Yea, in CA you cannot go through self-checkout with booze.
I suspect that’s one of the reasons that it’s not grown as much.
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As someone with social anxiety that does small shopping runs on my bike, self checkout is by far my most-preferred shopping method, and has been since it was introduced. (Even more so during a pandemic when I’m trying to keep distance).
But I won’t pretend that means it’s preferable for everyone, particularly when making a store all-self-checkout costs people jobs and jams up the queues with people slowly self-checking-out giant carts of stuff theyre planning to bring home in their giant SUV for their next BBQ/SuperBowl party.
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They’re not worried about shoplifters because it’s in the somewhat wealthy part of the Nashville metropolitan area. Plus all of the stupid privileged people stories I heard about the area over the years so I’m guessing they were getting sick of the Karen bullshit so less interactions with the people there, the better.
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Fewer people with paying jobs and more inconvenience for the customers but at least this will mean lower grocery costs for consumers, right?
Right?
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That’s effectively the case at both a McDonald’s and Taco Bell I’ve been to recently. They technically have someone who will take your order, but you’ll have to wait a while. At the Taco Bell, someone literally stood behind the register and asked me to use the kiosk then walked away. I walked out.
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Does that mean we all get the employee discount now?
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You can’t in TN either, which makes this so fucking stupid!
Kroger has a near monopoly on groceries here though. They’ve had a dozen check out lanes with only 1 or 2 staffed for years now as they’ve installed more and more self check things.
I almost always wait for the person because I almost always have wine
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I’'ll take your self-check groceries and raise you a grocery pick-up.
For large orders I’ll use the pick-up option and for small sundries and emergency food items self-check is just fine (minus the alcohol ID issue. Why can’t we scan our driver’s license to get around waiting for help?).
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all very true.
and i have to say, as a cashier, the self checkout is slow. and the stations aren’t setup to allow them to be fast. which i imagine ( never had self checkout on my store, and they stop don’t) is all about “loss prevention” - so the employees and cameras can keep an eye on what people are doing more easily
i do prefer self checkout at the big chains when i only have a few items, but part of that is down to the removal of the express lanes - because, like everyone is saying: wall st pressure for increased profits every year
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The guy manning the self-checkout in my local supermarket let me go through with some beer the other day. Woohoo! So it’s technically not allowed in CA but I guess not illegal or anything.
I tried to buy some wine (among other things) at self-checkout in a store in Slovenia recently, despite there being no signs saying “no alcohol” and it wouldn’t let me do it, so I guess the prohibition on self-checkout booze is bigger than all that.
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Meanwhile, the Kroger-owned Fred Meyer stores in Portland have armed guards in full body armor checking receipts at the door. Terrible management decisions prioritizing cost-cutting over customer experience all around.
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My guess is that McDonald’s corporate had their sales team manage the implementation on their self-order kiosks, because the UX is terrible. Depending on their POS system, it’s quite different. There were dedicated buttons for combo menu items, at least there was back in the late 90’s when I worked there.
Three words: State Liquor Laws. And besides, there’s the obvious bypass of ‘borrowing’ someone else’s ID to make the purchase. And loaning someone your driver’s license would be a straw purchase, which to my knowledge is illegal… everywhere.
I know the self-checkout systems at the local Fry’s (aka Kroger!) is set up to flag for an attendant for ID check on age restricted items, which includes alcohol, fireworks, and movies of all things…
I know! I tend to end up waiting for the station go back to a ready state when I’m blasting through with my semi-monthly stack of the packaged lunch meats, because I have a system that let’s me run as fast as the kiosk will go.
…
…
… whut. That’s ridiculous, unless there’s armed gangs of thieves coming through on a regular to clean the place out of Tide pods or baby formula or something…
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No, it’s still technically illegal, but clearly they can override it if they want to after checking ID.
Edit - That seems like a not good decision on their part, tho, unless the boss said it was OK.
My guess it’s not as bad as if you sold booze between 2a and 6a. The machines in their entirety are programed to literally not allow it. And the stores can get into deep shit if they did in that instance.
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Also in Italy. If I use the self checkout with a couple of beers I have to wait a clerk to pass the barcode “yes this guy has a gray beard” to unlock the checkout machine.
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I gotta say I’m with the boomers on this issue.
If I’ve got like three things…I’ll self check out.
A cart FULL of stuff? No way is it all fitting on there, and like I know what the PLU is for asparagus is.
Making something less convenient for me to save them money? No thanks. ******
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There’s a Walmart and a Five Below around here that have been all self checkout for a while now. Maybe one or two people attendants.
My local Sainsbury’s here in the UK has just replaced most of its staffed checkouts with self-checkouts large enough for trolleys (carts).
If you scan an age-restricted item a light goes on, and you can’t pay until a staff member has logged in and approved it.
I resemble that remark.
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Unless the self-checkout systems fails to properly register something you’re trying to purchase, and instead of sufficiently alerting you to that, you instead get labeled a shoplifter. (Which is something that absolutely happens.)
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