this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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The truth is they largely dont care. It's easier for them to have an overactivity cautious robot that's dog gone triple checks that you aren't robbing them as long as they can close all normal lanes but one. They dont care that it's a 10x worse job than cashiering the normal register, or that you're annoyed to shop there. In most cases, your choice of stores is either limited, or the other ones are doing the same damn thing.
All that said, i have seen self checkout done well and sanely. Instead of jamming tiny stations next to each other to fit 10 in what used to be 2 normal lanes, it was more like 10 in 4 old lanes. Each station was huge, with plenty of room to set things. It had actually calibrated sensors that let you put bags down first, and get this, the clerk was able to remotely clear errors from a nearby station that wasent crowding anyone.
The above was in an overpriced, boutique store so i dont expect it to ever become the norm, but ill be damned if it wasent actually nice to use.
I stopped shopping at Cub specifically because the self-checkout registers were just like the ones described above. The cashier lanes weren’t any better because I still had to do all the work except scanning anyway.
Cub is the most convenient location for me by about 5 miles, but I refuse to go there because the service is so very bad.
The self check at my local Cub is awful, the paranoid self check is so frustrating, especially because I bring my own bags and it never works right. And it's so expensive compared to every other grocery store in the area.
I want to like Cub because they're the only union grocery store that's convenient, but allegedly they allow lower management in the union and that's caused problems, and the rumor I've heard is that the company that owns Cub is intentionally running it into the ground in order to kill the union. But given how shitty all retail has become, I'm not sure how true that rumor is.