So imagine this- I was standing at the grocery store checkout line, I just ran in to get a few things and, as per usual, I am in a hurry and impatient. My basket has a half gallon of milk, pasta sauce, a loaf of bread and a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia that I am hoping won't melt. I survey the situation and find that only two cashiers are working today, both of whom have 3 people waiting. As I scan the checkout area, I see two self checkout lanes with people using them.
So, what should I do? Using the self-checkout option may save me the minutes I desperately need. But, on the other hand, if just one thing goes wrong, I will be standing there with all the flashing lights and the machine voice reassuring me that someone will be there to help me right away. You know the voice, it rarely is a soothing “Don't Panic” voice, but rather more like a shrieking, desperate cry for help. I'll end up waiting there for what seems like an eternity, hoping the over-worked attendant will come and press a few buttons so that everything will be back on track. My other option is to wait behind the three other customers. One of them will probably need a price check, the other has four screaming children and a cart filled with produce that has to be weighed individually and, knowing my luck, the older lady in front of me will probably be paying in nickels.
Self-checkout can be a real time saver; the key is to be prepared for all of the things that can go wrong, so you can prevent being delayed and waiting for assistance. Here are some tips to make self-checkout a viable option:
- Only use self-checkout when you have a few items- Trying to ring up a cart full of groceries is just asking for disaster. Save this option for when you have fewer than 10 items.
- Don't put anything on any part of the checkout system- This means don't put down your purse or even your keys while you are working. Anything that the checkout unit senses will confuse it.
- Don't buy alcohol or anything that requires age verification- It doesn't matter if you are 103, but look a robust 90, the automatic system will make you wait until an attendant comes to verify your age.
- Large plants, ice and other bulky items are a bad idea- Many of these are either just too bulky to fit on the scanner or they don't have UPC codes at all. Cashiers have a list of UPC codes at their register that they can scan in order to ring up these purchases. Anything that you would normally keep in the cart and let the cashier scan with a wand would fall in this category.
- Seasonal clearance items- If you are stocking up on clearance holiday candy or other clearance type merchandise, your best bet is to wait for a cashier. Often, the UPC codes don't ring up correctly or the discount has to be put in manually. This will cause you to have to wait for an attendant and then wait even longer while they go ask someone what the discount is and most likely they will have to get an override code from a supervisor.
- Depending on the store, Don't bring your own bags- If you are like me and prefer to use your own bags, don't bag anything until you have already paid. Because your cloth bags may weigh more than the plastic, the checkout system might get confused and think that you have placed a non-scanned item on the belt.
Hopefully, by keeping these tips in mind, you can get in and out of the grocery store in short order. And keep that ice cream from melting while you are at it.
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By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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