Supermarket self-checkout

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Frank Bunn

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Lance Uppercut said:
they are awesome!

I never buy avocados anymore, only onions.
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I was reading an article that argued that it has become so easy to scam at the self-checkout it doesn't feel like stealing. I've made a couple of genuine mistakes that made me realise how easy it is.

One time I weighed some fancy $8/kg potatoes but accidentally selected the cheapo $1.70/kg spuds. Couldn't be bothered calling over the boy to fix it. Then another time I had some pre-packed salmon that scanned at $10. I told the girl I was pretty sure it was on offer at $8. What's she gonna do, walk 50m to check it, leaving the checkouts unmanned? They never seem to get on the PA these days to get a price check. She just entered some code and changed the price to $8. It was only the next day I saw the $8 special was for a lower weight pack.

I'm sure heaps of people are deliberately scanning their avocados as onions. But take it up a notch, if the young member of staff is busy with someone, you could weigh your $35/kg steak as potatoes and put it in the bag. I guess the difference is that if you get caught it would be harder to argue that it was an accident.

If you are at that stage why not go for the big prize? Scan the whole trolley load and put the goods in the placky bags. Put the bags in the trolley. Pretend to scan your credit card and calmly walk out pushing your trolley load of plunder. If you get sprung claim that you scanned your card and it mustn't have worked.

I'm not advocating crime. I'm curious about what people have got up to at the self serves and how they view it morally.
 
sorted said:
I was reading an article that argued that it has become so easy to scam at the self-checkout it doesn't feel like stealing. I've made a couple of genuine mistakes that made me realise how easy it is.

One time I weighed some fancy $8/kg potatoes but accidentally selected the cheapo $1.70/kg spuds. Couldn't be bothered calling over the boy to fix it. Then another time I had some pre-packed salmon that scanned at $10. I told the girl I was pretty sure it was on offer at $8. What's she gonna do, walk 50m to check it, leaving the checkouts unmanned? They never seem to get on the PA these days to get a price check. She just entered some code and changed the price to $8. It was only the next day I saw the $8 special was for a lower weight pack.

I'm sure heaps of people are deliberately scanning their avocados as onions. But take it up a notch, if the young member of staff is busy with someone, you could weigh your $35/kg steak as potatoes and put it in the bag. I guess the difference is that if you get caught it would be harder to argue that it was an accident.

If you are at that stage why not go for the big prize? Scan the whole trolley load and put the goods in the placky bags. Put the bags in the trolley. Pretend to scan your credit card and calmly walk out pushing your trolley load of plunder. If you get sprung claim that you scanned your card and it mustn't have worked.

I'm not advocating crime. I'm curious about what people have got up to at the self serves and how they view it morally.
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supermarkets budget for shrinkage. So the way I see it, if no-one steals, they are getting free money!
 

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Lance Uppercut said:
supermarkets budget for shrinkage.
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2a5a010.jpg
 
Bomberboyokay said:
Have you tried putting items in your pockets and walking out?
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But that would feel like stealing.

They might be quicker for customers, but self-service checkouts could be "normalising" theft in supermarkets, a criminologist has warned.

Research suggests some people are willing to steal at such checkouts when they wouldn't dream of committing theft while wandering around the shop floor.

The DIY machines are clearly a convenient option for many, especially light-fingered supermarket customers.

While the retail sector waits for technology to catch up, the most powerful protection from mounting losses might be something as simple as better customer service or a cleaner corporate image.

The problem with shoppers is they are very good at "neutralising" their moral concerns, according to criminology professor Adrian Beck from the University of Leicester in Britain, especially if there is any sense a retailer is not meeting its social obligations.
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http://www.smh.com.au/business/reta...theft-says-criminologist-20160719-gq98y1.html
 
I don't understand why the (usually) one staff member supervising the self-serve checkouts at the supermarket will hurry you up with "that one's free!" and almost lunging for your basket as soon as it is empty (actually had one person nearly knock the last item out of my hand as I was taking it out of the basket to scan it on a recent shop, such was their eagerness to take the basket away), yet they will allow people to come through with massive trolley loads (defeating the whole purpose by delaying the process), suddenly disappear if something goes wrong and operator assistance is required at your register, or why they'll limit half the registers to card only.

People can say "they're not labelled as express lanes!", but why else do they exist (To be anti-social? Just to cut down on staff?), and why else would the staff hurry you through otherwise?
 
I don't get why trolleys are allowed. The other day all 6 were taken by people with trolleys. Just ridiculous.
 
Oscarman said:
I don't get why trolleys are allowed. The other day all 6 were taken by people with trolleys. Just ridiculous.
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To condition people to use them as it's the future.

I honestly don't think they cost jobs either though.

The local woolworths doesn't have self serve and they only open one main register, one express register and have someone on the desk selling smokes.

The local coles has one main register, one at the self serve checkouts and one on the desk.

The only difference is that if you go to Coles you can serve yourself instead of waiting in line for 5 other people to be served infront of you at Woolworths.

Supermarkets going to go barebones on staff regardless.
 
Hamingja said:
To condition people to use them as it's the future.

I honestly don't think they cost jobs either though.

The local woolworths doesn't have self serve and they only open one main register, one express register and have someone on the desk selling smokes.

The local coles has one main register, one at the self serve checkouts and one on the desk.

The only difference is that if you go to Coles you can serve yourself instead of waiting in line for 5 other people to be served infront of you at Woolworths.

Supermarkets going to go barebones on staff regardless.
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This.

Open the bloody checkouts so I can be in and out in 45 seconds without waiting for some twit with a full trolley or empty brain.
 
Likedagreen said:
I'm all for people ripping of big companies that have these self serve checkouts.
It's discusting how they will do anything for just a bit more profit.
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Unfortunately, the one's who feel the affects of thieves are the poor buggers on the shop floor. They have their hours cut while big bosses still get their bonu$e$.
 

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Pro tip, woolies green bags have this piece of black plastic in them, you can hide all sorts of thin items under there.
 
Well my little peanut scam has ended. For ages you could pile 1.5kg of cashews, walnuts, pistachios etc, press the $8 kg peanut button and get a massive discount on otherwise ridiculous high priced nuts.

They got rid of the humble peanut. Now nothing is priced under $20 a kilo..
 
MAGA said:
Pro tip, woolies green bags have this piece of black plastic in them, you can hide all sorts of thin items under there.
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Couple slices of turkey?
 
No need to steal from self serve checkouts when the checkout chicks do it for you! Had some chicken that wouldn't scan today and the girl just chucked it in the bag and said "Too much effort to type in the numbers or call someone." $8 for nothing, hard to feel bad about it either.
 
Big Cox 88 said:
No need to steal from self serve checkouts when the checkout chicks do it for you! Had some chicken that wouldn't scan today and the girl just chucked it in the bag and said "Too much effort to type in the numbers or call someone." $8 for nothing, hard to feel bad about it either.
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Teenagers these days hey. Lazy.
 
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