I have been to many stores and have had to deal with some nasty cashiers. I really deal with nasty cashiers in the grocery stores. I was happy when I walked in the store and saw self checkout registers. It was hard to use at first, but I was able to figure it out. Once I did, I had to keep using it. I do have problems from time to time scanning my items, but it seems much faster than waiting for the cashiers to ring up my stuff. How do you feel about cashiers vs self checkout lines? Would you rather wait in line or go to the self checkout line? My answer is the self checkout line. I am curious to find oit your answers.
My experiences with cashiers in my area have been pretty good. I would consider myself a people person. So, I would choose to use a register with a cashier present. Obviously, there are exceptions when I come upon a not-so-friendly cashier, but it doesn't happen very often. The self checkouts are nice if you are familiar with them. I would use a self check out if the lines were long, but I probably would not consider whether or not the cashiers seem friendly or not when deciding which register to go to.
I use self checkout at Home Depot and find it easy and convenient, but self checkout isn't available at Walmart, which is the store I shop at most often. So until Walmart adds self checkout registers, I'll have to keep checking out with a cashier.
I always use self checkout when it is available. I personally hate standing in long lines waiting for a cashier. I find self checkout a lot faster and easier since I use to be a cashier when I was younger. I worked at a grocery store when I was 16 so I basically know how to check myself out and do not need any help from others. Also some cashier have serious attitudes when you go to their register, so to avoid me getting an attitude back with the cashier, I would rather check myself out.
I prefer to stand in line and not use a self checkout. I have come across a few rude cashiers once in a while and it has not driven me to walk towards the self checkout lane. I too would become infuriated if I had to deal with standing all day and servicing some nasty customers. A good cashier would give you great service, it is something that can not be guaranteed by a system that can be quite troublesome at times. I am not a people person, but sometimes you just have to deal with it to get exactly what you want. I hate self checkout because you can not get answers to questions or any type of immediate help. I stick with delivering a forced smile with my cashier, it has worked so far.
I enjoyed reading all of your responses to my question. @EvanCross - that's good that you are a people person and can deal with the cashiers. I don't really have the patience to deal with the long lines. @ACSapa - There's self checkout lines at the Wal-Marts here in New Jersey. Hopefully they will add them to the one in your area too. @LuckyGirl08 - I completely agree with you. I can't stand to be in long lines. It really gets aggravating after awhile. @Jake - I can see your point. There are some drawbacks to dealing with self checkout lines. I do agree that it has problems, but I would rather use them.
Fortunately, I haven't had a bad experience yet with a cashier, and self-checkout isn't available yet here in my country, so I guess I will still be stuck with paying for my items by standing in line and waiting for my turn at a cashier counter.
I totally HATE the self-checkout lines ! They are confusing to me, and I worry that I might ring up something wrong, and then have to pay the wrong price for it. If the cashier rings up something wrong, I can go to customer service and they will fix it for me. Sometimes, the stores will have a special cashier that helps people to check out at the self-checkout lines, and that is okay with me.
I have converted to the automatic check-out a few years ago. I know it sounds bad, but I really prefer a machine to a human being when it comes to checking out. I like the fact that I can do everything slowly, check on all the prices, and sometimes put aside an item that I don't really need. That sort of thing is always embarrassing at a check-out line with an impatient cashier and a big queue behind me.
It depends on my shopping, if it is a few items then self-checkout if the queue isn't long, but if I have a lot, then I go to a cashier so I have time to bag things properly. Sometimes the self-checkout has longer queues than the cashiers as people like the freedom to talk on their phone and scan their items. I don't want to see cashiers out of a job as they are needed for seniors or those who need help with their shopping. Some stores only have self-checkout which is more of a cost cutting exercise as the staff still have to monitor them.
I didn't realize that self-checkout wasn't available in every country. Hopefully your country will get them so you won't have to wait in lines. At least you haven't had any bad experiences with a cashier yet. They can really be rude when they want to be which is why I would rather deal with self-checkout.
I would rather deal with a machine too because humans can be something else. I would rather be able to take my time checking out my things instead of being rushed. I also get a chance to double check what i bought so i know how much i spent.
I use the self-checkout when I have fewer than 20 items usually. I can do it quickly and get in and out without having to wait in line or deal with cashiers, etc. But if I have a lot of items and have coupons, etc, then I go to a cashier. I don't want to risk having to need a cashier come over and help with coupons or fix messups with prices, etc anyway.
That makes sense to use it when you don't have many items. I do agree with you about the cashiers being out of a job. I don't want to see that either since it is hard for people to find jobs. Some of the stores added the self-checkout so they could save money.
I've had a few experiences with nasty cashiers but really nothing bad enough that I'd want to deal with those awful machines! lol, I've had far more trouble with them. Things not scanning right, hearing 5x "Please put __ in the bag" after I already have, and that kind of thing. I'd rather deal with the slight inconvenience of standing in line and waiting a bit to get an actual person helping me with it.
I haven't had any bad interactions with cashiers but I do prefer to use self check outs. I think they're faster and give you more privacy. It drives me nuts when I go to a store and the cashier takes their time, comments on thins I buy, and try to make too much small talk when I'm in a hurry. Sometimes self checkouts can be annoying with their repetitive announcements but it's not too big of a deal. Plus, usually they have shorter lines because other shoppers don't want to deal with it.
I definitely prefer going to a cashier as they are generally good mannered and helpful, as well as this saves you the hassle of having to check out your items yourself, and having to deal with the occasion item refusing to scan and the machine crashing and having to get someones assistance. But if I am just getting a very small number of items, and all the cashiers have a queue, I would consider using the self-checkouts.
It's funny that the responses here are pretty similiar to my experience. Ideally self-checkout is the best solution but in my local stores that is never the case. Consumers don't really know how to use these things and it seems the weight things are finicky. Its unfortunate in some stores where it only clogs and creates a bigger line. Most of the self-checkouts in my area don't have limits for the items so a person with 50 things will go through that line and waste everyone else's time LOL It's a nice convenience when it works smoothly
I either have never had to deal with nasty cashiers or I don't remember having to do so. Mostly what I see is nasty customers. As far as self-checkout goes, I use it when I have a few items or it is late at night and there is only one lane open, which happens really often at Wal-Mart. I try to use the cashiers so they can keep their jobs.
It kinda depends, actually. If I have less than say 10 things, then I will go to self-check out for sure. More than 10 things, I can stand to wait in line for a bit. The thing is with the self-checkout is that if you have more than 10 things and you're trying to swipe them quickly the machine will go haywire. I've ran into that problem multiple times and actually had to wait longer for a person to show up to help me fix the problem than what I would've waited if I stood in line. Never again!
