Cash-paying customer erupts in anger after outrageously long checkout delay at Coles
By
KenAlunan
- Replies 32
In an age where digital transactions are becoming the norm, many of us hold fast to the traditional ways of handling money. Cash, as some would assert, remains 'king'.
However, a recent incident at a Coles supermarket has left one cash-paying customer fuming and vowing to shun self-service checkouts for good.
The incident unfolded when the customer, preferring the tactile certainty of banknotes over the impersonal swipe of a card, approached the self-serve checkout at her local Coles.
To her dismay, she found no manned registers open and was compelled to use the automated service.
After feeding cash into the machine for her groceries, the machine jammed, refusing to dispense the required change.
The shopper's frustration was palpable as she recounted the ordeal on social media, detailing how the machine's malfunction led to a standstill that lasted nearly half an hour.
‘Went to Coles. Nothing else open in town. There was no one at the registers, so I had to use self-checkout, which I never use,’ she recounted.
‘I put in (three) $50 (bills), then (the) machine stopped. I refused the offer to (redo) the transaction on a card. They had my money! So, almost 30 minutes later, they finally gave me change out of the till.’
The situation was only rectified after the intervention of two Coles staff members, who had to open the till to manually provide her with change.
She added, ‘Never again, under any circumstances, will I use self-checkout! Cash is still king.’
The customer's post struck a chord with social media users, sparking a heated debate about the merits of self-service technology versus human cashiers.
‘I point blank refuse to use robots, I’ll always go manned,’ said one commenter.
‘Should charge them for the time wasted. What a joke,’ another user lamented.
A third user said, ‘You live and learn. Self-serve checkouts never worked for me, now I always use manned checkout with cash.’
Despite the uproar, it's understood that Coles has no intention of phasing out cash options at their self-service checkouts.
This isn’t the first time Cole’s self-checkout policy has frustrated shoppers. Many prefer manned checkouts, lamenting customer service’s ‘death’.
This one shopper even believes that the added ‘security’ measures in self-checkout policies imply shoppers are potential thieves. You can read about it here.
Have you had similar experiences with self-service checkouts? Do you prefer to pay with cash or a card? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below.
However, a recent incident at a Coles supermarket has left one cash-paying customer fuming and vowing to shun self-service checkouts for good.
The incident unfolded when the customer, preferring the tactile certainty of banknotes over the impersonal swipe of a card, approached the self-serve checkout at her local Coles.
To her dismay, she found no manned registers open and was compelled to use the automated service.
After feeding cash into the machine for her groceries, the machine jammed, refusing to dispense the required change.
The shopper's frustration was palpable as she recounted the ordeal on social media, detailing how the machine's malfunction led to a standstill that lasted nearly half an hour.
‘Went to Coles. Nothing else open in town. There was no one at the registers, so I had to use self-checkout, which I never use,’ she recounted.
‘I put in (three) $50 (bills), then (the) machine stopped. I refused the offer to (redo) the transaction on a card. They had my money! So, almost 30 minutes later, they finally gave me change out of the till.’
The situation was only rectified after the intervention of two Coles staff members, who had to open the till to manually provide her with change.
She added, ‘Never again, under any circumstances, will I use self-checkout! Cash is still king.’
The customer's post struck a chord with social media users, sparking a heated debate about the merits of self-service technology versus human cashiers.
‘I point blank refuse to use robots, I’ll always go manned,’ said one commenter.
‘Should charge them for the time wasted. What a joke,’ another user lamented.
A third user said, ‘You live and learn. Self-serve checkouts never worked for me, now I always use manned checkout with cash.’
Despite the uproar, it's understood that Coles has no intention of phasing out cash options at their self-service checkouts.
This isn’t the first time Cole’s self-checkout policy has frustrated shoppers. Many prefer manned checkouts, lamenting customer service’s ‘death’.
This one shopper even believes that the added ‘security’ measures in self-checkout policies imply shoppers are potential thieves. You can read about it here.
Key Takeaways
- A Coles customer expressed frustration over a nearly 30-minute delay at a self-serve checkout when paying with cash.
- The incident occurred because the self-serve machine failed to dispense change after the customer inserted $50 notes.
- Coles staff eventually resolved the issue, but the customer vowed never to use the self-serve checkout again, preferring manned cash transactions.
- The shopper's experience sparked heated debate among social media users, with many expressing a preference for manned checkouts and cash payments.