"Semi-attended, customer-activated terminals"

[KKOB]

, ,,,,,as their fans like to call them. Perhaps I am unusually incompetent, but I have almost never had a trouble-free encounter with one of these machines, provoking the inevitable accusation of "unexpected item in the bagging area!". But think of the speed, the efficiency, the cost savings, you are told. To which you can only reply: expected bull**** in the management area. Stefan Stern, The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/22/tube-tickets-rage-closing-ticket-offices

Love 'em or hate 'em, they're on the increase. Do you use them ? Do you like them ? Are they quicker and easier than using a conventional check-out ?

[LeeGlo]

My view is that if a supermarket can't be bothered to employ someone to "check out" my shopping and take my money/payment, then I can't be bothered to shop in their store.

From what I read on various forums and in online newspapers the word "service" is fast disappearing from the English language in the UK.

[Fran]

I use them,one of the checkout girls told me that using them actually helps them out, as for some reason the more they are used then the amount of checkout staff is increased.

[bewva]

I will use them if I only have a few items but I would say 4 out of 5 times I will need assistance due to one thing or another.

[HappyMonday]

I was involved in introducing the kiosks into Argos. These now take up to 35% of all sales in any given store during peak periods (eg now in the run up to Christmas) and 20% of sales in quieter times.  One of the big lessons learned when first introduced (at which point the sales participation was only 5%) was that you need to man these devices with staff until customers feel comfortable enough to use themselves.  The whole solution becomes unstuck at the point where a customer needs help but none is to hand.  Another good lesson learned was to make sure the customer feels that that there is a good level of privacy - putting self checkout/ kiosks too close together or near to windows drives down their usage.  It annoys me when I retailers missing out on these basic rules.

[bewva]

The difference with the ones in Argos is that you are not scanning and bagging your shopping like in a supermarket, so you don't need the assistant to accept that you don't have 'unauthorized items in the bagging area' every few swipes of a bar code.
I remember hearing that some stores were trialing a scanner that you had on your trolley to scan the stuff as you put it in then you just pay on the way out. That didn't appear to take off. I wonder why.  

[kenkay]

I regularly use the "fast lane" in Asda as I normally only have one or two items. The problem is I need assistance every time because one of my items is always Strongbow for which I need approval. They should program the machine to recognize an old git when it scans one   

[Jacqui Harvey]

What I hate about those check outs in the Supermarkets is, if you have more that 10 items, its really difficult to to get your shopping into the bags, as there is little room and if you take time to put the stuff in the bags, the machine starts to complain..

[Scunner]

I avoid them too, I just can't be doing with all the complications of this new convenient way. What I hate is standing in a queue for a traditional till & human, and an employee telling me I can use the self service tills. I know that, I'm not a total idiot. I have made my choice and am standing where I decided to.

[mercury]

I am still having to get used to getting my own petrol at Morrisons so imagine my horror at the press the button to pay by card or pay at the till machines....