Norway has roughly the same unemployment rate as the us, but most supermarkets have the option of self service, most fuel pumps are self service (never have someone pumping it for you), and if anyone bags your groceries for you it’s kids raising money for their football team or something. Very few people (comparatively) have menial jobs but unemployment isn’t really higher. I also don’t know anyone who has to work more than 1 full time job to survive. Menial jobs trap people who could otherwise flourish.
Slow, buggy, cramped germ covered self checkout POS are far more frustrating than dealing with a pimply cashier and are worse for the community as youth have fewer job opportunities.
Self-checkout is the best thing to happen in recent history, imo.
It’s super annoying to need to queue at the counter and talk to the staff. It’s not that I have social anxiety and can’t talk to them. I just don’t want to. I rather use a machine and get my shopping done. I’m there to get stuff, not to talk to people.
I don’t mind if the entire store converts to self-checkout save for 1 or 2 counters for those who are unable to use the machine for the time being. Eventually, it should all be converted to self-checkout.
Wait, what you said is just weird. You have to talk to the staff there in America? In my country we just queue, have them pack it in a grocery bag and the most talking you will do are for clarifications. Sure you can be chatty but you’re not obligated to…
You assume I’m in America. I’m not. I’m in Singapore. They’ll ask if you have a membership, to the store, and if you don’t, do you want one? If you don’t want one, they’ll start telling you that you should get one because of blah blah blah. And after you refuse again, they’ll ask if you want a plastic bag with your purchase. I get that it’s their job. But I rather not deal with that.
Ah, sorry. It’s just that the American-centrism rubbed off on me unfortunately. But that sucks, our cashiers just ask if you have a card that you want to use but they don’t advertise it
I prefer the stores that let you scan your items on your smartphone and just pay via it or at least go through a fast lane where you just tally it up at the self checkout and go. Especially if they have convoluted coupons or bonuses that o can track as I go.
I’ve never heard of such a thing as a fast lane for these customers to use. They typically have to still go through a regular lane in that case, but the transaction does end up being faster. But if there are others in the lane already it doesn’t cut their waiting at all.
Unless this is a thing at stores I don’t know about. This seems like a stupid problem when they can simply make it where you pay via phone and skip a lane entirely. That’s how it should be done. Why force a lane at all, people, let’s speed this up.
In my country, some of the stores allow you to scan things while picking the things up. Then you can just directly put it into your bag. You pay online with your credit card, scan the generated barcode on the way out, and you’re out! No need to queue. Sometimes there are random checks but generally it’s really fast and smooth.
That’s what I was talking about. You still gotta queue to scan the code. If store could add a lane or two just for people to scan it, it’d be great, but all I’ve seen is having to join the normal line even for that. So it ends up helping the people behind you more than it helps you.
Which will eventually help you as more people do it, but doesn’t help a lot at the moment. Although it could lead to more trouble as everyone stops in the aisle to scan stuff now.
No, scanning the code takes literal seconds. I think there may be a misunderstanding? I mean there’s an app on your phone that you can scan the barcodes of the stuff you’re buying as you’re picking it up.
The you pay with the app, and as you’re leaving, scan the generated QR code at the exit, where there may be a random check.
IKEA has fast lanes. Walmart makes you checkout at the self checkout still but you need Walmart+ to even do it. Apple lets you pay right on your phone.
I guess I was only thinking about grocery stores. That’s the only one I really care about personally, because it’s the most common line I get into. Other stuff I usually buy online.
I’m so tired of people with social anxiety always trying to appropriate introversion. Introverts don’t have that kind of phobia of personal interaction.
If you do, that’s social anxiety, not introversion. It’s attempts like these that make life for us introverts so hard, because everybody thinks we have that condition when in reality, we just need less socialization. A majority of us are socially functional.
Just because you have one condition doesn’t mean you can go around appropriating and encroaching on others identities, that’s hella offensive.
I would argue that you are completely right. But, it would surprise me if there isn’t a fairly strong correlation between the two (corelation!=majority). Living in a society where expected social interactions far exceed the comfort level can sure cause some anxiety.
All that said, if you are anxious to interact with another person with very fixed frames for the interaction (like a person working in a shop at the checkout counter (I don’t know the name)), then you have social anxiety and unlikely just being introverted.
As an introvert as well, nah gimme my cashiers back. Annoying ass self check-out machines, make one error and you gotta talk to someone anyway. Then gotta get your receipt checked, because how do we know you scanned everything? So now we’re at 2 talkings. Just scan my stuff, cashier, please.
As an introvert i hate it. It’s always loud and temperamental and really if anything i should get a discount for using it.
Once did a late night Walmart run for a bunch of random stuff. Only to come up to no cashiers. Luckily the sweet girl at the self check out saw my panic and used a bar code scanner to get me on my way
When it just scans tags as i push my cart through I’ll consider self checkout. Otherwise it just feels like I’m working for free.
I don’t know . I had a cart full of everything from window blinds to steaks and for me it seemed like an ordeal because its an unknown.
And let’s be fair, it’s not a matter of scanning and moving on, that would be easy. Each item has to be scanned one at a time, and then weighed and bagged. Takes forever and in my experience something always goes wrong and I get “please wait for cashier / assistance”.
Maybe just bad experiences or I am perhaps an idiot when it comes to them.
To the point of the topic: keeping my head down while someone scans my items and then swiping my card is far easier than all the attention and interactions I create with the self checkout machines.
Noise cancelling headphones is almost a medical aid when it comes to shopping. You don’t have to listen to any noises except ones you like, and, people are much less likely to bother you.
I’d personally recommend Sennheiser Momentum 4. I have that one, and a Sony WH-1000XM4. I think maybe the Sony has slightly better noise cancellation, but the M4 has better sound, and much better registration for when it is removed etc, so I only use that one. I’ve many times picked up the XM4 and it’s out of battery because it never turned itself of. That has never happened with the M4, and it’s super nice to be on the phone with someone, move the headphone from the right ear to talk to someone nearby, and it automatically mutes me. That kind of thing.
But, different budgets, different needs (I need over the ear for comfort, etc). Definitely don’t take my word for it though and just see if you can try them out in a store. Maybe also check the app they expect you to use, as you don’t find out if it sucks before you buy it otherwise.
I appreciate your response. The Momentum 4 seems like it would suit me but the app thing… why do they need an app? Everything should be built in.
I’ll dig a little deeper but hey thanks for putting me on to something i haven’t even heard of. I need to get out more I guess… noise cancelling has been around for a bit but I didn’t like early products much. But have always had respect and good results from Sennheiser, will give it a go. Based on what Sony did to people that had their high end earbuds I’m wary of them and apps in general that load firmware with no reversion so i probably won’t look into those.
I share the dislike of everything needing apps these days. The sony one was a little bit annoying because it seemed to have some paid products looking like normal features. It also occasionally turns on a feature that was quite annoying, where talking (even clearing your throat) would turn off noise cancelling and even amplify ambient noose. And I had to use the app to switch that feature off once a week.
The Momentum 4 works well without the app. It’s nice if you want to change the equaliser settings. I sometimes do as they have a preset for audiobooks/podcasts. And it’s been nice to confirm the effect of gestures you can do on the headphone (most moderns over the ear headphones have capasitive finger gestures on the flat side). Bluetooth works fine out of the box, and with it you can check battery power, switch tracks, volume, all of that stuff.
The only thing you really need the app for, is updating the headphone firmware, which you likely want to do, as they sometimes improve the notice cancelling, etc. Sidenote, that update took almost half an hour to complete, which is the longest firmware update I’ve ever seen. I havent checked if it is possible to update firmware using a computer and USB.
In any case. If it helps you out, I’m glad. Have a good one.
That is a lot of usefull information. I’m no fan of digital EQs whatsoever but I do use wavelet with the IEMs. Works great plugged in but knowing my next phone probably won’t have a headphone connection I got a fiio BT amp and it just creates distortion with the EQ. Not sure who’s to blame for that.
Hopefully the M4s behave better (yeah I’m sold). Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience, it’s been very helpful!
Happy to help. Good luck. I also noticed your username twice now, I wrote about the windows installer messing up my RAID system. Lemmy is a small world yet :) Have a good one.
I prefer self checkout when I’m only buying a few items, which I usually am. The problem is when people try to bring full carts through the self checkout; that takes forever.
On the contrary, I’m perhaps a bit slower with the scanning, but I have the time to pack every item in the correct bag, without putting stuff on belts and without the heavy breathing of another person in my neck while their items are already playing a game of bowling against mine.
There’s not really enough room for it. Most of them have one spot to put stuff, which as I recall, weighs it to make sure it adds up to what you’re scanning. But there’s not enough room for a full cart load to sit there, which messes up the whole point.
At least that’s what I was told they’re for. I’ve haven’t seen one go off when there’s extra weight there in a couple years now. Maybe they gave up on that part because people couldn’t fit their stuff there.
I absolutely hate these. My local Aldi started doing this and the lines are longer than ever as a result. People who get paid to check out your groceries move faster than the customers themselves.
Well, sure at Aldi. If they do it hard enough, they will launch your stuff to land on your porch from the checkout lane. But no other store has professional-level scanners.
Do you not have to weigh your stuff before going to the counter?
That’s how it works in my country, we have weighing stations where you go and weigh your things yourself, and get a barcode sticker. Then you can either go to self-checkout or the cashier, who doesn’t need to waste other people’s time by weighing your stuff as well.
None of the stores where I live now do that. If the produce has a numbered sku sticker on it, you could just punch in the 4 numbers but if there’s no sticker anywhere on your apples or something, you have to look them up and make sure you hit the right one because there are a lot of different types of apples and pears and whatnot. A cashier generally knows the product number by memory or can find it superfast.
I don’t have a problem with self checkout. It has its place. If you’re just grabbing an item or two, and want to get out quick and not wait in line, or if you are buying something that you may find personally embarrassing, or any of a number of other reasons.
Cashiers also have their place, for when you have larger checkouts and what have you.
What pisses me off is they are firing cashiers, and replacing them with more self checkouts… So you have to take your big monthly load of groceries through self checkout, cause theres no cashier, or worse… one overworked cashier with a huge line.
And its all to have less jobs, less pay checks, and more profits for the C-Suits.
And lets not even get into the fact that its easy for a screw up to happen then some overzealous dickwad comes screaming calling you a thief, and gets you tresspasssed because either you accidentally mis-scanned something or because they THINK you mis-scanned something and thanks to their stupidity you can no longer shop at your local, convenient store.
Cashiers also have their place, for when you have larger checkouts and what have you.
In my grocery stores they’ve gone so far as making self checkouts with conveyor belts so you can do those large checkouts yourself.
I refuse to use them. If I have a couple small items, then sure self-checkout makes sense. I don’t get cost savings, but I do get the convenience of a speedy checkout; faster than the single express lane they used to have.
But I’ll be damed if I’m going to be a free cashier for them and scan an entire cart load of groceries and get nothing in return. At the very least pay for a bagger, wtf. Those are the real job killers right there.
I don’t mind them. Where I do grocery shopping there aren’t any, but even if there were, I’d still prefer going to a cashier in fear of messing up something. Even if I’m somewhat introverted, saying “Hi” and “Thanks, have a nice day” isn’t particularly hindering. As for whether they’re job killers I’m not sure; at that same place employees that are doing check out are doing everything else around the store as well.
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