The latest move by Coles, Woolworths and Kmart sparked outrage from shoppers
By
Seia Ibanez
- Replies 71
Have you ever been to the checkout aisle at Woolworths, Coles or Kmart and been forced to wait in line, only to be asked to show your receipt to prove you’ve used the self-serve checkout honestly?
If so, you’re not alone. Recently, a shopper declared he’d had enough of supermarkets and department stores expecting him to do the job of a cashier.
So, he took to social media with an outraged post that quickly went viral.
The woman who made the original post online, which resurfaced earlier this month, said that a female worker stopped every customer who had used a self-checkout machine and made them line up to have their receipts looked at.
The furious shopper skipped the line and left, arguing if the store didn't trust them to scan their items honestly, then they should bring back manned cashiers.
The post read: ‘You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be. I'm not interested in proving that I did your job for you. [If] You want me to be a cashier with no training, then that’s your problem, not mine.
‘You do not pay me to scan my own shopping. You don't give me [a] staff discount for working for you,’ she added.
The rant also said stores should bring back manned checkouts to create more job opportunities for young and old workers. And Aussies have been overwhelmingly in support of the astounding statement.
‘Yes, I work at Bunnings and dislike them there too and I feel it is just creating more dishonesty,’ one person commented, while another said: ‘Bring back staffed checkouts. Or at least more open for those that can't or don't want to use them. Keep people in work and help those not able to physically use or perhaps understand using the stupid things.’
Shoppers have also expressed their unhappiness with how the machines work.
One person said, ‘Self-service stresses me out. Half the time, I place [an] item in [the] bagging area, and it doesn't compute.’
Another said, ‘The other annoyance is no space to pack your trolley. And I feel rushed because it's always a huge line up. I'll stick to having a human serve me, thanks.’
A long-time Coles shopper also said that they were ready to leave their ‘loyalty’ because of the inconvenience of the supermarket’s self-serve checkout system.
Coles does not take this criticism lightly, and it is committed to providing a variety of checkout options for its customers. Read more about the story here.
Kmart has responded to the claims, saying: ‘At Kmart, we strive to deliver an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience to all our customers whether they choose to shop with us in-store or online.’
‘Since late 2015, we began introducing self-service registers to our stores as part of our commitment to customers in allowing them to access a more efficient service, especially during peak trading periods,’ they said.
‘The conversion of our manned registers to self-serve helps to aid the speed of transactions, but we will always have a Kmart team member available to support customers putting through transactions if they would like.’
Meanwhile, a Woolworths spokesperson previously said, ‘We're focused on providing our customers with multiple ways to shop with us, given their ever-changing needs.’.
‘Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many customers opted for safer and more convenient ways to complete their shop, which include self-service checkouts,’ they added.
‘However, if customers prefer to be served by a team member, that option is always available via our service desk or other manned checkouts.’
Members, have you ever had an experience like this? And how do you feel when stores make you use self-checkouts? Let us know in the comments below.
If so, you’re not alone. Recently, a shopper declared he’d had enough of supermarkets and department stores expecting him to do the job of a cashier.
So, he took to social media with an outraged post that quickly went viral.
The woman who made the original post online, which resurfaced earlier this month, said that a female worker stopped every customer who had used a self-checkout machine and made them line up to have their receipts looked at.
The furious shopper skipped the line and left, arguing if the store didn't trust them to scan their items honestly, then they should bring back manned cashiers.
The post read: ‘You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be. I'm not interested in proving that I did your job for you. [If] You want me to be a cashier with no training, then that’s your problem, not mine.
‘You do not pay me to scan my own shopping. You don't give me [a] staff discount for working for you,’ she added.
The rant also said stores should bring back manned checkouts to create more job opportunities for young and old workers. And Aussies have been overwhelmingly in support of the astounding statement.
‘Yes, I work at Bunnings and dislike them there too and I feel it is just creating more dishonesty,’ one person commented, while another said: ‘Bring back staffed checkouts. Or at least more open for those that can't or don't want to use them. Keep people in work and help those not able to physically use or perhaps understand using the stupid things.’
Shoppers have also expressed their unhappiness with how the machines work.
One person said, ‘Self-service stresses me out. Half the time, I place [an] item in [the] bagging area, and it doesn't compute.’
Another said, ‘The other annoyance is no space to pack your trolley. And I feel rushed because it's always a huge line up. I'll stick to having a human serve me, thanks.’
A long-time Coles shopper also said that they were ready to leave their ‘loyalty’ because of the inconvenience of the supermarket’s self-serve checkout system.
Coles does not take this criticism lightly, and it is committed to providing a variety of checkout options for its customers. Read more about the story here.
Kmart has responded to the claims, saying: ‘At Kmart, we strive to deliver an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience to all our customers whether they choose to shop with us in-store or online.’
‘Since late 2015, we began introducing self-service registers to our stores as part of our commitment to customers in allowing them to access a more efficient service, especially during peak trading periods,’ they said.
‘The conversion of our manned registers to self-serve helps to aid the speed of transactions, but we will always have a Kmart team member available to support customers putting through transactions if they would like.’
Meanwhile, a Woolworths spokesperson previously said, ‘We're focused on providing our customers with multiple ways to shop with us, given their ever-changing needs.’.
‘Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many customers opted for safer and more convenient ways to complete their shop, which include self-service checkouts,’ they added.
‘However, if customers prefer to be served by a team member, that option is always available via our service desk or other manned checkouts.’
Key Takeaways
- A shopper expressed her frustration at self-service machines in stores like Coles, Woolworths and Kmart, arguing that he's doing the job of a cashier without being paid for it.
- The customer's rant gained support on social media, with many other shoppers agreeing that they dislike using self-service machines and feeling as though they're forced to do so.
- Supermarkets such as Woolworths, Coles, and Kmart offer self-serve along with assisted checkouts.
- Spokespersons from these companies have said they offer self-service as a more efficient way for customers to complete their shopping.
Members, have you ever had an experience like this? And how do you feel when stores make you use self-checkouts? Let us know in the comments below.