Is This The End of Grocery Store Checkout Operators at Coles and The Other Big Supermarkets?

franco cozzo on 03/09/2022 - 07:41
Last edited 03/09/2022 - 07:52

Coles seems to be leading the way in the drive towards self checkout only with stores in Victoria trialling 100% self checkout stores (Braybrook) …other locations as well.
In Victoria Aldi are trialling stores with one register only and the remainder being self checkout. No doubt Woolies are considering similar options

I'm sure we all like the convenience of self checkout at times but this is going to have major negative impact on non-abled people of all descriptions, the elderly, non-english speakers, people unfamiliar with self checkout & technology etc.

Wait times are going to be ridiculous as people struggle to unpack a trolley of items, scan, pack into bags and then finally pay for the transaction.
Jobs and hours are going to be lost and at the end of the day we know the ultimate goal is driving down costs and raising profits.

Food & Grocery

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Comments

    • franco cozzo on 04/09/2022 - 19:21
      +1

      great comment…& more or less what i expected. the days of being loyal (or is it lazy?) customers of colesworth are done and dusted

    • Yola on 05/09/2022 - 07:22
      +1

      The SDA is in cahoots with employers. When my son was 15 he started with Target. At orientation, the SDA rep came and spoke to the group about the benefits of joining. My son joined. I asked why as the fees were quite a large proportion of his part-time wage. He said it was required. This is the impression he was given by management including this on his first day. You have to wonder what is going on where the employer invites the union in to sign up newbies.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/09/2022 - 19:24
    +1

    I'm sure we all like the convenience of self checkout at times

    Nope. I avoid them. When forced to use them something always goes wrong. Every. Single. Time.

    I hope people boycott stores that do this until they either wake up to themselves or go broke.

    • franco cozzo on 04/09/2022 - 19:25

      if enough of us do …theyll feel it. theyve had it pretty bloody good for quite awhile now

  • quikchip on 05/09/2022 - 02:42

    Uniqlo has a nice system of using rfid tags that get scanned wirelessly, but I doubt grocery stores will adopt this system.

    • Roman Sandstorm on 05/09/2022 - 14:24
      -2

      I'm sure I read a few years ago about RF tags for supermarkets.

      Basically, every item is tagged, a shopper simply places it in their trolley/basket/pocket, and walks out. The scanner at exit detects every item, calculates and deducts from user's account.

      Of course one can argue negatives with this, but then, as this thread shows, there appear to be negatives with every method of shopping.

  • Flying Ace on 05/09/2022 - 07:23
    +1

    If I don't get the staff discount, I'll wait at whatever manned checkout line there is, even if it takes longer.

  • psabbrev on 05/09/2022 - 09:00
    +1

    So along with the insane housing prices, today’s youth will have less opportunities for employment, as engineered by those who have profited most from the former.

  • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 09:04

    went to coles this morning and the self checkout gave me 95 cents change all in 5 cent pieces…welcome to the future!

  • TEER3X on 05/09/2022 - 09:05

    Wait times are going to be ridiculous as people struggle to unpack a trolley of items, scan, pack into bags and then finally pay for the transaction.
    Jobs and hours are going to be lost and at the end of the day we know the ultimate goal is driving down costs and raising profits.

    Respectfully disagree with all of the above except for the profits part

    • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 09:06

      fair enough…care to elaborate?

      • DiscountForThee on 05/09/2022 - 10:07
        +1

        I find wait times to be significantly faster the more self checkouts a store has. I can walk in and get straight to scanning my items instead of waiting in line for the families who are struggling to find their rewards cards and then opt for paying in cash, amongst other slow downs

        • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 10:11

          you seem quite passionate about self checkout….and some of us still appreciate customer service and a checkout operator doing the job they always have.
          now why is that coles cant provide both options as they traditionally have for both types of customers?

          • DiscountForThee on 05/09/2022 - 13:30

            @franco cozzo: I value my time above all of that. If I can do it quicker and easier myself, I'll choose that option every time. But yeah I want there to be 20 self checkouts and then 1 or 2 lanes for all of the people who can't do it themselves or for those who enjoy waiting in line for a customer service

            • 2024 on 05/09/2022 - 17:27
              +1

              @DiscountForThee: Agreed.

              To me, customer service means more than simply cataloging the items I want, so the last place to go for customer service is the checkout. I usually head to the service desk for that.

              It will free these front line workers up for more challenging and rewarding employment, and spare them the unjustified yet inevitable tongue lashing they’ll receive when irate customers notice a price increase, among other things.

              • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 18:07
                -3

                @2024: lol…still triggered.

                • 2024 on 05/09/2022 - 19:55
                  +1

                  @franco cozzo: Ahaha what? Do you even know what that means?

                  • franco cozzo on 06/09/2022 - 03:04
                    -3

                    @2024: <trolling in multiple threads of mine for the last 2 weeks> …what do you mean im triggered???

                    • 2024 on 06/09/2022 - 08:14
                      +1

                      @franco cozzo: Ahahahahah
                      Wtf I was just replying to your “discussion”
                      There is a pattern: anyone with a different opinion gets attacked and insulted by you, and I don’t believe that’s what discussion threads are for.
                      Some toxic old man whose idea of a good time is chatting up boys and girls 1/4 his age at the checkout doesn’t trigger me.
                      It takes a bit more than that.

            • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 18:06
              -1

              @DiscountForThee: so sacrifice everyones needs for yours….got it.

              • DiscountForThee on 05/09/2022 - 18:07

                @franco cozzo: lmao what are you talking about? what needs is everyone sacrificing?

                • franco cozzo on 05/09/2022 - 18:11
                  -1

                  @DiscountForThee: like you said….20 self checkouts so you can get your shopping done quicker and 2 checkouts with checkout operators for the majority of the customers that want them to remain

  • duluxe2000 on 05/09/2022 - 14:58
    +1

    Maybe big employers are trying to replace unionsed jobs with non-unionsed ones, lol.

  • Donaldhump on 05/09/2022 - 15:14
    +1

    they expect you do scan a full trolley yourself, stuff that ill go elsewhere

  • shortgum on 05/09/2022 - 17:42
    +1

    i visited many kmarts are self service now. you need to request for operator service.

    you do bebefits to save 2cents on self service by using cash machine every transaction

  • DiscoJango on 05/09/2022 - 18:12
    +3

    Im looking forward to the days when i have to unload deliveries from the coles truck myself, now thats self service.

    • jrowls on 06/09/2022 - 12:12
      +1

      introducing Woolies new Self-Pallet Breakdown stores! come to our Eastern Creek distribution centre, bring your pallet jack and pocketknife, navigate to the appropriate aisle and start ripping up that plastic wrap!

      you'll find your items in no time, and best of all, we can keep your prices LOW* by not having to hire truck drivers, store workers, delivery drivers, pay rent and building maintenance, or pay for diesel and maintenance!

      *woolies LOW prices may not actually be 'lower' than any other product, store, or time.
      *woolies LOW prices may be higher than previously advertised.
      *woolies LOW prices are subject to change at the drop of a hat.

  • MrThing on 06/09/2022 - 07:23

    Ozb opinion..when in reality coles and woolies profits will continue to rise and market share wont be lost….who to?

    Aldi, ew says all those elites who must have their branded junk food
    Iga, just a more expensive woolies or coles

  • jrowls on 06/09/2022 - 12:08
    +1

    i certainly hope not, at woolies at least. their implementation of self checkout is cantankerous.

    i'm here to buy four things. i don't want to have to press fifteen buttons to confirm that a) yes, i am aware it's card only, b) i don't want to donate money to some cooked charity, c) i don't have a rewards card, and d) i don't want a receipt.

    and god forbid you don't place an item in the baggage area using the patented Woolies Magic Touch(c) gesture, or you'll be waiting for some poor flog to swipe their card and reapprove your shopping permissions.

    i reckon every second time i just automatically hit no on the first question to avoid getting stung for something and then i just about have an aneurysm trying to figure out why my stuff hasn't scanned.

    the coles implementation is streets ahead and so much simpler. i used to favour woolies but now i specifically avoid them because the self checkouts are so painful. even ritchies IGA has a better implementation.

  • whitepuma on 06/09/2022 - 12:29
    +1

    i know many people seem to think going 100% self checkout just isn't do-able, especially for the oldies. But honestly, i think it's going to happen. Personally, i prefer it…..no chit chat, i come in, i get what i want, i make my way through checkout at my own pace, and i find the overall experience quicker yet more relaxing.

    As far as the people saying it's not going to be acceptable, or it won't happen well….unfortunately i have to disagree with you, we (the people) probably thought the same thing when we went to self serve at petrol stations, or ATM's, but now look how normal it is. It will have some teething issues, and some people are going to find it difficult (much like when petrol stations became self serve & the use of ATM's), but after time it will be completely normal and people will soon forget how we did it before.

    • DiscoJango on 06/09/2022 - 12:55
      +1

      The year: 2090. Flying made simply: Simply take your suitcase and load it directly into the cargo hold of your plane. No more silly waiting at the baggage drop!

      The year: 2130: Why flush your own toilets and wait every week for the garbo to come, simply dispose of your own waste, yourself!

      • whitepuma on 06/09/2022 - 13:07
        +1

        Like….we aren't far off from you're 2130 example i'v seen many auto flushing toilets and they work really well.
        And with the rise of self driving vehicles it sounds very do-able to get that task automated

        • DiscoJango on 06/09/2022 - 14:31
          +2

          No i mean like in the olden days, where you literally had to remove a big tank from beneath your toilet and then physically get the waste disposed off. None of this efficient plumbing nonsense we have now!

          And the auto driving car wont load and unload the sewage itself, wheres the fun in that.

    • Zondor on 06/09/2022 - 15:06
      +1

      For small things I prefer it, but for trolley loads of things it's a pain in the ass.

  • DiscoJango on 06/09/2022 - 14:32

    One of my problems with aldi is, i cant tell whats a home brand product or a high quality product, they all look the same

    • Ughhh on 06/09/2022 - 20:30

      Non aldi home brand thats sold at other supermarkets wouldn't have the word "aldi" anywhere on the packaging.

  • Hugh G Rection on 06/09/2022 - 22:25
    +1

    woolies metro in sydney has 100% self checkout with one employee working like 10 different checkouts. granted its not a full woolies, so no one is grabbing a trolley full of food. looked like most shoppers would fill a bag or 2.

    if you have a few items, i like the self checkout, if you are getting groceries for a week with a family, you need to be in the traditional line for checkout.

    • vinnychase on 12/09/2022 - 16:23
      +1

      If you're talking about the woolies near Town Hall station. That 1 employee is redeemable for 10 Karens. Short old fat lady with squeaky voice. Tried to do me for shoplifting cause I had an unopened glass ginger beer bottle in my hand. I left the store and she sent a security guard behind me who made me come back to the store. I was taken to a bloody interrogation room and they emptied my backpack which had my uni things and a $10 smart bulb from Jbhifi which I had thrown away the receipt for. I walked out of there unscathed but was treated as a criminal for doing nothing. They shouldn't even treat criminals like this. The asian male manager was very good and just laughed and let me out.

  • kaleidoscope on 07/09/2022 - 05:03
    +1

    Aldi has to top up their game at counter checkout frustrations. If everything goes well, i find their checkouts to be blazing fast.

    As for quantities, yes being very careful with what we buy as prices has gone through the roof.

  • lordezekiel on 07/09/2022 - 12:57

    I just shop at IGA, they always have staff who are friendly and quick. Much better than the unpaid labour that is scanning your own items at coles/woolies/aldi/etc.

  • xdigger on 09/09/2022 - 10:45
    +1

    If all those checkout operators can be retrained as teachers, nurses and social workers, Australia will be better for it.

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