Self service checkouts in B&Q

[R D S]

B'bye!

Our local B&Q have binned them off, took a long time for them to admit it, but they have, they aren't helping anybody!

Sainsbury's, are you watching?

[Brian Reay]

The ones in our local B&Q work quite well.

[Chris Hogg]

I shop at both Tesco's and Sainsbury's. I almost always use the self service checkout in Tesco's, but had so much hassle with the ones in Sainsbury's that I no longer use them.

[alan_m]

The problem is that the B&Q point of sales equipment sits on top of a computer system that was only state of the art in the 1980s. B&Q cannot even support contactless card payments.

As a result a member of staff has to intervene in self service tills in

90% of transactions.

[alan_m]

So you haven't been asked to put the 4 bags of sand (variable weight depending on wetness) on the scales and found that the position of the scales gives an non ideal position for lifting them off again?

[Brian Gaff]

I don't think either the tech or the humans are quite ready for this yet. The way to go is the Amazon way in the states where the cameras and other sensors can keep track of what you get and charge you with no interaction whatsoever. Brian

[tim...]

I suspect the hugely different types/quantities of items that people need to checkout makes the comparison invalid

tim

[tim...]

I'd really like to test that and see if it works accurately.

I suspect not

tim

[Martin Brown]

Are you sure they are still there? The ones from ours vanished recently.

[michael adams]

The reason for their demise may not be entirely unconnected with B&Q's potential liability for damages, should anyone injure themselves when lifting stuff on and off such scales.*

When employees of a company are required to lift similar weights, mere exhortation isn't considered sufficient. They need to be actuallly drilled in the correct method - bend the knees blah blah blah.**

michael adams

*More especially as back pain and back injuries are supposedly easy to feign.

*According to the training episode in "the Office" at least. Unless of course Gareth Keenan was simply making it all up, with the connivance of David Brent, simply so as impress the new bit of totty.

...

[R D S]

Whatever, i'd love to see the back of them and have manned tills instead.

Complete PIA if you are buying anything age restricted. Which I often.

[Scott]

I find Sainsbury's works better than Morrisons - fewer error messages.

[Scott]

Sexist bas***d :-)

[R D S]

Dammit!

Obviously I meant personned.

[Scott]

I realised that :-)

[S Viemeister]

Or perdaughtered...

[Roger Hayter]

Staffed is good.

[S Viemeister]

Yes.

[Steve Walker]

But discriminates against contract workers :)

SteveW

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think that annoys me about Tesco is it no longer weighs your own bag first

- as the last software did. So more often than not needs an assistant to reset it. Unless you run everything through first, then load into your own bags afterwards. Which slows things down.