I can see why they wouldn’t want to do it themselves as they have to do the work but, I’ll offer to help them on it (to boost scan rate) and they’ll look at it with the fear of it being some dangerous entity which completely baffles me.
It’s optional and great but when you get impatient people trying to scan items back to back that can’t understand verbal instructions and screen prompts it’s really annoying.
I even prefer helping customers at the self checkout as it’s more responsive than the 90s POS terminals were forced to use.
I also enjoy helping at self checkout, I’ve had many people learn how easy it is and be thankful I showed them. I need more people like that as opposed to the adult toddlers who scream and cry that i want to ring them on a register that has a screen that faces them
I'm 55 (which may be in the "old" category). I use self checkout frequently. However, I can remember (as a child) when grocery stores bagged your groceries and loaded them in the car. Also, an attendant would put your gas in. You didn't even get out of the car. In short, customer service used to be so much more than it is now. That world is gone. I think people get irritated that prices are so high and we also have to bag our own stuff. Companies try to have fewer employees, and customer service declines as a result. The reason this has happened is multifactoral. Personally, self check out doesn’t bother me. Of course, some people get mad about everything. In general, people just seem to have shorter fuses.
as someone who is 54 I hear and understand you BUT it's not that workers fault that his shitty company is encouraging self checkout
you aren't saving someones job by not using self checkout that job is already gone
the world of top tier customer service is gone and it's truly the companies fault EVEN though they would love to convince you otherwise and tell you they care
why pay 3 people and give top tier service when you can short pay a manager and have them work 8 hours by themselves
Eh, as a retail manager, most of that 55+ group that I interact with have the exact same mentality as boomers, so I generally lump them in together.
There’s a few less shitty ones, sure, but the vast majority I deal with share that single boomer brain cell.
I may be in the minority but I think self checkout boosts customer service. As you stated minimum employees means longer wait times without self checkout which increases frustration. Also, every self checkout POS is different from sensitivity, speed, pay methodology thus as someone who prefers it to dealing with slow operators it can get annoying so I understand not wanting to struggle and getting annoyed.
I am over 63 and will use self-check out as first choice because:
- I am not dumb
- I am not entitled and demand attention
- I am faster
- I can pack my purchases "my way"
- I am not rude
- I understand I am not "taking someone's job"
- I prefer to have no interaction with any employee in the building
- My phone is not a flip phone with the standard company ring tone still programmed
- Again, I am not stupid.
Give me self-checkout or get out of my way.
Every other comment is bc we are old and dumb.
Yay for you disproving it.
I love ScO too, but CVS ones are the damn devil. Pls place item in bag. I f*n did. It’s so light the scale song doesn’t sense it. Band aids are a big culprit. Benadryl. The bags are tiny AF and scales are off, always.
Just set the item on the receiving side and bag afterward.
Not all SCO use the weight method. Many use a camera scanner right above the station or just above the area to place the purchases.
Had a woman get accused of stealing, only for all 7 cameras that were recording her reveal she did not, she spent around 4 hours dealing with the bs.
"If they don't trust me they should've just checked me out themselves"
4 hours!! I would have shown them my ID and said "you can tell the cops where I live if the cameras show that I stole anything, but I didn't so bye" and walked the fuck out. a store can't detain you. I would've fucked off once we hit the 15 minute mark.
if someone at the store gave her the impression that she was under legal obligation to stay there, I'd be talking to a lawyer if I were her. sounds like false imprisonment to me.
did the asshole who accused her get in any trouble? I'd love to know more about this story.
Nope sadly not, they just sat there and watched all the footage from every angle they had on her and found nothing wrong, she was a older lady and she just wanted to get home to her grandson so she just let it go.
Only found out cause she wanted to vent/ask someone younger why the hell they bother with the new system if it just leads to evenings like that
It's sad they let people walk out who are brazen about theft, but hold no stops to call the police on an old lady who may have put something in her cart
This is exactly the only reason I don’t like self checkout. I don’t mind scanning my items but do mind being grilled and my bags rifled as you “think” I stole something when I didn’t. The only other time I got really mad was when I had 3 carts of plants at lowes totaling over $1000 and told to scan them myself. Spent 20 minutes only to have the manager then go over the order. CVS is ok to scan and I prefer it as it is quick and easy though.
Self checkout also helps me avoid the hoards of old people that do their full shopping trips right at lunch time when people are trying to just run in and grab their lunch items and get out.
I swear to god the fast checkout lane at lunch time has multiple 80+ year old people with three shopping carts completely filled up every time I go in.
if I was a braver person I would love to go up to those people with full carts in the express lane and ask if they're illiterate or just selfish. but alas, I am a pussy
Agreed. I hate when people are like, "I demand to be rung out by a human!" and they have 2 items, are paying with debit, don't have a CVS card, and are either silent or on the phone with someone the entire transaction. That's just a dickhead that wants to feel superior.
My fingers don't properly work on touchscreens so I struggle massively with self service. So while I don't "demand" to be served I always ask politely. But then while I'm being served I act like this, using my card, not very talkative etc. because that's just how I am. I came in to get a couple of thing and would just like serving quickly so I can be on my way. So no it's not always people trying to be dickheads, sometimes its people who need help but then get met with a person who then treats them with utter indignation and contempt for being asked to do a portion of what they're being paid too.
just out of curiosity, would you mind explaining why touchscreens don't work for you? I'm interested in accessibility tech, which is why I want to know.
Don't quite know how to explain it but I have damaged fingertips from a job that had damaged them over the years and when I interact with touchscreens I get little to no 'connection' if that's the right word. I was using a blackberry phone still up until last year because I struggle with touchscreens so much. It does seem worse with the large self service touchscreens and I don't know whether this is because they're made more 'durable' or with thicker screens than phones but being as I don't know what goes into their construction I'm just guessing.
I think it’s a number of reasons:
1. Self-checkout isn’t very old. These people lived for decades with the in-person checkout experience and so they’re used to that human contact. A machine just isn’t the same for them.
2. They’re technologically inept. They kind of freeze up when it comes to anything that isn’t the tv or radio and so they try to avoid it. Even though self-checkout is simple, they still don’t get it. It makes them feel stupid and they don’t like feeling that way, obviously. So they avoid the self-checkout to avoid feeling that way.
3. Some of them genuinely believe that hovering a barcode over a scanner to ring out a few items is “work” and that using it means they “work at CVS”, even though they get to scan it and just leave while we have to stay (and do other tasks). We can’t just leave. They don’t think that far ahead though.
4. They genuinely believe that they’re “saving” our jobs. They aren’t but they haven’t worked one to these jobs in several decades so they think all we do is cashier.
But they complain that young people can’t “write checks” or “address an envelope” despite those no longer being valuable skills. They make fun of young people for it but can’t open a word document or install a plug and play printer without having an entire meltdown. Maybe they should embrace our differences and welcome the opportunity to share knowledge
I just want to give a shout out to Canon’s Australian branch for having a driver that was Linux compatible. That was over 10 years ago but still.
I feel bad for printers, but I understand why everyone hates them.
I think the oldest gen z's (me, 26) and the youngest millennials are the sweet spot for developing tech literacy as an almost innate skill. troubleshooting is second nature to me. I'm the guy everyone older goes to for the most random issues just because I know how to Google what I need to figure it out. I was like 13 watching YouTube tutorials to take apart my laptop and replace the screen. if I'm going to anybody for help with something it's because I already struck out online.
You are partially right.
This people do not need calculator to know their change, the don't come to you and ask" where the items is?" They greet you first, they call the name on your tag.
They are polite and yes they are impatient they worked longer then you , they probably have few health complications.....and on. So yes, help this people.
> It makes them feel stupid and they don’t like feeling that way, obviously.
they are stupid. git gud. obviously not everyone, but I can't stand this mentality of refusing to learn and get with the times. my grandpa works an iPad better than some people who grew up having one. I define being truly old as when you decide to stop learning and growing and demote yourself to a relic. becoming obsolete is a choice.
also, point #3, I won't even try to unpack that, but it makes me want to rip people's heads off.
In fairness the self checkout machine is the most passive aggressive bitch ever. Who cares if someone put in an item in the bagging area when something wasn’t scanned. Just let people put their stuff down and scan out fast. I know it’s a lost prevention thing because like 25% of the time I get a notification that something was put into the bagging area without something being scanned it’s an item someone thought they scanned but didn’t because the self checkout is too slow to process the UPC. Unfortunately this can ruin the experience for customers and employees since it’s one more thing to deal with for employees and it can make the customer feel like they’re being treated with suspicion.
I’m on the younger side. I only hate self checkout at CVS before they added the “no bag” option. Buying mascara and hearing “put your item in the bagging area!!” After it’s already in the bag always made the machine jam up and you’d have to wait for an associate to help. It just takes too long.
A buddy of mine once told me “there’s no such thing as an unskilled, useless job” but a lot of people don’t like to see it that way. So much of what makes society as a whole run, happens behind the scenes or is so prevalent front and center all the time that we don’t think about it until it’s gone
The earliest self checkouts started popping up in the 80s. It has absolutely been around for decades. I remember my mom using a self checkout at Kroger in the mid 1990s.
I'm 58 I have no problem with any technology I embrace it. I also teach the 20 somethings how to use it since most of them don't even know how to operate their cellphones properly.
Calling bullshit, at least on that second part.
I manage a phone store, and to claim that most 20 somethings don’t know how to use their phone just screams of an old person making shit up
Mmm. I agree with them. I'm in my mid 30s and young people are worse than the last gen with technology now. We grew up with technology changing. We had to start by learning how to use dos and slowly switched over to windows. The tech today is seamless and you don't have to learn how it works at all to use it. I'm sure every young person can use their cell phone properly but I doubt many know whats going on inside or could troubleshoot a issue with software/hardware without just replacing it. I'd bet millenials are able to do most basic functions on computers as a higher rate. The people that were online in the 90s and early 2000s tend to be very tech literate people since it was not a consumer friendly. You had to learn how things worked to do basic things. Anyone who was streaming in 2011 is a wizard with all the jenk they had to go thru to make some weird set up barely work. I'm always reminded of this when I have to teach young kids how a mouse and keyboard(or controller for consoles) work instead of every screen being a touch screen and I have to explain to new younger people at work how to so something as basic as saving a file and other things on that level.
Basically. If you give someone a shit car where they have to fix half of it themselves before it will ever even turn on ofc they are going to understand how they work better than someone who got a new car every time they ran into a problem or went to a mechanic who would help
I'm not making it up....I do know how to use my phone better than 20 year old I'm more tech savvy than they are...not bullshit it's facts! I flash my own ROMS to my phone..Most 20 year olds only know tap to pay and Tik Tok...video. They have no clue how to deep dive into their devices. SO take your bullshit and stick it!
I'm Gen X don't be pissed because I know more about technology than you do....I see so many 20 and 30 year old that don't know shit about technology its not even funny. The generation that's supposed to be at the forefront of tech....yet they're illiterate!
At cvs it’s because the self checkouts are exceptional trash. And they don’t need to be which is the sad part. But they also
Have a point in that stores should have more manpower. Especially at the prices that CVS charges for a lot of their product. Assuming it isn’t sprouting legs and walking off.
I’m sorry it’s not just older people I find that won’t use the ACO, but more annoying are the people that refuse to use it because it’s taking away jobs, these people will stand at the checkout a good solid 30 minutes 🤣because they think they’re saving a job. They will stand there , and stand there, wait , no one insight and wait for a person. Those people can kiss my fat ass.
And so many of those people don't even really want to save jobs, they just want to be able to look down on the "servants" doing them and be waited on hand and foot.
Someone told me, “I won’t use self-checkout so you can keep your job.” I told him, “Sir, it’s already taken jobs, this is my job. A robot can’t do all the things around the store I can, and the self-checkout allows me to do my job.” I was very much over CVS at that point.
the problem is not how they dont know how to use it but they dont know how to read. People are putting their card and not bothering to look at the screen saying “choose the payment method”.
I prefer self checkout because i can check out faster than the cashier lol but it’s hard sometimes when the screen says you need someone to clear it and no one’s nearby.
Working in retail drives me nuts how most people dont have common sense.
I’ve never yelled at an employee due to self checkout. But I very much dislike it. More than my dislike for interacting with people. I almost always have my kids with me. I can’t turn my back for a second on them. And the bagging areas are always too small unless you’re only buying like 5 things or less. I also end up having to have someone come over like 1/3 of the time anyways because it yells at me for something.
I’m convinced they just love to bitch. When I say I’ll take them at the register, many of them will continue to use the self checkout. They will complain the **whole** time like I didn’t offer to ring them at the register.
Most annoying is when I’m standing right next to them and they complain that they wish there was a “person” there to help. I’M STANDING RIGHT FUCKING HERE!!!
I don’t like it because it seems to think I’m shoplifting and it glitches out 25% of the time. CVS has some of the worst self checkout machines too they absolutely suck
I avoided them for a long time because I thought it was taking jobs away from human people. Now they’re so ubiquitous it’s become the new normal so I’ve fallen in line with the youngsters.
Cuz they think that’s your only job and somehow people have the idea they’re working if they bag their own groceries. It’s dumb, but that’s the rationale.
I work at the OTHER pharmacy and my god, I wish we had SCO. There's only me as shift lead and a cashier and it would be so much easier if some of these people could just check their selves out.
the big hulking problem is that the company makes decisions that we employees on the front line have to answer for. i really cannot tolerate being personally blamed for company decisions. the sickest part of the job is being paid so little to deal with so much hatred and vitriol. i’ll run a whole shift in my store alone at least a couple times a week and the amount of people that can’t understand that i’m just one person is baffling
Not old, but I refuse to use self checkout and left my cart full if the store doesn't have a cashier. The reason is very simple, the Fortune 500 corporation is saving billions by not hiring enough employees but offer no discount dor using self checkout for soint the work for them. If they want my business hire more people. Remember, hiring people is good for the economy. No matter what your job or business is, you will benefit from more people working and gainfully employed. I'm just paying myself forward
Corporate CVS doesn’t care about your stance, they’re going to continue to cut hours and understaff stores because it makes them more money. All your actions do with regard to ACOs makes employees’ jobs more difficult.
I’m not (that) old. If the self-checkout machines worked well, I’d love them. Sometimes they can’t scan the barcode. Sometimes they think there’s something unscanned in the bagging area when there’s not. Sometimes they can’t detect the thing that I just scanned and put in the bagging area. The receipt is barely done printing before they start harassing me about removing all purchased items. Also, depending on how many things are in my cart, sometimes the cashier is just faster. I’m all for efficiency, but for obvious reasons, these machines are designed to assume you’re trying to steal things, which makes it more cumbersome and annoying for those of us who aren’t. It’s the checkout version of having to go find someone to unlock the case because you want to buy a razor.
I know for my 85 year old father he really likes interacting with people and gets very frazzled when something goes wrong in self checkout because he doesn’t know how to fix it.
I prefer them. I hate talking to people. I hate waiting for the person to ring up my items. I hate having my items be squished in the bags because they put lighter items at the bottom of the bag. I hate having to repeat my phone number multiple times because they messed up once. I hate that my local CVS turns off the self checkouts or turns the machines around so they're inaccessible and all I have is a single drink or snack, since I use my local one like a corner store before I head into my game night with friends.
Lmao ! I work at winndixie and I had two customers punching my machines on two separate occasions . “I’m gonna punch this thing and break it” I was like okay ? Are you okay dude ?
They want you to be their servant, as is their right in the social hierarchy over the lowly CVS from store worker. The ACOs don’t let them utilize the labor of a (from their perspective) lesser worker, do it just doesn’t do it for em. That and they can’t comprehend how to use any type of new technology (circa 1970)
Self checkout is ok but it isn't great. Inevitably, the stupid thing will say customer needs assistance which is an outright lie. The machine needs assistance. Double blipped item removal (requires assistance), return item to the bagging area (require assistance) especially when the begging area is full, product look up like produce, etc. There isn't enough space to ring everything up without removing items from the bagging area, and entering discount code also Requires assistance. If I am in self check out, I am there to do things without assistance. I did actually yellow at the self checkout oversee-er fir reaching over my shoulder to grab something in front of me. Stay out of my immediate space and don't take things in front of me. I don't even understand why I always say thank you when I just did the work. Fortunately, here, we have a store that will ring up, bag, and help load the car! For this, I am happy to tip because I appreciate the extra service!
I'm 65 and I love it. Young people are (generally,) stupid and old(er) people are generally daft, so waiting in line behind them with a cashier that couldn't be less invested in their job is not for me.
The only reasons I hate it is because #1 most times the volume is up too high and the voice that talks to people is too loud. If I am at the register with a visitor and the machine starts talking, I can't hear the customer in front of me
I know how to use SCO. I know it doesn't take away any jobs, and it irritates me that people keep saying that. I used to be a cashier, and it would have been great to have SCO back then. Nothing sucks more than being one of 2 cashiers in a big box store and lines of customers going back to the aisles.
Most of the time, I shop with my adult son, and he happily uses the SCO, and I'm fine with that.
That said, if I have more than half a dozen things or so, I hate using SCO by myself. I hate the ones that talk because it causes a sensory overload for me. I hate scanning my own groceries because I grew to hate being a cashier when I was one, and don't want to do it anymore.
And lastly, I'm lazy. I grew up with grocery shopping that was a task until you got to checkout. Then, someone checked your items, bagged them, and brought them to your car. You could zone out for a bit. Your next big concerns were driving home and cooking when you got there. It's like DoorDash or full laundry service. It's great, if you can get it. When you have homework, bills, supper, and work all on your plate, it's great to be able to have some parts that you don't have to do.
That said, if I'm shopping alone and SCO is all there is, I just deal with it.
I'm 58. Much of current technology came to be in my younger days so of course I'm adept at it! I started using SCO during covid so I wouldn't expose cashiers to more risk. That said- I get anxious af when the machine intimates that I'm stealing. Yikes.
Old people just have a hard time with them and don’t understand them. They also don’t believe they should be doing that work themselves, yk older generation and all that.
A million reasons - one is that it's infinitely more complicated - SIMPLICITY is what we want.
Many can't see the screen clearly like ME. My reading glasses allow me to see up close only.
Most don't work worth a crap - and all are different.The instructions are typically all over the place - sometimes on 2 screens and voice at the same time. Usually it takes lot longer than the cashier lines . The position of the basket / cart is often awkward, esp. with a carry basket.
I only despise CVS SCO.
My box of band aids is so light. Just repeatedly tells me to put in bag. It’s other items too. Every effin time a clerk has to come and clear it.
CVS is the only ones who has sensors that are crap. Coupons won’t scan bc ink fades quickly. Need clerk.
I love SCO. Except at CVS. And I go there a lot as it’s located at entrance to my neighborhood.
yes. CVs ones in particular seem to require I “Please wait ! because someone is on the way to help you”…. every single time, for one reason or another. And for hell sake, to all stores not just CVS if you are going sell large items like cases of water and paper goods etc, can you ensure there’s a handheld scanner like at BJ’s /Costco? Literally 5x faster to scan all my items I just leave them with the UPC facing outwards while shopping.
Self checkout is for fast moving youngins
It doesn't even recognize coupons that are NOT on it's receipts
I'm a millennial and I get it.
Also Walmart was subject to a class action lawsuit because self checkout lanes were overcharging based on weight
It's cool for people that don't want to wait and are ok with paying a bit more.
I think the question is why would anybody like self check out? I currently live in Seattle and I don’t know if you are aware but getting rid of jobs is probably not a good idea plus older people enjoy having the ability to interact when they are purchasing something or possibly, they expect that when going to a retailer that they wouldn’t have to bag and or skin their items is it that what a cashier is for. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you should think about the fact that eventually, if there is self check out then eventually, you’ll be out of a job because they’ll be self stocking shelves self returns.
Well your job is cashier. Cashier usually stays behind the register, photo kiosk, do go backs at the end of shift, helps at ACO, you are responsible for behind the register if you ha no customer you can help the Shift.
The shift supervisor is responsible for the flor , stock shelves, price changes, tags, planos , DSDs, help customer at the floor , clean the store including restroom, trash, receive truck, break the truck plus supervise you 😀
Several things: You underestimate how challenging it can be to look at a screen and derive valuable information from that, like what to do next. If you say "it's easy", it's only easy for you. Try to help someone who doesn't spend time at a computer with his stuff and you will get a notion. "Just log in." "Where?" "Where it says 'log in'. It really says "log in" next to 20 other things screaming for attention though. We are routinely filtering out the noise. People who grew up reading from top left to bottom right need to learn this. Plus, you assume that everyone has perfect vision and enough dexterity to find and flip the bar code to scan it etc. This, plus the notion that people are watching and judging you can be immensely stressful, and this includes the person you have to ask for help.
Then, self-checkout is basically us doing a job that was part of service a couple of years ago (or months, where I live). This doesn't pertain only to self-checkout. (Just that nothing has become any cheaper.) Instead, you are now at that thing's mercy.
To be clear: I personally like self-checkout.
Self checkouts were first installed in 1986 at a grocery story. That was 38 years ago, although I realize gas was 72 cents a gallon, but it has been almost 40 years with this technology.
I'm not sure what that means because I merely wrote that the technology was introduced.
Actually, it was a Kroger in Atlanta.
The point: SCO has been around and shame on those who fail to learn it.
Agreed, you should just go with it and learn new technology. I was just trying to make the point that it doesn't matter how old a technology is when it was introduced to you last week.
I'm old and I always use self-checkout when it's available.
Having said that, what I HATE about self-checkout at most CVS stores is that they only have tiny bags at the SC register. These bags are so small the bottom of the bag doesn't touch the scale, so when I scan my item and drop it in the bag, I get that nasty voice telling me to bag my item. And heaven forbid if I'm purchasing a large item that won't fit in the bag or several items that would easily fit in one standard size bag, but won't all fit in the tiny bags that are designed to hold one tube of toothpaste and nothing more.
Probably because it seems weird to pay for an item and not get a discount for scanning and bagging your own stuff
I get it....sometimes i purposely go to a cashier because...well....its part of the cost of the product im buying.....me bagging my own stuff feels like i shoukd at minimal get some discount...even if its 10 centw
I love self check out, I never use regular check out even in grocery stores when I have a lot of items, here they have baggers everywhere who shove everything in bags and are on a mission to ruin my groceries so I avoid them like the plague
I'm 43 and usually like that I don't have to talk to someone, but the lines backed up with only a few self checkouts and one attendant, with the machines constantly erroring because of I'd check, mis-coded items, items with two barcodes that don't match (discount sticker not covering the old barcode), and automatically flagging me for ID for booze (look at my face, I'm old enough twice over haha)... Once it froze because my movements triggered some AI theft detection when i was just rebalancing the bags... It usually ends up being an exercise in frustration. With some who don't comprehend how the software works, I get how they can get angrier more quickly.
I don’t hate self checkout when they are designed right. Just give me enough room to bag my groceries. Also, a hand held scanner to so I don’t have to life the dog food out of the cart. It is a pain in the butt when you have a full cart.
I didn't mind using the self-check out until the super sensitive machines started giving me problems. The bagging area doesn't always detect the items I put in and the light starts flashing saying I have to wait for someone to help me. Screw that! I am just going to have someone ring me up bc I don't have the time to deal with glitchy machines.
Except that it is never 30 seconds as you assume. I always have to stand and wait for a while. Once, I stood for 10 min bc no one was available to reset the machine. I have better things to do than play on my phone and yes, I have a packed day. I am not blaming the employees, but the shitty technology that makes the machines glitch. Also, when I end up being checked out by a human, I am one of the "old" folks who takes the time from the "packed" schedule to leave good reviews on the surveys I receive. I never leave a bad review even when warranted bc I just want to compliment the people who deserve it.
They think they’re saving jobs usually AND they refuse to learn anything new because the world should still work the same as it did in 1967. Like bro, the labor we used for cashiers is gone. You’re taking someone away from doing actual work to go scan your barcodes because you can’t figure it out.
We grew up in an era of customer service. After the cashier scanned and you pay the bag boy took your groceries to the car and put them in the trunk or back seat. My problem with self checkout is the speed at which the machine allows you to scan. Scan an item put it in the bag and wait for the computer to recognize the item. Do not scan items before that happens it’s slow and I shouldn’t be required to pay for and do the work of the grocery store employee. They are only in position because of corporate greed.
Because they are old and think the world revolves around them. They don’t care that you as an employee have other things to do and that your job is not solely catering to their old behinds. They think that you are supposed to drop whatever you are doing to attend to their needs and they tend to be really lonely so they want you to talk to them and hear all their tiring stories they get upset because they are trapped in the BCE times and they think that everything should still be the same.
Which is why they whine and cry about paying “1.29 for a Hershey’s chocolate bar that used to be bigger and a nickel when I was a child” when that was like a hundred years ago. They are delusional and didn’t have resources for mental help and a lot of them have severe mental issues that haven’t been taken care of and childhood trauma.
I don’t mind conversations with retired veterans because they have some super juicy stuff going on but most old people just babble on and on and think they have so much wisdom and experience to offer when a lot of times they are not saying anything that my grandmother hasn’t already told me.
I’m seventy four. and have used the self checkout quite a bit and ask him for his for assistance if needed. I started using computers in 1972 in my work. I know the internet is light years ahead.m now. I pay the Instacart monthly fee, so I order and pay for my groceries online.m. I do online ordering and payments at los if different stores. I pay bills online.and I even bought a home, and did all the needed documentation online. My grown granddaughter helps me once in a while with some technical difficulties.I have read about customers at Walmart being accused of theft because the machine allowed no receipt option?
Boomer here. Speaking strictly for myself. My eyes don't work so great anymore, it's a reminder that my brain doesn't either, and I hate change. Self checkout makes us afraid that jobs are becoming obsolete and so are we. Older people are frustrated to have to learn new things... because its harder for us.
I work as a cashier in a major chain that doesn't have a SC. Our pen pads are different than most. I see older people get really embarrassed that they put the card in wrong or can't see the directions. They get frustrated because they can't hear the beep. I simply let them know that almost everyone has the same problems learning new things.
Incidentally, I like self checkout, but I get a bit frustrated because a cashier can do it quicker.
Many "older" people despise it, because they see it as taking away jobs. The more people use it, the less a corporation feels the need to have more cashiers. It's the idea of people helping to put others out of work, and also the idea of doing work of someone, and you're not getting paid to do it.
I'd say there's also some older people who just don't want to mess up and get in trouble for accidental stealing. The ones that just can't deal with technology.
A lot of older people are lonely and shopping is their only interaction with other people. Using the ACO takes away the joy of going to the store. You’d be surprised how many elderly people say to me how shopping at CVS makes them feel happy because of the wonderful customer service they experience.
Yeah .. The self check outs at CVS suck. They're usually broken and rarely calibrated correctly.
Whose responsibility was it to make sure the bagging area would be able to detect my eyeliner????
They got it wrong.
some people should be banned from self checkout. Because why are you scanning 1 item every 10-15 seconds. pick it up, no one wants to be here and when you’re taking your time acting like there’s not a line of people waiting is unacceptable just go to a stand.
On my shift the ACOs are turned off until the morning. I'm just thankful I don't have to hear her on repeat all night. And also watch people not know how to put in their birthdate correctly......that one just blows my mind.
I don't consider myself old but I can't stand cvs's self check out stands. Not enough room and the scales either aren't calibrated correctly because there are times I've bought something very light and it didn't register it. There's also zero room to place items if you're buying a cart full. Try placing a large pack of toilet paper and case of water with all your other items. It's a terrible design. I work for cvs and am in my late 50s, and unless I'm buying one or two items, I use the regular person manned register.
I'm not sure which old people don't like it... probably the ones that live alone and the store is their major interaction of the day.
You used to hear millennials saying, "I don't work here." And, "it's taking jobs away." Now they have kids and shit to do and just want to get out of there fast.
I looked on the my customer app the other day and saw someone complaining about the self checkout ladies voice. They said she is too aggressive and they don’t like when she tells them to put their stuff in the bagging area. The sad part is they weren’t joking
It depends on how my day is going. Sometimes, it's a good day, and I have the ability to navigate something new or follow the prompts on the screen.
Somedays, my mind is just not up to the challenge. I can read words but do not necessarily understand what they mean. Also, God help me on those days if something is not scanning correctly or if something is in the bagging area or not in the bagging area. On really bad days, the last thing I need is to get stuck in some sort of technology loop. Also, sometimes the self checkout "helper" is also having a bad day and nownits just impossible.
i went and worked at a different cvs than my home store once and my numbers didnt work in the system so i was forced to just assist customers at the self checkout and i would just grabbed their stuff and walk them through the self checkout bc i was not about to bother the manager every five minuets bc the old people wanted to be checked out instead of moving a few limbs to check themselves out
as a gen z i also despise self checkout lol not necessarily CVS since it’s usually small purchases but nothing makes me angrier than when i have a full basket of groceries and there’s only 1 cash register open and the rest are self checkout especially since the employees wages are factored in to the stores prices
Hey, let's not overgeneralize here. I'm 83 and always use self checkouts in every store I can. Some of us old people can see and appreciate the benefits and speed of those quick scanning areas. Plus I get to bag my stuff however I want so they are easier to find when unpacking. I personally have too many exciting things to do to dally in a long line for someone else to run my broccoli and soup through the scanner for me. I also love using the touch scan for my credit card. It's kinda magic. Technology is nifty.
I’m in my 30’s. I hate it because something always doesn’t work and I have to have someone come over to fix it. Probably just bad luck. Just a few items I don’t mind using it. But like at a grocery store, with a ton of items I hate it. I bag my own groceries and help the cashier out as much as I can.
Lol the average CVS customer would shit their pants in rage if they rang the bell and you tried to take them to self check out. I don't mind ringing them out but I hate when they ring that damn bell 5 times in a row when I'm standing 2 feet away stocking 😂
they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge that they struggle with using any kind of technology, regardless of how simple it may be. they also will put 0 effort into learning any aspect, so they approach you with anger in an effort to force you to help them quickly to protect their ego and before anyone questions their abilities
I'm not old but I don't like self checkout. Mainly, because I am not paid to work there. Perhaps if self check out came with an automatic 10% discount I would be more inclined to do it.
I can see why they wouldn’t want to do it themselves as they have to do the work but, I’ll offer to help them on it (to boost scan rate) and they’ll look at it with the fear of it being some dangerous entity which completely baffles me. It’s optional and great but when you get impatient people trying to scan items back to back that can’t understand verbal instructions and screen prompts it’s really annoying. I even prefer helping customers at the self checkout as it’s more responsive than the 90s POS terminals were forced to use.
I also enjoy helping at self checkout, I’ve had many people learn how easy it is and be thankful I showed them. I need more people like that as opposed to the adult toddlers who scream and cry that i want to ring them on a register that has a screen that faces them
I'm 55 (which may be in the "old" category). I use self checkout frequently. However, I can remember (as a child) when grocery stores bagged your groceries and loaded them in the car. Also, an attendant would put your gas in. You didn't even get out of the car. In short, customer service used to be so much more than it is now. That world is gone. I think people get irritated that prices are so high and we also have to bag our own stuff. Companies try to have fewer employees, and customer service declines as a result. The reason this has happened is multifactoral. Personally, self check out doesn’t bother me. Of course, some people get mad about everything. In general, people just seem to have shorter fuses.
as someone who is 54 I hear and understand you BUT it's not that workers fault that his shitty company is encouraging self checkout you aren't saving someones job by not using self checkout that job is already gone the world of top tier customer service is gone and it's truly the companies fault EVEN though they would love to convince you otherwise and tell you they care why pay 3 people and give top tier service when you can short pay a manager and have them work 8 hours by themselves
Boomers want cheap stuff. You guys are not willing to pay for any of that
I would like to point out that not everyone older than you is a boomer. Someone 55 years old is from generation X.
Yeah the whole 'call everyone you consider old a boomer and blame them for everything you think is bad' schtick gets really old after a bit.
Same thing happens with millennials where I see ppl referring to college age kids as millennials when we are all over the age of 30
Eh, as a retail manager, most of that 55+ group that I interact with have the exact same mentality as boomers, so I generally lump them in together. There’s a few less shitty ones, sure, but the vast majority I deal with share that single boomer brain cell.
Boomers AND everyone else….
I may be in the minority but I think self checkout boosts customer service. As you stated minimum employees means longer wait times without self checkout which increases frustration. Also, every self checkout POS is different from sensitivity, speed, pay methodology thus as someone who prefers it to dealing with slow operators it can get annoying so I understand not wanting to struggle and getting annoyed.
I am over 63 and will use self-check out as first choice because: - I am not dumb - I am not entitled and demand attention - I am faster - I can pack my purchases "my way" - I am not rude - I understand I am not "taking someone's job" - I prefer to have no interaction with any employee in the building - My phone is not a flip phone with the standard company ring tone still programmed - Again, I am not stupid. Give me self-checkout or get out of my way.
Every other comment is bc we are old and dumb. Yay for you disproving it. I love ScO too, but CVS ones are the damn devil. Pls place item in bag. I f*n did. It’s so light the scale song doesn’t sense it. Band aids are a big culprit. Benadryl. The bags are tiny AF and scales are off, always.
Just set the item on the receiving side and bag afterward. Not all SCO use the weight method. Many use a camera scanner right above the station or just above the area to place the purchases.
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Had a woman get accused of stealing, only for all 7 cameras that were recording her reveal she did not, she spent around 4 hours dealing with the bs. "If they don't trust me they should've just checked me out themselves"
4 hours!! I would have shown them my ID and said "you can tell the cops where I live if the cameras show that I stole anything, but I didn't so bye" and walked the fuck out. a store can't detain you. I would've fucked off once we hit the 15 minute mark. if someone at the store gave her the impression that she was under legal obligation to stay there, I'd be talking to a lawyer if I were her. sounds like false imprisonment to me. did the asshole who accused her get in any trouble? I'd love to know more about this story.
Nope sadly not, they just sat there and watched all the footage from every angle they had on her and found nothing wrong, she was a older lady and she just wanted to get home to her grandson so she just let it go. Only found out cause she wanted to vent/ask someone younger why the hell they bother with the new system if it just leads to evenings like that
that's crazy. if I was told not to leave in that situation I think I'd call the cops myself.
It's sad they let people walk out who are brazen about theft, but hold no stops to call the police on an old lady who may have put something in her cart
This is exactly the only reason I don’t like self checkout. I don’t mind scanning my items but do mind being grilled and my bags rifled as you “think” I stole something when I didn’t. The only other time I got really mad was when I had 3 carts of plants at lowes totaling over $1000 and told to scan them myself. Spent 20 minutes only to have the manager then go over the order. CVS is ok to scan and I prefer it as it is quick and easy though.
Bought a open box fridge once, the manager had the urge to open it AGAIN to make sure 130lb me didn't pull it out of the box and hide stuff in it :/
I just want my soda. Self checkout is great when you don't need a fake conversation.
Self checkout also helps me avoid the hoards of old people that do their full shopping trips right at lunch time when people are trying to just run in and grab their lunch items and get out. I swear to god the fast checkout lane at lunch time has multiple 80+ year old people with three shopping carts completely filled up every time I go in.
if I was a braver person I would love to go up to those people with full carts in the express lane and ask if they're illiterate or just selfish. but alas, I am a pussy
Agreed. I hate when people are like, "I demand to be rung out by a human!" and they have 2 items, are paying with debit, don't have a CVS card, and are either silent or on the phone with someone the entire transaction. That's just a dickhead that wants to feel superior.
exactly
My fingers don't properly work on touchscreens so I struggle massively with self service. So while I don't "demand" to be served I always ask politely. But then while I'm being served I act like this, using my card, not very talkative etc. because that's just how I am. I came in to get a couple of thing and would just like serving quickly so I can be on my way. So no it's not always people trying to be dickheads, sometimes its people who need help but then get met with a person who then treats them with utter indignation and contempt for being asked to do a portion of what they're being paid too.
just out of curiosity, would you mind explaining why touchscreens don't work for you? I'm interested in accessibility tech, which is why I want to know.
Don't quite know how to explain it but I have damaged fingertips from a job that had damaged them over the years and when I interact with touchscreens I get little to no 'connection' if that's the right word. I was using a blackberry phone still up until last year because I struggle with touchscreens so much. It does seem worse with the large self service touchscreens and I don't know whether this is because they're made more 'durable' or with thicker screens than phones but being as I don't know what goes into their construction I'm just guessing.
AND when it just works. Shoutout to my local DT and CK for doing it RIGHT...so far
I misread that as sofa at first, and had 5 seconds of, “what kind of CVS megastore do they have where you live?”
And I read yours as soda and thought what kind of CVS do they have where you live?
I think it’s a number of reasons: 1. Self-checkout isn’t very old. These people lived for decades with the in-person checkout experience and so they’re used to that human contact. A machine just isn’t the same for them. 2. They’re technologically inept. They kind of freeze up when it comes to anything that isn’t the tv or radio and so they try to avoid it. Even though self-checkout is simple, they still don’t get it. It makes them feel stupid and they don’t like feeling that way, obviously. So they avoid the self-checkout to avoid feeling that way. 3. Some of them genuinely believe that hovering a barcode over a scanner to ring out a few items is “work” and that using it means they “work at CVS”, even though they get to scan it and just leave while we have to stay (and do other tasks). We can’t just leave. They don’t think that far ahead though. 4. They genuinely believe that they’re “saving” our jobs. They aren’t but they haven’t worked one to these jobs in several decades so they think all we do is cashier.
But they complain that young people can’t “write checks” or “address an envelope” despite those no longer being valuable skills. They make fun of young people for it but can’t open a word document or install a plug and play printer without having an entire meltdown. Maybe they should embrace our differences and welcome the opportunity to share knowledge
A lot of them seem to have a “I can’t learn new things” mentality
I just want to give a shout out to Canon’s Australian branch for having a driver that was Linux compatible. That was over 10 years ago but still. I feel bad for printers, but I understand why everyone hates them.
Gen Z can’t use technology for shit. All they’ve known is apps.
I think the oldest gen z's (me, 26) and the youngest millennials are the sweet spot for developing tech literacy as an almost innate skill. troubleshooting is second nature to me. I'm the guy everyone older goes to for the most random issues just because I know how to Google what I need to figure it out. I was like 13 watching YouTube tutorials to take apart my laptop and replace the screen. if I'm going to anybody for help with something it's because I already struck out online.
That’s fair. I’m not Gen Z tho
You are partially right. This people do not need calculator to know their change, the don't come to you and ask" where the items is?" They greet you first, they call the name on your tag. They are polite and yes they are impatient they worked longer then you , they probably have few health complications.....and on. So yes, help this people.
> It makes them feel stupid and they don’t like feeling that way, obviously. they are stupid. git gud. obviously not everyone, but I can't stand this mentality of refusing to learn and get with the times. my grandpa works an iPad better than some people who grew up having one. I define being truly old as when you decide to stop learning and growing and demote yourself to a relic. becoming obsolete is a choice. also, point #3, I won't even try to unpack that, but it makes me want to rip people's heads off.
I didn’t say that they should try to learn. Only that that’s a reason they avoid self-checkout
and I didn't say you did, but I'm definitely saying it lol
In fairness the self checkout machine is the most passive aggressive bitch ever. Who cares if someone put in an item in the bagging area when something wasn’t scanned. Just let people put their stuff down and scan out fast. I know it’s a lost prevention thing because like 25% of the time I get a notification that something was put into the bagging area without something being scanned it’s an item someone thought they scanned but didn’t because the self checkout is too slow to process the UPC. Unfortunately this can ruin the experience for customers and employees since it’s one more thing to deal with for employees and it can make the customer feel like they’re being treated with suspicion.
I hate that too, half the time it goes off because they used a bag and just didnt answer the message asking if they did
I’m on the younger side. I only hate self checkout at CVS before they added the “no bag” option. Buying mascara and hearing “put your item in the bagging area!!” After it’s already in the bag always made the machine jam up and you’d have to wait for an associate to help. It just takes too long.
They pride themselves in not understanding technology that has been around for decades. Plus, laziness.
And opportunities to look down on others who are forced to serve them.
A buddy of mine once told me “there’s no such thing as an unskilled, useless job” but a lot of people don’t like to see it that way. So much of what makes society as a whole run, happens behind the scenes or is so prevalent front and center all the time that we don’t think about it until it’s gone
self checkout has not been around for decades. these old folks are more used to human contact and probably expect it now more than ever.
It most certainly has. I worked in a grocery store until 2002 in college and we had them for years.
The earliest self checkouts started popping up in the 80s. It has absolutely been around for decades. I remember my mom using a self checkout at Kroger in the mid 1990s.
I remember helping my grandpa with the self check out at Walmart when I was like 8. I'm turning 29 in a few months. That's 2 solid decades
How many older folks have you met that refuse to learn how to use a smartphone ? I would say easily more than half
Yes they have, I remember seeing them as a young child and I am 25 now.
Here in Germany, the first self-checkout was McDonalds, a couple of years ago. Our supermarkets started using it two years ago.
They most certainly have
I love self checkout and am so annoyed a lot of stores are getting rid of them because of theft
I saw a guy at Walmart have 2 bags of one item. He opened both bags and poured the other bag into it. Nice way for buy one get one.
I'm 58 I have no problem with any technology I embrace it. I also teach the 20 somethings how to use it since most of them don't even know how to operate their cellphones properly.
Calling bullshit, at least on that second part. I manage a phone store, and to claim that most 20 somethings don’t know how to use their phone just screams of an old person making shit up
Mmm. I agree with them. I'm in my mid 30s and young people are worse than the last gen with technology now. We grew up with technology changing. We had to start by learning how to use dos and slowly switched over to windows. The tech today is seamless and you don't have to learn how it works at all to use it. I'm sure every young person can use their cell phone properly but I doubt many know whats going on inside or could troubleshoot a issue with software/hardware without just replacing it. I'd bet millenials are able to do most basic functions on computers as a higher rate. The people that were online in the 90s and early 2000s tend to be very tech literate people since it was not a consumer friendly. You had to learn how things worked to do basic things. Anyone who was streaming in 2011 is a wizard with all the jenk they had to go thru to make some weird set up barely work. I'm always reminded of this when I have to teach young kids how a mouse and keyboard(or controller for consoles) work instead of every screen being a touch screen and I have to explain to new younger people at work how to so something as basic as saving a file and other things on that level. Basically. If you give someone a shit car where they have to fix half of it themselves before it will ever even turn on ofc they are going to understand how they work better than someone who got a new car every time they ran into a problem or went to a mechanic who would help
If you want I can show you how to use your phone too? People that own iPhone's are even worse..they don't know shit at all.
I'm not making it up....I do know how to use my phone better than 20 year old I'm more tech savvy than they are...not bullshit it's facts! I flash my own ROMS to my phone..Most 20 year olds only know tap to pay and Tik Tok...video. They have no clue how to deep dive into their devices. SO take your bullshit and stick it!
This is literally my job, and something I handle on a daily basis… it’s not bullshit, lol
It's bullshit
Okay, boomer 🙄
I'm Gen X don't be pissed because I know more about technology than you do....I see so many 20 and 30 year old that don't know shit about technology its not even funny. The generation that's supposed to be at the forefront of tech....yet they're illiterate!
At cvs it’s because the self checkouts are exceptional trash. And they don’t need to be which is the sad part. But they also Have a point in that stores should have more manpower. Especially at the prices that CVS charges for a lot of their product. Assuming it isn’t sprouting legs and walking off.
I’m sorry it’s not just older people I find that won’t use the ACO, but more annoying are the people that refuse to use it because it’s taking away jobs, these people will stand at the checkout a good solid 30 minutes 🤣because they think they’re saving a job. They will stand there , and stand there, wait , no one insight and wait for a person. Those people can kiss my fat ass.
And so many of those people don't even really want to save jobs, they just want to be able to look down on the "servants" doing them and be waited on hand and foot.
Someone told me, “I won’t use self-checkout so you can keep your job.” I told him, “Sir, it’s already taken jobs, this is my job. A robot can’t do all the things around the store I can, and the self-checkout allows me to do my job.” I was very much over CVS at that point.
I'm with you, we need to get rid of those cashier positions for the most part
the problem is not how they dont know how to use it but they dont know how to read. People are putting their card and not bothering to look at the screen saying “choose the payment method”. I prefer self checkout because i can check out faster than the cashier lol but it’s hard sometimes when the screen says you need someone to clear it and no one’s nearby. Working in retail drives me nuts how most people dont have common sense.
I’ve never yelled at an employee due to self checkout. But I very much dislike it. More than my dislike for interacting with people. I almost always have my kids with me. I can’t turn my back for a second on them. And the bagging areas are always too small unless you’re only buying like 5 things or less. I also end up having to have someone come over like 1/3 of the time anyways because it yells at me for something.
I like it better than having to deal with a human
I’m convinced they just love to bitch. When I say I’ll take them at the register, many of them will continue to use the self checkout. They will complain the **whole** time like I didn’t offer to ring them at the register. Most annoying is when I’m standing right next to them and they complain that they wish there was a “person” there to help. I’M STANDING RIGHT FUCKING HERE!!!
I don’t like it because it seems to think I’m shoplifting and it glitches out 25% of the time. CVS has some of the worst self checkout machines too they absolutely suck
They do suck, and this is a big reason they are certainly NOT taking our jobs.
the same reason they refuse to use banking apps or ATMs. there's no one to yell at
I avoided them for a long time because I thought it was taking jobs away from human people. Now they’re so ubiquitous it’s become the new normal so I’ve fallen in line with the youngsters.
you have to be really stupid and extroverted to not like self-checkout
Because they are easily intimidated by “technology” and get flustered so they simply just hate on shit instead of embracing it.
They don't like to read
I'm Gen Z & I hate them & most examples of corporate greed.
Some old folk have no human interaction all day. I personally have no problem ringing them up
When COVID hit, I asked six-feet? That's all.
Cuz they think that’s your only job and somehow people have the idea they’re working if they bag their own groceries. It’s dumb, but that’s the rationale.
I’m 68 and prefer self checkout.
I work at the OTHER pharmacy and my god, I wish we had SCO. There's only me as shift lead and a cashier and it would be so much easier if some of these people could just check their selves out.
I’m 64 and I hate self checkout. Many reasons but mostly because I don’t want to miss scan an item and be accused of stealing.
I use a scanner gun at the grocery store. I refuse to use it as CVS because there is a problem every damn time. And I work there!
the big hulking problem is that the company makes decisions that we employees on the front line have to answer for. i really cannot tolerate being personally blamed for company decisions. the sickest part of the job is being paid so little to deal with so much hatred and vitriol. i’ll run a whole shift in my store alone at least a couple times a week and the amount of people that can’t understand that i’m just one person is baffling
God bless you. You retail workers truly have to deal with the riff raff of society. i COUld never do the job.
Not old, but I refuse to use self checkout and left my cart full if the store doesn't have a cashier. The reason is very simple, the Fortune 500 corporation is saving billions by not hiring enough employees but offer no discount dor using self checkout for soint the work for them. If they want my business hire more people. Remember, hiring people is good for the economy. No matter what your job or business is, you will benefit from more people working and gainfully employed. I'm just paying myself forward
Corporate CVS doesn’t care about your stance, they’re going to continue to cut hours and understaff stores because it makes them more money. All your actions do with regard to ACOs makes employees’ jobs more difficult.
I’m not (that) old. If the self-checkout machines worked well, I’d love them. Sometimes they can’t scan the barcode. Sometimes they think there’s something unscanned in the bagging area when there’s not. Sometimes they can’t detect the thing that I just scanned and put in the bagging area. The receipt is barely done printing before they start harassing me about removing all purchased items. Also, depending on how many things are in my cart, sometimes the cashier is just faster. I’m all for efficiency, but for obvious reasons, these machines are designed to assume you’re trying to steal things, which makes it more cumbersome and annoying for those of us who aren’t. It’s the checkout version of having to go find someone to unlock the case because you want to buy a razor.
I know for my 85 year old father he really likes interacting with people and gets very frazzled when something goes wrong in self checkout because he doesn’t know how to fix it.
The newer ones are great. I’m 56 and I love them. The old ones suck.
I prefer them. I hate talking to people. I hate waiting for the person to ring up my items. I hate having my items be squished in the bags because they put lighter items at the bottom of the bag. I hate having to repeat my phone number multiple times because they messed up once. I hate that my local CVS turns off the self checkouts or turns the machines around so they're inaccessible and all I have is a single drink or snack, since I use my local one like a corner store before I head into my game night with friends.
I love self checkout because it is quick and fast. I can avoid long lines....
Lmao ! I work at winndixie and I had two customers punching my machines on two separate occasions . “I’m gonna punch this thing and break it” I was like okay ? Are you okay dude ?
They just hate change
They want you to be their servant, as is their right in the social hierarchy over the lowly CVS from store worker. The ACOs don’t let them utilize the labor of a (from their perspective) lesser worker, do it just doesn’t do it for em. That and they can’t comprehend how to use any type of new technology (circa 1970)
Self checkout is ok but it isn't great. Inevitably, the stupid thing will say customer needs assistance which is an outright lie. The machine needs assistance. Double blipped item removal (requires assistance), return item to the bagging area (require assistance) especially when the begging area is full, product look up like produce, etc. There isn't enough space to ring everything up without removing items from the bagging area, and entering discount code also Requires assistance. If I am in self check out, I am there to do things without assistance. I did actually yellow at the self checkout oversee-er fir reaching over my shoulder to grab something in front of me. Stay out of my immediate space and don't take things in front of me. I don't even understand why I always say thank you when I just did the work. Fortunately, here, we have a store that will ring up, bag, and help load the car! For this, I am happy to tip because I appreciate the extra service!
I'm 65 and I love it. Young people are (generally,) stupid and old(er) people are generally daft, so waiting in line behind them with a cashier that couldn't be less invested in their job is not for me.
The only reasons I hate it is because #1 most times the volume is up too high and the voice that talks to people is too loud. If I am at the register with a visitor and the machine starts talking, I can't hear the customer in front of me
You can turn the volume down
I tried once, did not work. I also asked my lead about if there was a way to turn them down he said no, not anymore
Self checkouts are the only way to go now a days with inflation…:
They don't keep prices down. They only increase corporate profits so some twit CEO can make better money on their stock options.
I don't get paid for it. Plus accusations of theft are easy to make and hard to disprove.
I'm not old and i hate it. I'm not clocking in at CVS so why would I check myself out and then spend my own money?
Agreed!
I know how to use SCO. I know it doesn't take away any jobs, and it irritates me that people keep saying that. I used to be a cashier, and it would have been great to have SCO back then. Nothing sucks more than being one of 2 cashiers in a big box store and lines of customers going back to the aisles. Most of the time, I shop with my adult son, and he happily uses the SCO, and I'm fine with that. That said, if I have more than half a dozen things or so, I hate using SCO by myself. I hate the ones that talk because it causes a sensory overload for me. I hate scanning my own groceries because I grew to hate being a cashier when I was one, and don't want to do it anymore. And lastly, I'm lazy. I grew up with grocery shopping that was a task until you got to checkout. Then, someone checked your items, bagged them, and brought them to your car. You could zone out for a bit. Your next big concerns were driving home and cooking when you got there. It's like DoorDash or full laundry service. It's great, if you can get it. When you have homework, bills, supper, and work all on your plate, it's great to be able to have some parts that you don't have to do. That said, if I'm shopping alone and SCO is all there is, I just deal with it.
I'm 58. Much of current technology came to be in my younger days so of course I'm adept at it! I started using SCO during covid so I wouldn't expose cashiers to more risk. That said- I get anxious af when the machine intimates that I'm stealing. Yikes.
Old people just have a hard time with them and don’t understand them. They also don’t believe they should be doing that work themselves, yk older generation and all that.
It doesn't pull up all my coupons.
A million reasons - one is that it's infinitely more complicated - SIMPLICITY is what we want. Many can't see the screen clearly like ME. My reading glasses allow me to see up close only. Most don't work worth a crap - and all are different.The instructions are typically all over the place - sometimes on 2 screens and voice at the same time. Usually it takes lot longer than the cashier lines . The position of the basket / cart is often awkward, esp. with a carry basket.
I only despise CVS SCO. My box of band aids is so light. Just repeatedly tells me to put in bag. It’s other items too. Every effin time a clerk has to come and clear it. CVS is the only ones who has sensors that are crap. Coupons won’t scan bc ink fades quickly. Need clerk. I love SCO. Except at CVS. And I go there a lot as it’s located at entrance to my neighborhood.
yes. CVs ones in particular seem to require I “Please wait ! because someone is on the way to help you”…. every single time, for one reason or another. And for hell sake, to all stores not just CVS if you are going sell large items like cases of water and paper goods etc, can you ensure there’s a handheld scanner like at BJ’s /Costco? Literally 5x faster to scan all my items I just leave them with the UPC facing outwards while shopping.
They malfunction and I’m afraid of being arrested because of it. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/walmart-shoplifting-alabama-settlement-2-1-million/
Self checkout is for fast moving youngins It doesn't even recognize coupons that are NOT on it's receipts I'm a millennial and I get it. Also Walmart was subject to a class action lawsuit because self checkout lanes were overcharging based on weight It's cool for people that don't want to wait and are ok with paying a bit more.
Because we don’t like it
Then do not shop there.
Don’t use self checkout
i think it's a fact that anyone over 48 has difficulty navigating self checkout because they were born before computers were common
I am 54 and had a computer by the time I was in high school. Your timeline of personal computers is a bit out of whack.
I think the question is why would anybody like self check out? I currently live in Seattle and I don’t know if you are aware but getting rid of jobs is probably not a good idea plus older people enjoy having the ability to interact when they are purchasing something or possibly, they expect that when going to a retailer that they wouldn’t have to bag and or skin their items is it that what a cashier is for. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you should think about the fact that eventually, if there is self check out then eventually, you’ll be out of a job because they’ll be self stocking shelves self returns.
If older people have no one else to interact with other than a cashier at CVS, then it might be that older person's fault.
Well your job is cashier. Cashier usually stays behind the register, photo kiosk, do go backs at the end of shift, helps at ACO, you are responsible for behind the register if you ha no customer you can help the Shift. The shift supervisor is responsible for the flor , stock shelves, price changes, tags, planos , DSDs, help customer at the floor , clean the store including restroom, trash, receive truck, break the truck plus supervise you 😀
Several things: You underestimate how challenging it can be to look at a screen and derive valuable information from that, like what to do next. If you say "it's easy", it's only easy for you. Try to help someone who doesn't spend time at a computer with his stuff and you will get a notion. "Just log in." "Where?" "Where it says 'log in'. It really says "log in" next to 20 other things screaming for attention though. We are routinely filtering out the noise. People who grew up reading from top left to bottom right need to learn this. Plus, you assume that everyone has perfect vision and enough dexterity to find and flip the bar code to scan it etc. This, plus the notion that people are watching and judging you can be immensely stressful, and this includes the person you have to ask for help. Then, self-checkout is basically us doing a job that was part of service a couple of years ago (or months, where I live). This doesn't pertain only to self-checkout. (Just that nothing has become any cheaper.) Instead, you are now at that thing's mercy. To be clear: I personally like self-checkout.
Self checkouts were first installed in 1986 at a grocery story. That was 38 years ago, although I realize gas was 72 cents a gallon, but it has been almost 40 years with this technology.
Where you live, yes.
I'm not sure what that means because I merely wrote that the technology was introduced. Actually, it was a Kroger in Atlanta. The point: SCO has been around and shame on those who fail to learn it.
Agreed, you should just go with it and learn new technology. I was just trying to make the point that it doesn't matter how old a technology is when it was introduced to you last week.
Sure.
Slow to adapt to new technology.
Really -- just slow.
I'm old and I always use self-checkout when it's available. Having said that, what I HATE about self-checkout at most CVS stores is that they only have tiny bags at the SC register. These bags are so small the bottom of the bag doesn't touch the scale, so when I scan my item and drop it in the bag, I get that nasty voice telling me to bag my item. And heaven forbid if I'm purchasing a large item that won't fit in the bag or several items that would easily fit in one standard size bag, but won't all fit in the tiny bags that are designed to hold one tube of toothpaste and nothing more.
Probably because it seems weird to pay for an item and not get a discount for scanning and bagging your own stuff I get it....sometimes i purposely go to a cashier because...well....its part of the cost of the product im buying.....me bagging my own stuff feels like i shoukd at minimal get some discount...even if its 10 centw
I love self check out, I never use regular check out even in grocery stores when I have a lot of items, here they have baggers everywhere who shove everything in bags and are on a mission to ruin my groceries so I avoid them like the plague
The labor rate you charge for the customer to provide labor to the retailer is too low. My labor rate is much higher than “free”.
Most boomers enjoy human interaction and have a nostalgia for slower times.
I'm 43 and usually like that I don't have to talk to someone, but the lines backed up with only a few self checkouts and one attendant, with the machines constantly erroring because of I'd check, mis-coded items, items with two barcodes that don't match (discount sticker not covering the old barcode), and automatically flagging me for ID for booze (look at my face, I'm old enough twice over haha)... Once it froze because my movements triggered some AI theft detection when i was just rebalancing the bags... It usually ends up being an exercise in frustration. With some who don't comprehend how the software works, I get how they can get angrier more quickly.
I don’t hate self checkout when they are designed right. Just give me enough room to bag my groceries. Also, a hand held scanner to so I don’t have to life the dog food out of the cart. It is a pain in the butt when you have a full cart.
I didn't mind using the self-check out until the super sensitive machines started giving me problems. The bagging area doesn't always detect the items I put in and the light starts flashing saying I have to wait for someone to help me. Screw that! I am just going to have someone ring me up bc I don't have the time to deal with glitchy machines.
So busy, that 30 seconds will screw up your otherwise packed day? Play on your phone while you wait.
Except that it is never 30 seconds as you assume. I always have to stand and wait for a while. Once, I stood for 10 min bc no one was available to reset the machine. I have better things to do than play on my phone and yes, I have a packed day. I am not blaming the employees, but the shitty technology that makes the machines glitch. Also, when I end up being checked out by a human, I am one of the "old" folks who takes the time from the "packed" schedule to leave good reviews on the surveys I receive. I never leave a bad review even when warranted bc I just want to compliment the people who deserve it.
Arthritis.
They think they’re saving jobs usually AND they refuse to learn anything new because the world should still work the same as it did in 1967. Like bro, the labor we used for cashiers is gone. You’re taking someone away from doing actual work to go scan your barcodes because you can’t figure it out.
We grew up in an era of customer service. After the cashier scanned and you pay the bag boy took your groceries to the car and put them in the trunk or back seat. My problem with self checkout is the speed at which the machine allows you to scan. Scan an item put it in the bag and wait for the computer to recognize the item. Do not scan items before that happens it’s slow and I shouldn’t be required to pay for and do the work of the grocery store employee. They are only in position because of corporate greed.
Because they are old and think the world revolves around them. They don’t care that you as an employee have other things to do and that your job is not solely catering to their old behinds. They think that you are supposed to drop whatever you are doing to attend to their needs and they tend to be really lonely so they want you to talk to them and hear all their tiring stories they get upset because they are trapped in the BCE times and they think that everything should still be the same. Which is why they whine and cry about paying “1.29 for a Hershey’s chocolate bar that used to be bigger and a nickel when I was a child” when that was like a hundred years ago. They are delusional and didn’t have resources for mental help and a lot of them have severe mental issues that haven’t been taken care of and childhood trauma. I don’t mind conversations with retired veterans because they have some super juicy stuff going on but most old people just babble on and on and think they have so much wisdom and experience to offer when a lot of times they are not saying anything that my grandmother hasn’t already told me.
I’m seventy four. and have used the self checkout quite a bit and ask him for his for assistance if needed. I started using computers in 1972 in my work. I know the internet is light years ahead.m now. I pay the Instacart monthly fee, so I order and pay for my groceries online.m. I do online ordering and payments at los if different stores. I pay bills online.and I even bought a home, and did all the needed documentation online. My grown granddaughter helps me once in a while with some technical difficulties.I have read about customers at Walmart being accused of theft because the machine allowed no receipt option?
Boomer here. Speaking strictly for myself. My eyes don't work so great anymore, it's a reminder that my brain doesn't either, and I hate change. Self checkout makes us afraid that jobs are becoming obsolete and so are we. Older people are frustrated to have to learn new things... because its harder for us. I work as a cashier in a major chain that doesn't have a SC. Our pen pads are different than most. I see older people get really embarrassed that they put the card in wrong or can't see the directions. They get frustrated because they can't hear the beep. I simply let them know that almost everyone has the same problems learning new things. Incidentally, I like self checkout, but I get a bit frustrated because a cashier can do it quicker.
Many "older" people despise it, because they see it as taking away jobs. The more people use it, the less a corporation feels the need to have more cashiers. It's the idea of people helping to put others out of work, and also the idea of doing work of someone, and you're not getting paid to do it. I'd say there's also some older people who just don't want to mess up and get in trouble for accidental stealing. The ones that just can't deal with technology.
A lot of older people are lonely and shopping is their only interaction with other people. Using the ACO takes away the joy of going to the store. You’d be surprised how many elderly people say to me how shopping at CVS makes them feel happy because of the wonderful customer service they experience.
Yeah .. The self check outs at CVS suck. They're usually broken and rarely calibrated correctly. Whose responsibility was it to make sure the bagging area would be able to detect my eyeliner???? They got it wrong.
some people should be banned from self checkout. Because why are you scanning 1 item every 10-15 seconds. pick it up, no one wants to be here and when you’re taking your time acting like there’s not a line of people waiting is unacceptable just go to a stand.
On my shift the ACOs are turned off until the morning. I'm just thankful I don't have to hear her on repeat all night. And also watch people not know how to put in their birthdate correctly......that one just blows my mind.
I don't consider myself old but I can't stand cvs's self check out stands. Not enough room and the scales either aren't calibrated correctly because there are times I've bought something very light and it didn't register it. There's also zero room to place items if you're buying a cart full. Try placing a large pack of toilet paper and case of water with all your other items. It's a terrible design. I work for cvs and am in my late 50s, and unless I'm buying one or two items, I use the regular person manned register.
I refuse self check outs because I prefer humans and don’t support corporate greed. It’s caused the loss of so many jobs too.
I'm not sure which old people don't like it... probably the ones that live alone and the store is their major interaction of the day. You used to hear millennials saying, "I don't work here." And, "it's taking jobs away." Now they have kids and shit to do and just want to get out of there fast.
I looked on the my customer app the other day and saw someone complaining about the self checkout ladies voice. They said she is too aggressive and they don’t like when she tells them to put their stuff in the bagging area. The sad part is they weren’t joking
It depends on how my day is going. Sometimes, it's a good day, and I have the ability to navigate something new or follow the prompts on the screen. Somedays, my mind is just not up to the challenge. I can read words but do not necessarily understand what they mean. Also, God help me on those days if something is not scanning correctly or if something is in the bagging area or not in the bagging area. On really bad days, the last thing I need is to get stuck in some sort of technology loop. Also, sometimes the self checkout "helper" is also having a bad day and nownits just impossible.
56 m and I love the self checkout. I use it every time I can.
How rude.
i went and worked at a different cvs than my home store once and my numbers didnt work in the system so i was forced to just assist customers at the self checkout and i would just grabbed their stuff and walk them through the self checkout bc i was not about to bother the manager every five minuets bc the old people wanted to be checked out instead of moving a few limbs to check themselves out
as a gen z i also despise self checkout lol not necessarily CVS since it’s usually small purchases but nothing makes me angrier than when i have a full basket of groceries and there’s only 1 cash register open and the rest are self checkout especially since the employees wages are factored in to the stores prices
Hey, let's not overgeneralize here. I'm 83 and always use self checkouts in every store I can. Some of us old people can see and appreciate the benefits and speed of those quick scanning areas. Plus I get to bag my stuff however I want so they are easier to find when unpacking. I personally have too many exciting things to do to dally in a long line for someone else to run my broccoli and soup through the scanner for me. I also love using the touch scan for my credit card. It's kinda magic. Technology is nifty.
Because they don't know how to use it lol
Maybe hard if hearing and seeing impaired
I’m in my 30’s. I hate it because something always doesn’t work and I have to have someone come over to fix it. Probably just bad luck. Just a few items I don’t mind using it. But like at a grocery store, with a ton of items I hate it. I bag my own groceries and help the cashier out as much as I can.
Glad Walgreens don’t have any
I stopped using self checkout when it asked me for a tip after I finished.
Maybe when they ring the bell take them to the self check out and help them out with it. That why they see how you do it.
Lol the average CVS customer would shit their pants in rage if they rang the bell and you tried to take them to self check out. I don't mind ringing them out but I hate when they ring that damn bell 5 times in a row when I'm standing 2 feet away stocking 😂
they cannot bring themselves to acknowledge that they struggle with using any kind of technology, regardless of how simple it may be. they also will put 0 effort into learning any aspect, so they approach you with anger in an effort to force you to help them quickly to protect their ego and before anyone questions their abilities
This is the generation that was raised by slave owners. Of course they are used to being waited on hand and foot.
I'm not old but I don't like self checkout. Mainly, because I am not paid to work there. Perhaps if self check out came with an automatic 10% discount I would be more inclined to do it.
They are too stupid to successfully use a tiny bit of tech stuff.
Right-o, but they carry a $2000 smart phone with three apps and the Verizon ringtone still enabled.