[thinker5555]

> It feels like almost all the issues with self-checkout technology come from the attempts to minimise shoplifting, which don't even seem that effective at doing that.

Agreed. And in some cases the issues almost feel like they're on purpose in order to drive people away from using the self checkouts.

For example, when I use self checkout at my local grocery store, I have to hit a button to tell it I want to use my own bag, and then put the bag in the bagging area so it can presumably weigh it, and a moment later it allows me to start scanning items and placing them inside.

That's fine, but the problem that I run into _every_ week is that the first bag works fine, but after that, when I hit the button to say I'm using another bag, once I place the bag in the bagging area, it flags me for putting unscanned items in the bagging area. It "lets it go" after a moment, but when I need to move on to bag #3, it complains again, stops, and forces me to wait while a store worker comes over and has to watch overhead video of me placing my empty bag in the bagging area for both bags 2 AND 3!

I have tried so many ways of being extra careful about how I'm placing the bag, but no matter what I do, it complains about every bag after the first one. I've tried leaving previous bags in the bagging area, I've tried removing them after each bag is filled, I've tried standing or moving differently, being quicker or slower about placing my bags, and no matter what, every other bag after it starts complaining, it stops and I have to wait for the store worker to verify and let me keep going. I've even tried just putting my bag on the floor and bagging items there, but then it complains after every 10 "unbagged" items since they're not hitting the scale in the bagging area, even if I hit the "don't bag this item" button after the scan.

While the whole thing is a major inconvenience, it's STILL better than waiting in a line for an actual cashier (and sometimes an additional bagger) who will feel the need to chat me up just because I'm standing in front of them, and inevitably not pack things into the bags the way that I want.

[Symbiote]

I treat the self-checkout as if it has the "10 items or less" sign for an express checkout some supermarkets used to have. If I need multiple bags, it's probably not faster to use the self checkout.

[smileysteve]

That works until your store has migrated 99% to self checkout. (which my grocery store has many hours of the day)

[ghaff]

The stations are just not designed for checking out a lot of non-barcoded/awkward etc. items.

[Arrath]

My bane back when I was a cashier and to this day thanks to self checkouts: weird shaped items that, while having a barcode, mean they'll never ever scan correctly. Powerade bottles were the worst for this, with the label going over a bunch of ridges in the bottle which made the label undulate like } and it was hopeless to try to scan the damn thing.

[raverbashing]

Yeah, as much as I like self-checkout it seems the bag logic is broken everywhere

I just scan everything and bag the stuff after payment

[penjelly]

> while a store worker comes over and has to watch overhead video of me placing my empty bag in the bagging area for both bags 2 AND 3!

this is insane to me and if a manager was involved they should be fired. I dont think its reasonable to review video of a customer without probable cause they were stealing. In this case, the machines are so buggy (as you illustrated with your case) that a machine complaining is NOT probable cause. How to alienate your customers 101...

[whynotmaybe]

I never use the "bag" function.

When I've scanned the first item, I put it in the bag that's outside the scale and put the bag with the item on the scale.

[yetihehe]

Works for most light bags, many people use heavy reusable bags which can sometimes throw off weight of some items too much and it's a lottery then. Similarly I don't use "add X items at once" because they don't multiply weight error by X so for many items it sometimes do not work.

[Arrath]

I just pile my junk on the scale and bag it up after I'm done with the transaction.

[o11c]

This does mean you block the person behind you for much longer, but that's the store's problem not mine.

[vel0city]

If it means there's never an "unexpected item in bagging area" it probably overall reduces time.

[pimlottc]

I do this too, but most stores have plastic bag holders on the scale that clutter things put and make it harder to stack items before bagging.

[Arrath]

I imagine its regional, but where I'm at those are long gone. Now you gotta bring your own bags or pay for each of the ultra flimsy 'reusable' store brand bags.

[Thlom]

The first self-checkouts in Norway around 10 years ago implemented this weight thing to prevent shoplifting, but they dropped it pretty quick. Now there's just random spot checks (which can be frustrating enough when it happens). I encountered the weight again last year when vacationing in Denmark. So frustrating.

[ghaff]

I'm not a particular fan of self-checkout for more than a handful of non-restricted bar-coded items. But, subject to that caveat I find that self-checkouts in general are far less fussy than they used to be about using your own bag etc.

[mejutoco]

Unfortunately, my experience is different.

I have given up on using my big Patagonia bag at lidl, because it never works. Last time it required the cashier to override the warnings once after each item was placed in the bag.