Re: B&Q self checkout machines

[Tim W]

Dave Liquorice wibbled on Tuesday 27 October 2009 10:19

Indeed. The logic of this escapes me. If you want to nick it, don't scan it. And wrap it in foil to fool the nickage scanner by the door.

That makes more sense - spotting the extra item in the bag that's not been scanned. I suspect however, that the cameras are just doing video recording in case they want to investigate someone later - or just do a random survey of people fiddling the system.

I hate hover-activated drop down web menus. That disappear because you moved your mouse 1px off the valid items 3 submenus down. Or the lists that are too tall for the screen... Simple answer - they should be click activated menus and bloody stay there while I wibble my mouse about until I click again.

[Clot]

That is the only virtue of self scanning to me. At least a humanoid has not bashed all your goods to oblivion whilst scanning it!

[Owain]

Didn't you see Dispatches last night?

Crisps and chocolate cake are lower in salt and sugar than breakfast cereals!

Owain

[Owain]

They do run Windows for Checkouts.

Owain

[Frank Erskine]

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:55:52 -0700 (PDT), Owain had this to say:

No. I don't have a TV set.

[Owain]

You can help them by putting the 50p in yourself.

In the coupon hole.

What makes you think that history graduates don't get jobs on the checkouts? ... What makes me think that history graduates would know who Marie Antoinette was?

Last night on some rent-a-Sugar programme a graduate in "animation" tried, and failed, to get a job on Morrison's bakery. Do universities not give their offspring careers advice along the lines of "get a tie and a haircut, son"?

Owain

[Dave Liquorice]

It's a very rare checkout operator that mistreats the goods. I suspect they don't last long as checkout operators once they get a compliant or two against them or they modify their behaviour.

Checkout ops generaly have a brain unlike the shelf stackers, it's not quite a simple a job as it first appears.

[larkim]

shopping to be scanned, with the third item being some paint remover or white spirit, thus requiring confirmation that I was indeed over

1. The spotty youth putting the products through didn't notice the prompt on screen, and I think the other items beeped through. I think I saved close to =A360.

I had the kids with me, so paid without too much thought to how much it all cost, only to realise when I got home that a large amount of the items simply hadn't been charged for as he hadn't confirmed the prompt on screen.

I considered myself blameless - their mistake. Had I noticed at the time I suspect I would have had a moral problem with not telling him his mistake.

Matt

[Andrew May]

There is no advantage at the moment for the consumer. But just wait. In a couple of years time you will be expected to use them. There will still be manned checkouts for those who want them but there will be a £5.00 checkout fee it you do so.

If you buy alcohol or cigarettes they will introduce a £2.00 per item age verification fee.

You will be able to pay by credit card but there will be a £2.50 fee per transaction for doing so.

Need a trolley? You will have to put a pound coin the the slot to be able to use one. This is non-refundable.

Parking will be £5.00 for up to three hours.

A coffee and a Mars bar in the cafe will be £4.50.

But the groceries will be cheap :-)

Andrew

Who, you guessed it, flew with Ryanair over the weekend.

[PeterC]

Or Waitrose, where there are actual human beings of some intelligence on the tills.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd love to be under age and try to put some alcohol free Becks through the auto checkout at Tesco. Because it puts the flag up. Could be an interesting discussion... I'll bet there are products containing alcohol which don't flag it.

[PeterC]

Tescodroids don't breed as fast.

[michael adams]

In theory * as there's more than one checkout per queue there's less chance of getting stuck in a queue behind a customer who wants to change something, argue about a price demands to see the manager or where a bar code is missing.

• That is before automated checkouts became poplular and started to attract people who clearly don't have a clue as to how to use them.

They're also very handy for breaking up £20 notes hot out of the ATM if you need pound coins for parking meters etc with a smallish purchase. As you don't attract sour looks and or comments from the till operator. Although this clearly only applies in specific circumstances.

Thats in supermarkets. When I first saw them in B&Q I had to chack it wasn't April Ist TBH.

Oh and B&Q want to charge 5P for their cheapo carrier bags I noticed.

michael adams

...

[tim....]

The fact that almost no-one except me queues up to use them.

An advantage that will disappear when they are the only option :-(

tim

[PeterC]

Defenestration 1618?

[tim....]

The problem with faster scanning is that you are still held up by the 50% of the population who insisting on bagging everything before even thinking about getting their purse out of their handbag with which to pay.

tim

[Scott M]

Always been a problem with Windoze as wheely-mice weren't about when the event model was written in about 1986.

However, there are a couple of utilities about that solve this - the best one I've found is a bit of Freeware called KatMouse. Scrolls the non-focussed window you're over instead of the one with focus. Makes using Windows slightly less painful.

[Tim W]

PeterC wibbled on Tuesday 27 October 2009 13:42

I notice that both my local Waitroses (Tonbridge and Paddock Wood) always seem to have the same faces around, even after umpteen years - and we're not talking the older generation either. And nothing's too much trouble for them.

Says something about them, if they can attract, train and retain a good calibre of staff.

[Andrew May]

Could you try buying it at one of the times when their licence forbids them to sell alcohol?

[Dave Liquorice]

How long have scroll wheel mice been about? Why hasn't the interface had this added?

Does it add automatic focus switch (after a few seconds) on mouse over? Having to click a window (and selecting something or perform another unintended action is a right PITA. I guess most doze users haven't used anything other than doze so don't realise how awful it really is.