing nothing most of the time but available in case customers are "having trouble"...what a bunch of CRAP. ==

I find that those supervisors are infinitely more capable of handling problems and making decisions on the fly than those at the regular check out lines. I walked away from $300 worth of goods one day because the clerk couldn't get a supervisor to come, the line was building, and they couldn't figure that if a bag of ten was $3, that if I only had five, it would be $1.50.

Roy, if you don't like it, just don't go there. I bet you're running out of places to shop, or even places that haven't 86'd you.

Steve

[Pete C.]

Well, at the Mal-Warts around here the self checkouts certainly haven't eliminated cashier positions. All the Mal-Warts around here have like 40 regular staffed registers, most of which are open, another 8 express staffed registers, most of which are open, and another 8 self checkout registers in two groups of 4 each with one staff person. I see it as being about options.

[gfretwell]

Just throw something else, about the same weight, in the bag from your cart without scanning it. "Pot's right?" keep going.

[gfretwell]

An 80 pound bags of concrete didn't break it but it popped up a message about getting assistance. I guess they figured you could sneak $100 worth of router bits on the scale with a bag of concrete and it wouldn't notice the difference. Those bags are far from a precision fill.

[Dave]

And my local Walmart ripped theirs out because too many rip off artists not scanning everything. All attended slow check outs now.

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You didn't drop it from high enough.

[gfretwell]

You won't hurt the scale. It is just a slotted wheel counting pulses. The platform still bottoms out on a hard surface.

[Jon Danniken]

We have them at the Wal*Mart's here in Eugene. Personally, I vastly prefer them; they are faster and less hassle than having to deal with a cashier, and I can be more efficient with the bagging.

Jon

[Red Green]

[e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Then, they shouldn't object :-)

Wheel over one of the rack ladders if you have to. Wear a Mythbusters shirt.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

If I may be permitted a comparison with another country:

The Australian Dollar is pretty much equal to the US Dollar. Australia's minimum wage is $15/hr. Australian workers get a minimum of four weeks paid leave per year (shift workers get five weeks), and some contracts prescribe that this holiday pay is paid at a rate 17.5% higher than the regular rate -- because going on vacation tends to be more expensive then normal living. Australian workers get eight paid national holidays per year, plus two paid State holidays per year. There is no time limit on unemployment benefits. Australians pay a 1.5% surcharge on taxable income as a health insurance premium -- so even those who are unemployed still have health insurance. Australian universities do not charge tuition to citizens and bona fide residents. The Australian economy is booming. It recently reported its ninth straight year of economic growth.

Perce

[Pete C.]

Well, here in Texas, I'm sitting at my desk working from home as I do every day, making approximately $45/hr, with four weeks of paid vacation per year plus 10 paid holidays, and I contribute approximately 1.25% of my pay towards my very good health insurance.

[Pete C.]

The self checkout setup they have at Mal-Wart seems to be one of the better ones that responds faster and is less likely to get confused than those at a lot of other places. Unfortunately they're still at Mal-Wart so I avoid them and the rest of Mal-Wart as much as possible.

[Larry W]

You mean like in 1982/1983 when unemployment hit 10.8% ?

[gfretwell]

How big a problem do Australians have with illegal immigration, or even legal immigration?

It is basically a "closed shop".

Maybe we should send you 20 or 30 million people who will work for $50 a day, still expecting all of those "free" services and see what happens to your economy.

[Larry W]

I'm offended by top-posters, because it is contrary to the normal usenet custom. I think usenet users should learn the native method.

[Roy]

=3D=3D Its the ONLY store in town and I am a part owner (membership). I would have to drive another 40 miles to another town for the same type of facility. =3D=3D

[Jon Danniken]

The quickest ones I have found are the ones at the local Krogers (dba Fred Meyer). Walmarts are also pretty responsive.

The absolute worst are the ones at Albertson's. They take a minimum of two seconds to respond to a key press, and at times up to 10 seconds to sit there and process a simple binary command.

Jon

[Percival P. Cassidy]

There is some illegal immigration: stowaways and overstays, plus a northern coastline that is not easy to police 100%. I think that legal immigration is still being encouraged -- for people with money to invest in starting a business.

In earlier times, immigration was on a much larger scale: at one time, it was said, Melbourne was the third-largest Greek-speaking city in the world; I don't know whether it's still true.

Where are you getting the "20 or 30 million" figure? Is that the number of allegedly illegal immigrants in the USA? A pro-rated figure for Australia would be approx. 2 million.

I'm not sure how illegal immigrants would avail themselves of the health care service because they wouldn't have the necessary ID.

Perce