Sainsbury Self Service Checkouts

[Busaholic]

Oh, like wow.

I went to a post office today, and they have installed self service machines - complete with weighing scales, measuring plates for package sizing, and rolls of 'signed for' 'special delivery' etc. sticky labels.

I used it, under guidance from an assistant, but only to buy some stamps. The stamps are not like normal 'book' stamps nor like the labels that would normally be printed at a staffed counter. Each stamp comes with a unique serial number (so they can trace my stamp back to my purchase!) - glad I paid cash.

This happened at my local P.O. about three months ago - first two days, queues out of the door for people who wanted/needed to see a counter clerk at the remaining one or two positions and machines hardly used. A couple of weeks later, 4 or 5 manned positions again and one person deputed to help customers using the machines. So many people want to renew car tax, receive benefits, etc, not conduct postal business.

 

[Kite159]

This happened at my local P.O. about three months ago - first two days, queues out of the door for people who wanted/needed to see a counter clerk at the remaining one or two positions and machines hardly used. A couple of weeks later, 4 or 5 manned positions again and one person deputed to help customers using the machines. So many people want to renew car tax, receive benefits, etc, not conduct postal business.

At least if I use them in the central post-office in Andover they won't try and sell me various forms of insurance

 

[Busaholic]

At least if I use them in the central post-office in Andover they won't try and sell me various forms of insurance

This must vary from P.O. to P.O. as they've never tried to sell me insurance. Maybe they took one look at me and concluded I must already be due a pay-out!

 

[Kite159]

There was an interesting customer in Tesco yesterday, he decided to dump his basket on a SS checkout, only to disappear for 5 minutes and got a bit angry when the checkout assistant had moved his basket so that other customers could use the tills.

 

[DelayRepay]

I went to my local (large) Sainsburys last night at about 9pm. There was only one manned checkout operating, with six customers with trolleys full of goods waiting to pay. There are also 16 self service tills and about 6 tills for "scan as you shop" (you download a Sainsburys ap to your smartphone and use your phone to scan your goods as you go around the store).

For the first time ever I left my shopping behind and walked out of the store. I had too much to go through the self scan till, and the assistant who was supervising the self scan tills said there was nothing she could do when I asked if they were able to open more checkouts.

It will be chaos during December when Christmas shopping starts.

When I used to work for Sainsburys, I used to run the checkout line and our policy was always to open another till if more than one person was queueing. This continued until all tills were open. My store had 50 checkouts (it was huge) and sometimes every available member of staff including the Store Manager would be operating checkouts or assisting at the checkouts.

I was running the checkouts one Saturday before Christmas and when we cashed up at the end of the day we found that it had been the busiest day (in terms of takings) that our store had ever had. Later we found out we had taken more money that day than any other Sainsburys store had ever taken in a single day. Yet we had not received one single complaint about queues.

Standards have really slipped.

 

[jon0844]

I believe the supermarkets stopped the 'one in front' idea (opening a new till until all opened) some time ago.

Maybe there aren't that many members of staff in the store trained to work tills anymore (I assume they got people from the shop floor, rather than having a crack team of staff sitting on standby in another room ready to slide down a pole and open a till)?

I expect they'll staff more tills in the run up to Christmas, but my local Sainsbury's can't have that many people using the self scan (our local store doesn't use the app that's still on trial, but rather the handheld scanners) because the fast track checkout (which is just a normal checkout) is rarely staffed. They come over if and when they see someone a lot of the time, and in the evening when I like to go as it's generally quieter, that can mean having to pop over to customer services to ask - or join the queue at another till (and many of these aren't staffed).

This is one reason why I find it hard to believe that no staff have gone. I believe the 'PR answer' that nobody was made redundant, but there are definitely fewer checkouts open when I go shopping at most of the supermarkets.

Aldi, by comparison, only has 4 tills at our local store. But they scan at full speed because there's no need to do things slowly to give people time to pack as that's done afterwards. In many cases, it's quicker there. While some people might feel rushed or even intimidated by the queues behind, there seems to be a general acceptance that you get everything ready, including your cash/card, so as not to hold things up. No small talk, no faffing around as you scan the last item and then suddenly realise you need to pay, and your money is tucked way down in your bag...

If Aldi and Lidl introduce anything, I'd expect they'd jump to the mobile app and skip any sort of self checkout or investing in terminals. As most people have smartphones (even older people) this would make a lot of sense.

 

[Busaholic]

I went to my local (large) Sainsburys last night at about 9pm. There was only one manned checkout operating, with six customers with trolleys full of goods waiting to pay. There are also 16 self service tills and about 6 tills for "scan as you shop" (you download a Sainsburys ap to your smartphone and use your phone to scan your goods as you go around the store).

For the first time ever I left my shopping behind and walked out of the store. I had too much to go through the self scan till, and the assistant who was supervising the self scan tills said there was nothing she could do when I asked if they were able to open more checkouts.

It will be chaos during December when Christmas shopping starts.

When I used to work for Sainsburys, I used to run the checkout line and our policy was always to open another till if more than one person was queueing. This continued until all tills were open. My store had 50 checkouts (it was huge) and sometimes every available member of staff including the Store Manager would be operating checkouts or assisting at the checkouts.

I was running the checkouts one Saturday before Christmas and when we cashed up at the end of the day we found that it had been the busiest day (in terms of takings) that our store had ever had. Later we found out we had taken more money that day than any other Sainsburys store had ever taken in a single day. Yet we had not received one single complaint about queues.

Standards have really slipped.

My local Sainsburys has only been open since last November. It opened very controversially on the site of a heliport which had provided flights to the Isles of Scilly, and one minute's drive in either direction from a Tesco's and a Morrison's, and as a result many local people refuse to use it, so it is already at an inherent disadvantage. Like your store, though, they think their shoppers are a captive market and refuse to open sufficient tills to prevent long queues. As a consequence, I hardly ever go there for a big shop, just leaving it for things that I can't get elsewhere or where I prefer Sainsbury's quality. The local Morrisons is so badly run though that they seemed to give up the ghost as soon as Sainsbury arrived (well, long before then actually) and everyone knows they are just waiting to sell the site to Network Rail for an extension of their Long Rock Depot. Tesco, meanwhile, and despite their (comparative) woes nationally have upped their game and always seem to not only have enough tills open but to maintain a basket-only queue for those who don't like self-scanning.Hence they are getting my (supermarket) business.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

My local Sainsburys has only been open since last November. It opened very controversially on the site of a heliport which had provided flights to the Isles of Scilly, and one minute's drive in either direction from a Tesco's and a Morrison's, and as a result many local people refuse to use it, so it is already at an inherent disadvantage. Like your store, though, they think their shoppers are a captive market and refuse to open sufficient tills to prevent long queues. As a consequence, I hardly ever go there for a big shop, just leaving it for things that I can't get elsewhere or where I prefer Sainsbury's quality. The local Morrisons is so badly run though that they seemed to give up the ghost as soon as Sainsbury arrived (well, long before then actually) and everyone knows they are just waiting to sell the site to Network Rail for an extension of their Long Rock Depot. Tesco, meanwhile, and despite their (comparative) woes nationally have upped their game and always seem to not only have enough tills open but to maintain a basket-only queue for those who don't like self-scanning.Hence they are getting my (supermarket) business.

I often hear, in both of the large Tesco superstores that I regularly use, calls for 'the red team' or 'managers' or named staff to go to support the checkouts, so I assume they still have some kind of rules about opening additional checkouts when queues get to a certain length, but, as mentioned, there is no advertising the 'no more than one person in front of you' policy anymore.

What is interesting is that I have seen / heard staff in the 'red team' and manager types, then not responding to the call! Finding an excuse to be to busy or absent! The red team are indeed other shopfloor workers busy stacking shelves or similar.

Despite their published woes this week, I find Tesco the most pleasant experience of the big four.

 

[DelayRepay]

Maybe there aren't that many members of staff in the store trained to work tills anymore (I assume they got people from the shop floor, rather than having a crack team of staff sitting on standby in another room ready to slide down a pole and open a till)?

The way it used to work in my store was that pretty much everyone was till trained, and each department had to nominate 1 or 2 of their staff as a Standby Checkout Operator, so we could call for Standbys and would be able to get enough staff, without disrupting a particular department too significantly.

Crucially this included the office/admin staff who were also required to serve on checkouts at busy times. Having said that, I think most of the admin has been centralised now (my store had its own HR Manager and Payroll Clerk) so there probably isn't quite as big a pool of people to call on. Also with things like cleaning, trolley collecting and maintenance being outsourced, again there aren't as many people you can call upon.

 

[Kite159]

I often hear, in both of the large Tesco superstores that I regularly use, calls for 'the red team' or 'managers' or named staff to go to support the checkouts, so I assume they still have some kind of rules about opening additional checkouts when queues get to a certain length, but, as mentioned, there is no advertising the 'no more than one person in front of you' policy anymore.

What is interesting is that I have seen / heard staff in the 'red team' and manager types, then not responding to the call! Finding an excuse to be to busy or absent! The red team are indeed other shopfloor workers busy stacking shelves or similar.

Despite their published woes this week, I find Tesco the most pleasant experience of the big four.

When I'm in the Tidworth tesco (which checkout shifts seem to change just as it's getting busy at 5pm), you hear "can all Green card holders please report to the checkouts", then "yellow card", if you hear Red Card than you know it's going to be a long wait at the checkouts.

 

[carriageline]

Talking about self service, does no one else get really agitated with people having trolly full and decides to use the self scan? I know there's no rule against it, but surely it's quite obvious it isn't quite for thay. I was watching someone today stack the bagging area up as it's clearly not big enough for that! Don't they realise it's slower and a waste of their time, and it makes everyone else wait longer!

It's when they dawdle too, scan one item watch the screen for a few seconds, scan another, then don't get me started when they need fresh produce!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jon0844]

My local Sainsbury's has had the Fast Track system out of use for a few days now and it's so annoying having to go back to using a checkout (staffed or self checkout). By far the best way is to pack as you go around the store.

 

[Tom B]

With Aldi etc I use the mindset that you get what you pay for and in return for lower prices you have to be more efficient. Like in a work canteen which is cheap, but you have to serve yourself dessert, pick up cutlery and return your tray, rather than being served at an expensive restaurant.

The way it used to work in my store was that pretty much everyone was till trained, and each department had to nominate 1 or 2 of their staff as a Standby Checkout Operator, so we could call for Standbys and would be able to get enough staff, without disrupting a particular department too significantly.

Crucially this included the office/admin staff who were also required to serve on checkouts at busy times. Having said that, I think most of the admin has been centralised now (my store had its own HR Manager and Payroll Clerk) so there probably isn't quite as big a pool of people to call on. Also with things like cleaning, trolley collecting and maintenance being outsourced, again there aren't as many people you can call upon.

And an eminently sensible way of doing things - a flexible way of getting extra people on tap quickly, even if only for 15 minutes whilst it's particularly busy.

I don't use self checkouts - they always end up with having an attendant over in any case.

 

[SS4]

Talking about self service, does no one else get really agitated with people having trolly full and decides to use the self scan? I know there's no rule against it, but surely it's quite obvious it isn't quite for thay. I was watching someone today stack the bagging area up as it's clearly not big enough for that! Don't they realise it's slower and a waste of their time, and it makes everyone else wait longer!

It's when they dawdle too, scan one item watch the screen for a few seconds, scan another, then don't get me started when they need fresh produce!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I get cheesed off with that, go to a manned checked and get someone who is paid and trained to do it more quickly than you and knows where the barcodes are. It's the same deal for those buying age-restricted products, security tagged items and slow-mos. It's not hard!

It boils down to knowing when not to use the self-checkout. I was offered the chance to go at sainsbury's but had about 12 items so I declined

With Aldi etc I use the mindset that you get what you pay for and in return for lower prices you have to be more efficient. Like in a work canteen which is cheap, but you have to serve yourself dessert, pick up cutlery and return your tray, rather than being served at an expensive restaurant.

Aldi cashier's must break the land speed record when it comes to scanning. My greatest feat in shopping is keeping up with the cashier once.

-----------------------------------

What would be nice is one of those systems someone described earlier where you get a portable scanner and beep it against the checkout at the end

 

[jon0844]

At Heathrow Terminal 2 yesterday and walking by WH Smith near gate A19, I noticed about 10 self checkouts and the two staffed counters empty with a sign saying they were closed.

There was a queue for the self checkouts and it was 1.30pm. And there were signs up saying you had to also have your boarding card ready. Not sure if you scanned it or had to type the flight number in. I wouldn't ever buy anything from WH Smith at an airport. Why double the cost of your holiday?!

 

[CC 72100]

. I wouldn't ever buy anything from WH Smith at an airport. Why double the cost of your holiday?!

The only time I used WH Smith in the airport I went in for a bottle of water. Came out with a newspaper (that I didn't want) and said bottle of water. By buying the paper (and giving me something to read while Flybe faffed around for 30 minutes trying to work out how many people we had on an already delayed flight) I actually saved 50p due to the promotion.

So on that occasion, it was actually quite a good move!