How do you feel about supermarket self checkouts?

Use them frequently? Avoid them? Only for 2 or 3 items? Thoughts?

I like the concept but the ones I've been to are more burdensome than they are worth. And try to use a coupon? You gotta "wait for an attendant." Doesn't that kind of defeat the entire purpose?

So yeah, in theory I like the concept, but they got a long way to go before I see myself using them regularly.

They're great for people who are only buying a few things & want to just be in & out. Unfortunately a lot of people don't understand the purpose of them & just want to play cashier, check out $200 worth of groceries & even worse--bring things that have to be weighed.

I hate those stupid things. Even so, I might use them with just a couple of items, but even then it can be irritating because sometimes the employees have to put in their "code" for some reason or another, and like FM said, that defeats the whole goddamned purpose. It's also not a good idea because what if someday we all use them eventually? Then that will put cashiers right out of work. We're relying too much on technology instead of real people.

Myself, I prefer to go to a cashier, I have had to much damned trouble with those things and the attendant always has to come over and fix something.

Those things are so temperamental. Love the idea; hate the execution.

We don't have them here, thankfully.

I don't like them when they don't have a limit on the number of items you can take to the checkout. Like anybody could come up to the self checkout with a cart full of shit, and you have to wait behind them with your 3 items. It's annoying. And I've noticed that they've gotten slick over the years. I remember when self checkout was first introduced....people were stealing items by just putting them in the bag and not ringing them up. Now, the bags are on a scale which they are weighed and you can't take the bags off of the scale until you are finished paying.

Tony Marino wrote:Myself, I prefer to go to a cashier, I have had to much damned trouble with those things and the attendant always has to come over and fix something.

Same here. Usually it messes up so it defeats the purpose. My son likes to do it, so if he is along and we have a couple things, I indulge him.

I just think it's funny how the live checkers will have these short little lines, while the U-scans have crowds wrapped around the corner. Quick and easy becomes lengthy and convoluted.

If I'm not buying a lot, I'll use them. I like them for smaller grocery shops, but not for larger ones.

I don't know what's more annoying, customers who flock to them like the Magnum @ Cedar Point....or running into a scanning error that holds up the whole process and can only be resolved by a live checker. They're ok....but I'll just as easily go to regular checker if the line is shorter.

I've used them at the larger "box" stores I go to if I just have a couple of items with no problem but when I go to the grocery store I usually go to the express lane because I'm only there to pick up a few things anyway.

I like them. I'd rather scan my own items than have someone else do it.

Almost made a break for one today. In the express line with sausage, cream cheese & potato salad when the cashier "ran out" of change for the customers in front of me. But figured as soon as I tried 12 other people would beat me there & then the thing would lock up.

They're a hassle when you have fruit, or anything without a bar code. You have to punch in this random 'product code,' which can be located anywhere. Then when an attended has to come over to assist, half the time they act as if you're silly for not knowing this stuff. I prefer a human checker.

For less than 10 items I use them, but if it's over that much I go to a real life checker so that someone else can at least bag it for me.