How long till we have to stack shelves?

[bobsbeer]

I have noticed that self serve checkout tills seem to be expanding in supermarkets these days. Our Asda has recently put in loads more of these things, and even ones you can take a whole trolley to. It made me wonder how long it would be when if we wanted something we would have to put it on the shelf first. Then we could put it in our trolley. They way we are going the job of a check put person will be consigned to the history books. At least one thing has stayed the same. The voice coming out of the machine is still just as snotty and disinterested. :lol:

 

[oldbloke]

I enjoy using the self serve tills with items I know will require an assistant to come, eg when I nip in for just a bottle of rum and some doughnuts (I like a healthy lunch)

 

[stu]

My local Tesco is about to double in size.

Apparently there will not be much more shopping space, but it allows for huge expansion of home delivery and collection.

I get the impression that's the way they would like to move forward (says me, who since I have moved to a village no longer go to the supermarket because I get it delivered now - although I try to use the local village butchers and the farm shop for veg)

 

[bobsbeer]

I'm just waiting for the day when I go to Asda/Tesco for a loaf of fresh bread and a sign says New New New Bake your own Bread Here.

 

[alawlor66430]

I always get my asda shopping delivered, it's only £3 charge but I sometimes prefer to be in the shop and seeing what I'm buying cos when I do it online I seem to spend allot more money then when the delivery comes its all random stuff I've bought, that probably sais more about me than online shopping lol !!

 

[stu]

I've knocked at least 10% off my bill by ordering online (and that includes the delivery charge).

I don't buy random things that are on offer quite as much. It also makes me think about what I need rather than what I want.

It also helps me lose weight as I don't buy chocolate, cakes and crisps!

#1 rule of shopping: Never EVER shop on an empty stomach. You WILL spend considerably more.

 

[Brewbob]

There is nothing Super nor nothing Market about them!!!

I try to buy all my meat and veg from either the local farm shop, where I could possibly watch the cow/pig/sheep walk past my house before I choose which bit I want to eat (chicken comes from another farm nearby), or from the covered market in town, where SWMBO has a cake stall. I get stuff like tins, oil, the odd frozen stuff for my young'un (can't deprive a kid of chicken nuggets or fish fingers and waffles) from them. I do buy booze and fuel from them as I am skint (a big reason for HBing, plus its very enjoyable, and rewarding). But if I go I try to use the self-checkout unless its a biggie, and find them fine. First thing put your booze through, then once thats verified your away...

 

[Cononthebarber]

I avoid the self-checkouts, I see them as devaluing humans, for every 4-6 self-checkouts they usually only have 1 operator...in my head that's 5 people who now don't have jobs! It's more ruthless profiteering by the big supermarkets IMO and I won't buy into their plans! You are right Bob, before we know it we'll be stacking the shelves, serving ourselves all to the robotic sound of "next customer please"! Grrrr!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

The elf checkouts seem to be getting better, to start with the red light was constantly flashing to alert the assistant but nowadays I don't think they're as sensitive and give you more time to bag up..

BB

 

[oldbloke]

We use one of the several good local butchers regularly - I mean, Lidl may have reindeer but neither they nor Morrisons have llama.
Local fish guy is very good too.
Only thing local shops fall down on is gluten-free stuff (there's some but not much of a range), but then so the the local 'super'markets.
Most of our non-speciality meat comes from CostCo though.

 

[wezil]

I avoid the self-checkouts, I see them as devaluing humans, for every 4-6 self-checkouts they usually only have 1 operator...in my head that's 5 people who now don't have jobs!

+1! well said!

 

[PD]

The self service points are good and efficient and are a boon if you have just a basket of items, they will speed you on your way. However as already said its another way for supermarkets to save precious cash and reduce their staff.
Our local chemist shop is robotised, you can watch it on cctv, a long arm whizzing along the shelves and picking your medicines off and dropping them into a container.
We will soon be entering a shop, sitting into a " comfort pod " and typing what we need into a keyboard and off goes this long arm....soon no staff required except apparently Managers they seem to be always needed to walk round.

 

[Aleman]

I avoid the self-checkouts, I see them as devaluing humans, for every 4-6 self-checkouts they usually only have 1 operator...in my head that's 5 people who now don't have jobs!

+1! well said!

:hat: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[oldbloke]

The self service points are good and efficient and are a boon if you have just a basket of items, they will speed you on your way. However as already said its another way for supermarkets to save precious cash and reduce their staff.
Our local chemist shop is robotised, you can watch it on cctv, a long arm whizzing along the shelves and picking your medicines off and dropping them into a container.
We will soon be entering a shop, sitting into a " comfort pod " and typing what we need into a keyboard and off goes this long arm....soon no staff required except apparently Managers they seem to be always needed to walk round.

Kind of how it was /before/ supermarkets - you went in, told somebody what you wanted and they went and got it all and bagged it.
Only now it's a robot instead of a person.
Kinda surprised robots are cheaper than some poor schmuck on a 0hours contract though

 

[PD]

I think it was Woolworths that are credited with introducing the " self service " approach to shopping, where all the goods were placed for you to reach and take them to be payed for...
Thereby helping shoplifters to proliferate... :grin:

Like oldbloke I fondly remember proper sales personnel in every kind of shop you went in...where you were treated with respect kindness and with knowledge from the staff...

 

[oldbloke]

The queues could be bad though, even though there were far fewer people about in those days.

8yr olds can't buy 5 Woodbines as a birthday pres for their uncle anymore, either!

 

[Gayle]

If I've only got a wee basket of shopping then I'll use the self-service tills. Theres always something going wrong though and someone has to come over and there only seems to be one till that alcohol can be bought from - ok, so that isn't much of a problem for me! Particularly since they have refused to serve me alcohol a couple of times even when I've produced my ID, so I go elsewhere if I need to buy booze. I try to do a "big" shop in a supermarket every 3 weeks or so and the rest of my stuff from butchers/veg shop etc, I dislike handing money over to Tesco/Asda

 

[cutnrun]

I avoid the self-checkouts, I see them as devaluing humans, for every 4-6 self-checkouts they usually only have 1 operator...in my head that's 5 people who now don't have jobs!

+1! well said!

:hat: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

I am not disputing that and agree that its a shame people may have lost a job but, someone has to develop, ship, move, install maintain and upgrade them.

Don't know and couldnt guess but anicdotally, I work with Finance systems, there would have been 6 or 7 people working the books years ago adding things up. Now the system is so complicated there are 15 of us in the IT team + the accountants. They just dont do the adding up any more. :hmm:

Like i say, just a thought!

 

[calumscott]

Like oldbloke I fondly remember proper sales personnel in every kind of shop you went in...where you were treated with respect kindness and with knowledge from the staff...

I still get that...

...at the butcher in my village
...at the other butcher in town

and most importantly

...at my LHBS! :hat:

And that's when it matters. Frankly I don't want or need any form of personal touch when it comes to a tin of tomatoes. I do when it's a hand made sausage, local meat, or some whacky brewing idea...

 

[PD]

yea the trouble is....
when its gone....its gone.