Buying a Carrot at The Self-Checkout - Machine Called for an Attendant

Cabbage_enforcer on 03/06/2023 - 19:21
Last edited 04/06/2023 - 16:41 by 1 other user

So I was at the self checkout at Woolies today and bought a carrot. The machine called for an attendant who came over and checked a photo of the carrot to make sure it was actually a carrot I put through and then authorised it with their code. Is this a new thing now? Are people entering more expensive fruit and veg through as carrots and onions?

I would just go through the normal checkout if I'm going to be treated like a criminal….except some supermarkets I go to only have one checkout open with usually a long line up. What a sh*tshow

Food & Grocery

Comments

      • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 14:58
        +2

        they got trolley cameras now?!

        • nobro25 on 04/06/2023 - 16:26
          +2

          Well people are just then gonna vandalise the camera by putting gum on the lens.

      • smurftastic on 05/06/2023 - 09:19

        Yep, same thing happened to me. But it was the empty spare shopping bags that I had hanging off the trolley that it pinged me on.

    • michaelTito on 04/06/2023 - 13:29
      -1

      Why are you threatening us like we are the ceo of whichever supermarket you went to?

    • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2023 - 09:54
      +2

      Probably not what they are doing.

      They have installed cameras to try and stop the incorrect entry of items, but not all carrots are identical, and not all carrots will be placed on the scale the same way.

      My guess is that these instances of staff checks will reduce as they should hopefully be using the confirmation of the item vs the photo to further train the detection algorithm and increase the match confidence.

  • DemocracyManifest on 03/06/2023 - 21:36
    +3

    Surprised it took a decade for them to start doing something about it haha. Depending where you shop however some of the attendants take it upon themselves to police the checkouts despite their training saying they aren’t to do that and they can get fired for it

    • AustriaBargain on 04/06/2023 - 01:10
      +4

      "tee hee, I must have pressed the wrong button"

      • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:00
        +4

        "tee-hee, i shouldve gone to specsavers"

  • Switchblade88 on 03/06/2023 - 21:44

    I had this the other week. The tomatoes looked green through the plastic bag so it obviously didn't match the expected colour/shape and got flagged. I'm guessing if the item is the right colour and shape when weighed & identified, then it'll generally pass automatically.

  • Albert10 on 03/06/2023 - 22:09

    A few days ago, I encountered a similar situation while attempting to purchase a single mandarine for my lunch. Instead of waiting for the attendant, I hastily ran back to grab an additional mandarine, and that resolved the issue. However, it did cost me just 50 cents for that 2 mandarines. I guess it's possible that there might be a minimum weight requirement.

    • payless69 on 04/06/2023 - 03:20
      -1

      Flash your BOQ account, raise your voice and they are FREE!!

  • AustriaBargain on 04/06/2023 - 01:09
    +6

    If I were writing the self checkout algorithm I'd have it call staff over to verify extreme outliers, like single carrots. Gotta be one in a million, would assume you pressed the wrong button and were buying a different product.

    • Matt P on 04/06/2023 - 21:08
      +2

      IMO this is the correct answer. They'd likely have "acceptable" weights just like they do with things like avocados where you have to enter how many you're purchasing.

  • kyle on 04/06/2023 - 01:23
    +2

    My local woolies doesn't even have a self checkout option

    • Senatekill on 04/06/2023 - 14:10
      +6

      good.

      • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:02

        who else will check me out then?

      • McSquintus on 05/06/2023 - 11:36
        +1

        I love assisted checkouts, haven't been to a standard register in years. Personal preference though, good to have both.

  • Ghost47 on 04/06/2023 - 01:40
    +1

    Are people entering more expensive fruit and veg through as carrots and onions?

    I'm pretty sure dishonest people have been doing this for years, yes. I guess Safeway is just doing something about it now.

  • holdenmg on 04/06/2023 - 01:52
    +6

    Next Week…

    Go buy a single Grape.

    Put it in a Bag, go to a self-serve checkout.

    Push the Button for Assistance and say you can't find the Barcode,

    Pay.

    Then, go to the Refund counter for a refund (with your receipt) or reenter the store and repeat.

    • payless69 on 04/06/2023 - 03:18

      I have to do this for Ing and Mystate
      every 1st,
      5 grapes
      5 carrots

    • AustriaBargain on 04/06/2023 - 21:26
      +3

      Me and my mates did this as kids at the local BI-LO. We thought tit was the funniest thing ever, could not stop laughing at the checkout, were wheezing. The grape was too light to register any weight so she let us have it for free.

  • Tasslehoff on 04/06/2023 - 08:04
    +1

    Personally refuse to use self checkout. I’ll either ask them to open a register or just leave without my shop. I rarely have more than a dozen items so usually go to the express where available.

    • TEER3X on 04/06/2023 - 14:59

      Why do you refuse?

      • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:04

        (2)

      • Zondor on 05/06/2023 - 11:52

        Especially the convener belt ones are awful to use.

        If I've got 10 items, I just want someone to do it for me.

  • Michael Goldberg on 04/06/2023 - 08:34
    +8

    There are cameras at all self check outs that are monitored by AI. When the AI thinks the person is doing something wrong, it flags a human.

    • dtc on 04/06/2023 - 12:11
      +2

      Yes, about 50 comments and you are the first person to actually know what is going on!

      https://amp.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/19/woolworths-…

      • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:05
        -2

        quite insane

        • knk on 04/06/2023 - 15:32
          +7

          They're just attempting to stop people from putting things through as the wrong item, whether it be accidental or actual theft.

          I don't see the issue here.

    • skillet on 04/06/2023 - 12:39

      The camera is over hanging if you are wondering where it is.

      • spaceflight on 06/06/2023 - 10:03

        They also use the camera in the barcode scanner.

    • a-friend on 05/06/2023 - 10:52
      +2

      Furthermore, the AI also monitors your trolley for unscanned items.I always have items from ALDI in trolley, which I already bought, AI doesn't let me pay and calls for assistance.

  • CandyMan on 04/06/2023 - 12:58

    I move stuff quickly through checkout, so the machine can’t keep up and keeps flagging the human to check. I take it personally that the machine does this to me, but the humans can’t be bothered and prolly can’t wait to finish their shift

    • lysp on 04/06/2023 - 23:22

      There is a green (?) light that shows up once the bag scale has confirmed your item.

      So you just have to pause for a moment until it confirms that you actually put something in the bag. I used to always have similar problem - going too fast - until I learned about the light.

      • CandyMan on 05/06/2023 - 19:57

        This is after the items scan, it’s because the robot can’t count as fast as I’m scanning the items. So it thinks I scanned one item but bagged 2. One day I might call the manager to complain 😂

  • Brianqpr on 04/06/2023 - 13:33
    +6

    Perhaps the supermarkets could stop price gouging instead? 15% increase in profits but apparently price rises are due to their costs increasing….

    • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:05

      surely they could eat into some profits instead ..

      • Zondor on 05/06/2023 - 11:52

        Oh won't someone think of the SHAREHOLDERS.

  • Senatekill on 04/06/2023 - 14:09
    +3

    wait in line and get served. you realised they are filming you at self checkout and another person loses their job as all the sheep flock to self checkout. I hope you enjoyed your carrot.

    • capslock janitor on 04/06/2023 - 15:07
      +1

      if lanes are empty or short, i go.

      if lanes are full, and i got lil stuff in a rush then i selfcheckout

  • azero on 04/06/2023 - 15:57
    +3

    It was like that for quite a while now. The machine takes a photo if what is placed on it.

    Then if you go friut and veg, it shows a list of what it thinks the item is, and if you select something outside if that list it flags for manual verification.

    For fun I tried a few times covering the camera with my hand and every time it flagged it.

  • Kiro on 04/06/2023 - 16:13

    People would purchase more expensive items for cheaper items… Example steak at carrot prices.

  • eddyah on 04/06/2023 - 17:16
    +13

    If you scan the vaseline first before the carrot, the machine knows not to call the attendant over to make you uncomfortable.

    Tip for next time.

    • doctordv8 on 04/06/2023 - 17:34

      Hahaha you sicko!

    • CocaKoala on 06/06/2023 - 10:38

      Supermarkets HATE this one simple trick!

      • eddyah on 08/06/2023 - 22:12

        what are you a youtube tagline creator?

        • CocaKoala on 08/06/2023 - 22:40

          You will NOT believe what happened next!

  • Ughhh on 04/06/2023 - 17:27
    +1

    Are people entering more expensive fruit and veg through as carrots and onions?

    I recall people actually admitting to doing that on older threads, as a retaliation to self-checkout.

  • doctordv8 on 04/06/2023 - 17:32
    -1

    Yes. Yes.

    You well know shoplifting costs Australian stores $zillions plus the Legal time and costs, paid for by us…the Tax Payer…more money as a cost to Australia. Many stores may have theft insurance, but that is added into the retail cost you…we all pay toward higher prices.

    If everybody was honest, stores would not have to check. This would also give cheaper prices / less frequent store price rises across the board.

    The store is simply checking, and unless you are falsly accused, apprehended, charged and or convicted you are treated as a confused customer or a customer that has simply triggered the machine program, thus you were never treated as a criminal.

    Until then the store is exercising its right o double check 'off beat' transactions….eg 1 carrot.

    If you were a business owner and saw a possible mistake in a transaction…would you ignore it or check it?

    It works if you make an honest mistake in your favour, which still can be theft. It can also work in reverse if you make a mistake against the store's favour.

    You well know shoplifting costs Australia zillions. It was advertised months ago that stronger systems were being put in place, security is increasing everywhere, and unless we have something to hide, we need to understand, accept, live with it or shop on line only.

    So, better to be checked as an honest shopper than a shopper taken away in cuffs. Bring on the checks.

    Chill dude, all will be good in the world.

    • burningrage on 04/06/2023 - 19:55
      +2

      There is one sure way to ensure it is a carrot and you wont be treated like sus. Bring back attended check out.

      • dtc on 04/06/2023 - 23:49

        I ended up doing my grocery shopping last night - yes, 9pm Saturday. in my defence I'm old.

        There were 3 staffed checkouts and not a single person was using them. The self serve check outs had about 7 or 8 people using them. Perhaps those who are shopping Saturday are just picking up a few bits to get them through the night or whatever; but unless people have full trolleys then they are heading to self serve.

        • burningrage on 05/06/2023 - 09:44
          +1

          The self-serve checkouts do have its place. Lower quantity purchases and the number of kiosks do incentivize people to use them who tend to be time-poor people (like myself for example).

          If they stop it at that, I would be fine. They went further and made the experience of using them worse over time with Woolies the biggest offender with their over-reaching camera surveillance that not only takes photos/videos but also second guessing the shoppers. This will delay the purchase.

          In some place, they removed the staffed checkouts altogether and asked you to use the conveyor belt self serve checkouts. I think that goes too far because all it does is making us do the scanning instead of the staffs (ie: it only makes the purchases slower, not faster. There is literally zero benefit for the shoppers)

    • doctordv8 on 04/06/2023 - 23:21
      -2

      So who is the sook (shoplifter or?) with the neg…and why?

  • frostman on 04/06/2023 - 18:11

    A bag of Coles Carrots is usually $1, not sure what your problem is.

    • amsaini15 on 04/06/2023 - 23:00

      Not anymore

  • bargaino on 04/06/2023 - 18:40

    Are people entering more expensive fruit and veg through as carrots and onions?

    Probably, but the computer is not that smart. I had it call the attendant over some expensive veggies too. ( capsicums? Why are they so pricey now?)

  • burningrage on 04/06/2023 - 19:53

    Now you see why I dont shop at Woolies? It is one of the reasons. Face recording is another reason. Ripe for data hack.

    • frugalftw on 06/06/2023 - 10:47

      Damn it so we have to wear a mask to shop at superkmarkets now?

  • saltysalt on 04/06/2023 - 20:24

    Is it just me or do you think that the supermarket that brings back normal checkouts would get everyones business?

  • kaleidoscope on 04/06/2023 - 20:26
    -1

    Is this a new thing now?

    No but entering 1 carrot has certainly made the system flag it as not normal transaction. May be get the full bag next time? (They’re like $1-2 per bag and it would typically last few weeks in the fridge even if you don’t consume all at once. How much are you actually saving by buying just 1 carrot 🫣

    Are people entering more expensive fruit and veg through as carrots and onions?

    Who knows, may be they are.

  • tio on 04/06/2023 - 20:59

    it really depends on stores. I work in CBD and office workers buy single fruit veg items all the time for their breakies/snacks, and I don't see they get checked by the attendance. But when I shop at coleworths near my house, I can see the red beacon regularly goes up when someone buys single items.

    • burningrage on 04/06/2023 - 21:10
      +1

      "I can see the red beacon regularly goes up when someone buys single items."

      Did all eyes onto the "lucky" shopper? Goodness gracious. Must be very embarrassing.

  • UFO on 04/06/2023 - 21:33

    They probably thought you were buying the carrot for other purposes.

  • Kamsi on 04/06/2023 - 21:51
    +1

    I have to say I still prefer self check out @woollies than waiting in aldi or Costco line up.

  • May4th on 04/06/2023 - 22:14
    -1

    if you want to make sure you don't get judged and suspected of petty theft there is a simple solution, buy a box of condoms with it and i guarantee you will not have any further issues

  • DingoBilly on 05/06/2023 - 07:05

    Some checkouts just have various bugs.

    It's more the camera that's the issue. I got pinged for a banana, and when you looked at the photos it did indeed look nothing like a banana.

  • yokel on 05/06/2023 - 07:32
    +1

    They should give you staff discount for all the work you have to do at self checkout.

  • dbun1 on 05/06/2023 - 08:17

    This has been a thing since they rolled out self serve checkouts.

    People used to put Gillette shaving blades through as mushrooms for example.

    It’s not uncommon for people to put things through as a cheaper alternative e.g. gourmet tomatoes as normal ones etc.

    That’s why they are always trying to upgrade the machines with better detection capabilities.

    The thing is that even with all the extra theft, they are rolling this out more and more, so it proves that it’s still more cost effective than paying staff to man checkouts.

  • Herbse on 05/06/2023 - 09:00

    Woolies have had produce checkers for some time now. Scans the item for the shape and colour and pulls a warning if it's different. Yes it's to catch the people who buy expensive produce and pass them through as something cheaper. It's been happening since the start of self checkout.

    It's also why most skinned individual fruits/vegies have stickers on them, so you don't get tempted to put that $3 avocado through as an onion

    I'm surprised Coles doesn't do it yet.

    • burningrage on 05/06/2023 - 09:46

      Coles does. Example like some apples (most, not all) have barcode stickers now and it helped me to identify the apples correctly.

      Carrots however, don't seem to have that stickers unless they are bagged/batched.

      • Pork Hunt on 05/06/2023 - 12:46

        I made the mistake of not scanning the sticker on some Imperial Mandarins at Coles this weekend. I ran a search and entered them as 'Mandarins' which were $11 per kg, instead of clicking 'Imperial Madarins' which were $2.50 per kg.

        • burningrage on 05/06/2023 - 21:40

          Ouch. I was worried about that but on Apples because there are so many varieties of them.

    • isthisreallife22 on 05/06/2023 - 09:56

      Avocados have been as cheap if not cheaper than onions in recent months

  • jerjergege on 05/06/2023 - 10:02

    I think you forgot lube.

  • jammy2006 on 05/06/2023 - 11:36
    +2

    As an honest shopper, every time this happens it's an annoyance as it's a false positive.

    I've had everything from -
    The computer thinks I've scanned a more expensive fruit/vegetable as something cheaper. EG passion fruits as onions.
    The computer thinks I haven't scanned an item, but it was something purchased from an outside butcher.
    The computer thinks I've placed more items in the bag then I should have for a scan, but I clearly specified the correct quantity when the 'quantity required' pop up appeared.

    • ihfree on 05/06/2023 - 19:03
      +1

      The computer thinks I haven't scanned an item, but it was something purchased from an outside butcher.

      This is really annoying and the main one that affects me as I generally go to multiple stores. Last few times, I moved the trolley away to prevent this check

    • jammy2006 on 12/06/2023 - 22:53

      Happened again today.

      Computer thought I hadn't scanned an item. The 'item' was a discarded empty fruit/veg plastic bag and paper receipt that was left in the trolley from a previous user and not disposed of.

  • ode1online on 05/06/2023 - 11:36

    They have camera's in the scale of the self-checkout, When you place fruit or vegetables on the scale it try's to guess what it is, so When you search for the fruit or vegetable it is, the scanner uses the camera to predetermine the search, So If I had a carrot on the scale, and selected search, it would come up with orange fruit and vegetables, It's not a perfect system , but it's trying to reduce the number of buttons pressed. It must have had an issue with your selection and asked for a double check, but it won't happen every time.

  • brenwildman on 05/06/2023 - 12:12

    Theoretically this is a good thing for honest customers. It could reduce theft, which reduces operating costs that could lead to savings for customers.

    • brendanm on 05/06/2023 - 17:53
      +2

      which reduces operating costs that could lead to savings for customers.

      Hahahahaha, as if they would pass that on. They've saved money by sacking the poor checkout people, and haven't passed that on.

      • smartazz104 on 05/06/2023 - 21:22

        No one willingly works checkout.

        • Yola on 06/06/2023 - 07:03
          +1

          Many checkout operator positions have been filled by students from the age of 15. It is a good starter job. I wonder if it is harder for young people to find work.

  • Bullion78 on 05/06/2023 - 12:23

    Use cash at every available opportunity and use a human at checkout.

  • HealthHazard on 05/06/2023 - 14:31

    They are training their AI on your time.

  • cosmos on 05/06/2023 - 14:40

    Wait until you see the next updates coming.

    If you scan an item and put the item back into your trolley, the system will ask (when you are going to pay) if you forget to scan something. Even if you confirm that you have forgotten anything to scan the system will then wait for the attendant to check and confirm. I suppose the system assumes that once scanned, you don’t put the item back in the trolley before payment. There’s a overhead camera that checks this.

    • burningrage on 05/06/2023 - 21:46
      +2

      It's already happening at Woolies, not at Coles. Can confirm last time at Eastland VIC.

      The problem with this stupid update is that if you buy a lot, the weighing platform will be too full for you to add more. In normal situation what I would do is either to declare "No Bag" and put them into the trolley. Up to a certain times, I think it would be okay but maybe 3-4x, you may trigger the attendant alert. Probably only one alert and you can continue on the rest. This update will change the game.

      At Coles Eastland, there are bigger self-checkout that does NOT weigh at all (so does not trigger attendant alert). So what I have been doing is quick scan everything (using gun barcode reader) and put it aside or inside trolley without triggering anything. Now that does cut down my shopping time a lot.

      • Yola on 06/06/2023 - 07:05

        Most Coles in my area have these and also some Woolies.

  • shortgum on 05/06/2023 - 15:22

    Just found out last week woolies checkout weigh scale may actually need item to have minimum at about 0.08kg+ to work.

    I tried to buy one mandarin. picked up a small one about 0.075 weigh at scale. machine requested assistance and asked to reweigh it doesn't work. he navigated this for awhile and went all the way picked a bigger one about 0.1kg and worked.

    In your scenario the assistance maybe just be too hypersensitive about thief and just unfriendly staff. weird but I don't see anything wrong to buy one carrot just as I need a piece of fruit at time. you may try buy a bigger one next time

  • FujiFruit on 05/06/2023 - 15:57
    +1

    I feel the same way to when purchase at self serve check outs, the worker hovers over me and stands right next to me So annoying.

    • digitalbath on 07/06/2023 - 11:56
      -1

      Do they talk to you? Do they interrupt your scanning and bagging process?
      Maybe if there was more honest people in society they wouldn’t need to do that.
      But as with everything these days, we have to accommodate for the stupid and the dishonest.

  • sashatheman on 05/06/2023 - 16:23
    +1

    People are absolutely weighing more expensive products and then say they are buying carrots (which tend to be cheap). If the cameras are picking up something that doesn't look like the product you are scanning it will put up an alert. Sometimes there are false positives.

  • pnt on 05/06/2023 - 17:13

    It's not personal.

    It's probably a shoplifting mitigation. It might be just accident mitigation.

    I doubt they have any complex "business rules" to raise a flag. Probably something invented by someone like flag if "small purchase", or if "high weight/low cost". If lucky, based on some sort of study data or expert guidance.

    If it were legal they'd AI sniff your BO and raise a flag if you smelled funny.

    If they were a bit more sophisticated, they'd video tape 10,000 usages, and identify common causes of error or shoplifting, and build rules about that data.

    Anyway, it's just them trying to help you as a customer in one way or another, but they may not always be good at it.

    If you wrote them a nice letter, they may take your suggestion onboard.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2023 - 17:18
    +1

    How is the face data used ? Am I going to find my face in some random AI porn later ?

    • ihfree on 05/06/2023 - 18:58

      Yup, your likeness will be used in "Sausage Party" style Woolworth's commercials.

  • kokita on 05/06/2023 - 17:37

    I bought a green banana and the machine asked for attendant! LOL

    There's a camera located above to recognise colour and your shopping basket if it's emptied. Then there's a camera to capture your face.

  • Kranbone on 05/06/2023 - 17:54
    +2

    unexpected item in bagging area

  • Cabbage_enforcer on 05/06/2023 - 21:05
    -2

    So Colesworth are taking a photo of me, taking photos of my groceries, recording all my purchases and subsequently sending me bonus point offers for items that I have bought before. Is it just me, or does this sound kinda creepy/stalkerish?

    • smartazz104 on 05/06/2023 - 21:24
      +1

      Make sure you don't use any of their rewards programs, always pay in cash, and wear a disguise.

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