This Sunday, I did my weekly grocery shop at Woolworths and went through the self-service check-outs. My local store is quite small, so only a few manned checkouts exist. I don’t mind scanning my things as I usually listen to audiobooks while shopping, so self-service is a reasonably relaxed experience.

But not this week.

I was scanning my items and had two tins of the same tuna flavour. I’m unsure if this is where the AI theft detector became confused. As I was packing them in my bag, I turned around, and the attendant was there. The screen showed a video of me scanning the tuna repeatedly.

The employee then started counting the items on the screen and scrolling up to check my entire shopping list; she looked in my grocery bag to see the two tins of tuna (which were both scanned correctly and already on my running total). The attendant then went through my entire shopping bag and compared each item.

Have you had a negative checkout experience before? Credit: Shutterstock/wisely

It felt over the top and left me with a dreadful feeling. After all, there had been no mistake or mis-scan; the AI system simply got it wrong.

Something similar happened before when I placed my reusable coffee cup next to my bags, prompting a ‘missed scan’. That felt understandable, if a little odd to experience. But for such an extreme reaction when it was clear the tuna was accounted for and scanned… Woolies is in my bad books for the time being.

Have you had a similar experience? How did it make you feel?

We’ve written about something similar when a 68-year-old Woolworths customer from New South Wales felt she was accused of theft. You can read more here.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Since I found out that security cameras are watching your every move, I have resorted to the less than savoury act of poking out my tongue and giving the rude finger.
There's a big kid inside me, I know, but I'm just displaying my disgust at my privacy being breached.
And the store can do SFA about it.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Omg this is disgusting .

I would have let them finish then say ' you can now delete and return items back to thnowe shelf after making me feel like a thief. I would have also added thank you for making innocent people know what it feels like to feel like a thief.

I would send a nice email to the store as well as head office.

please name and shame this store

 

[Trouper21]

You say the security showed you scanning the item repeatedly; perhaps this is the problem. If (to save time) you scanned one tin twice before putting both in your bag, then the AI which detects the items being placed in the basket may have only recognised one scanned tin, two being put in basket therefore, one supposedly not paid for - a problem with the scanner and weight detector. If I have multiples I either scan them each one at a time, placing in basket as scanned or I ask the attendant to set up a multiple item which she uses her store login to process for me.

Normally when you scan an item, you cannot scan another item until the scanned item has been placed in the bag as they usually work on the item weight to verify that all items have been placed in the bag!

 

[CliffE]

Regards self service checkouts, I was in my local Coles the other day, they had ONE human checkout and the shop was busy, I was approached and offered a self service, I said to the assistant "No thanks I would rather interact with a human" she turned around and walked off and made no effort to call for more checkouts to be opened.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Normally when you scan an item, you cannot scan another item until the scanned item has been placed in the bag as they usually work on the item weight to verify that all items have been placed in the bag!

Yes. You are greeted with that painful voice "Please place item in bagging area".
But the one that really gets up my nose is "Please remove items from bagging area". Every 30 seconds!
I'm standing at the checkout with 40 odd items and all the AI freak wants me to do is go faster.
How there isn't any broken checkout screens is beyond me!

 

[Benny's Light]

Always I use the checkouts - prefer to wait in line even if the self service is empty and the queue is long at the checkout. To be honest I like the personal interaction with the cashiers, as I am a regular customer and am known in the community. This story gives me the reason to keep doing this. Our stores are losing the personal touch of good customer service and taking away the human element and interaction.

 

[Veggiepatch]

"By 2030, your supermarket checkout staff will look like this...."

 

[NotNats]

This Sunday, I did my weekly grocery shop at Woolworths and went through the self-service check-outs. My local store is quite small, so only a few manned checkouts exist. I don’t mind scanning my things as I usually listen to audiobooks while shopping, so self-service is a reasonably relaxed experience.

But not this week.

I was scanning my items and had two tins of the same tuna flavour. I’m unsure if this is where the AI theft detector became confused. As I was packing them in my bag, I turned around, and the attendant was there. The screen showed a video of me scanning the tuna repeatedly.

The employee then started counting the items on the screen and scrolling up to check my entire shopping list; she looked in my grocery bag to see the two tins of tuna (which were both scanned correctly and already on my running total). The attendant then went through my entire shopping bag and compared each item.

View attachment 30733

Have you had a negative checkout experience before? Credit: Shutterstock/wisely

It felt over the top and left me with a dreadful feeling. After all, there had been no mistake or mis-scan; the AI system simply got it wrong.

Something similar happened before when I placed my reusable coffee cup next to my bags, prompting a ‘missed scan’. That felt understandable, if a little odd to experience. But for such an extreme reaction when it was clear the tuna was accounted for and scanned… Woolies is in my bad books for the time being.

Have you had a similar experience? How did it make you feel?

We’ve written about something similar when a 68-year-old Woolworths customer from New South Wales felt she was accused of theft. You can read more here.

These are some of the reasons why I will never use the self serve.

 

[darrellh]

my husband and I use self serve all the time and have very few problems with them. Occasionally a machine is sensitive and beeps unnecessarily and we need to get an attendant to fix it but usually no problem. And certainly if we need help with anything they are great and at our local Coles, one lady in particular has given us some amazing helpful tips.

 

[GranniCaz]

This Sunday, I did my weekly grocery shop at Woolworths and went through the self-service check-outs. My local store is quite small, so only a few manned checkouts exist. I don’t mind scanning my things as I usually listen to audiobooks while shopping, so self-service is a reasonably relaxed experience.

But not this week.

I was scanning my items and had two tins of the same tuna flavour. I’m unsure if this is where the AI theft detector became confused. As I was packing them in my bag, I turned around, and the attendant was there. The screen showed a video of me scanning the tuna repeatedly.

The employee then started counting the items on the screen and scrolling up to check my entire shopping list; she looked in my grocery bag to see the two tins of tuna (which were both scanned correctly and already on my running total). The attendant then went through my entire shopping bag and compared each item.

View attachment 30733

Have you had a negative checkout experience before? Credit: Shutterstock/wisely

It felt over the top and left me with a dreadful feeling. After all, there had been no mistake or mis-scan; the AI system simply got it wrong.

Something similar happened before when I placed my reusable coffee cup next to my bags, prompting a ‘missed scan’. That felt understandable, if a little odd to experience. But for such an extreme reaction when it was clear the tuna was accounted for and scanned… Woolies is in my bad books for the time being.

Have you had a similar experience? How did it make you feel?

We’ve written about something similar when a 68-year-old Woolworths customer from New South Wales felt she was accused of theft. You can read more here.

Should we, those who PAID (in trust and good faith!) for Woolworths Rewards Membership and Insurance also accuse Woolworths of THEFT , for breaching our contracts …. AND trust and loyalty ???

 

[Col@45]

This Sunday, I did my weekly grocery shop at Woolworths and went through the self-service check-outs. My local store is quite small, so only a few manned checkouts exist. I don’t mind scanning my things as I usually listen to audiobooks while shopping, so self-service is a reasonably relaxed experience.

But not this week.

I was scanning my items and had two tins of the same tuna flavour. I’m unsure if this is where the AI theft detector became confused. As I was packing them in my bag, I turned around, and the attendant was there. The screen showed a video of me scanning the tuna repeatedly.

The employee then started counting the items on the screen and scrolling up to check my entire shopping list; she looked in my grocery bag to see the two tins of tuna (which were both scanned correctly and already on my running total). The attendant then went through my entire shopping bag and compared each item.

View attachment 30733

Have you had a negative checkout experience before? Credit: Shutterstock/wisely

It felt over the top and left me with a dreadful feeling. After all, there had been no mistake or mis-scan; the AI system simply got it wrong.

Something similar happened before when I placed my reusable coffee cup next to my bags, prompting a ‘missed scan’. That felt understandable, if a little odd to experience. But for such an extreme reaction when it was clear the tuna was accounted for and scanned… Woolies is in my bad books for the time being.

Have you had a similar experience? How did it make you feel?

We’ve written about something similar when a 68-year-old Woolworths customer from New South Wales felt she was accused of theft. You can read more here.

Bring back good old-fashioned SERVICE that we used to get !!
The world has gone crazy with people being replaced by machines.
If the supermarkets don't like how we self-scan our groceries, employ young people to do it for us !! Don't make us feel like criminals. Also it's promoting shop lifting.

 

[Shane/#]

This Sunday, I did my weekly grocery shop at Woolworths and went through the self-service check-outs. My local store is quite small, so only a few manned checkouts exist. I don’t mind scanning my things as I usually listen to audiobooks while shopping, so self-service is a reasonably relaxed experience.

But not this week.

I was scanning my items and had two tins of the same tuna flavour. I’m unsure if this is where the AI theft detector became confused. As I was packing them in my bag, I turned around, and the attendant was there. The screen showed a video of me scanning the tuna repeatedly.

The employee then started counting the items on the screen and scrolling up to check my entire shopping list; she looked in my grocery bag to see the two tins of tuna (which were both scanned correctly and already on my running total). The attendant then went through my entire shopping bag and compared each item.

View attachment 30733

Have you had a negative checkout experience before? Credit: Shutterstock/wisely

It felt over the top and left me with a dreadful feeling. After all, there had been no mistake or mis-scan; the AI system simply got it wrong.

Something similar happened before when I placed my reusable coffee cup next to my bags, prompting a ‘missed scan’. That felt understandable, if a little odd to experience. But for such an extreme reaction when it was clear the tuna was accounted for and scanned… Woolies is in my bad books for the time being.

Have you had a similar experience? How did it make you feel?

We’ve written about something similar when a 68-year-old Woolworths customer from New South Wales felt she was accused of theft. You can read more here.

Don't use them only go through people checkouts they cost job's and they can stick them where the sun don't shine

 

[freedy50]

Another drama about self checkouts. They don't appear to have been mentioned for a few days.

If that happened to me, I wouldn't care less and would be joking with the person doing it. They certainly wouldn't find any 'extras' not paid for.

I probably seem more suspicious using self checkout. My Woolies and debit cards are on my phone, so before I scan items I use the QR code on the screen to link my payment, then put my phone away. At the end of scanning I press pay and it does everything itself and my receipt goes straight onto my phone.
After paying I put everything straight into my trolley with no bags and walk out. Never been stopped.

If this bit of drama happened to me, as soon as I'd leave the shop I wouldn't think anything more about it and certainly wouldn't rush off to social media about it. I've got more important things to think about.

Anyway, I'm off to shopping now and will use self checkout as usual. I can wave to myself on the screen

 

[Greatgwr]

If I've said it once I've said it many times just don't use the self checkout if we ALL refused to use them then they would be removed Drakes in SA does not have them so we stopped shopping at woolies and Coles and now shop at Drakes much nicer.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Spare yourself the grief; just don't do it.

 

[Ree]

Supermarkets are actually making BILLIONS in profit. I refuse to use their self service machines. What I read about them only makes me more determined never to use them. I do most of my shop at ALDI, but unfortunately, they too have introduced self serve aisles. Seems everyone has forgotten the meaning of the word SERVICE.

 

[magpie1]

If it has been found by security that you have NOT stolen any goods......then maybe the store should give you a shopping voucher for say $20 for the inconvenience and a way of thanking you for being an HONEST shopper. Now go catch the REAL thieves. !

 

[The winner is]

If the supermarket doesn't want people to pinch items or put items in their bags without scanning them then they SHOULD PUT MORE STAFF ON THE CHECKOUTS. They treat us like thieves and make millions in profits and make the ordinary shopper feel like they are criminals. It is unacceptable!!!!!!

Totally agree. Surely it would cost less to pay on a staff member to check out your goods and pack them rather than all the problems these self checkouts cause. At least they would know you haven't stolen anything. I try to use a serviced checkout, but sometimes there are none open any more. :-(

 

[Vinylted]

Splitting hairs there I think. Does the type of bag determine whether it is suitable for shoplifting or not? Is a backpack more desirable than a tote bag for the task? Define a carry bag versus a tote bag. Both are designed to carry any number of items to their capacity. I have no idea what the bag of choice is for shoplifters.

Maybe deep pockets...

 

[Vinylted]

Aldi's are going the same way with their card only checkouts... I recently stood at a closed manual (none were open) checkout and demanded service as I wanted to pay with cash. They hurriedly complied.. with an extremely sour face!