Would You Pay A Membership Fee to Use Self-Checkout?

Hmm, it seems like overseas people are going to start paying for the luxury of using self-checkouts.

Walmart+ is being introduced whereby you pay $98 per annum for access to self-checkout machines. Is it possible that in the near future one of the perks for Everyday Xtras will be access to self-checkouts? Coles and other supermarket players will likely follow with their own Smart Shopper programs geared towards time-poor customers.

I suspect what will happen is that this will become another revenue stream for the supermarket giants.

What the industry has done is accustom the shopper to having less attendants, and basically I suspect if you do not pay then you will be standing around in line for a very long time. This will basically coerce a majority of the shoppers to pay for usage of self-checkouts as time is money…

When checkout access is limited, some stores are designating self-checkout lanes for Walmart+ customers, who pay a membership fee of $98 a year.

Source
Note: This is no longer fake news, old fact check articles are now redundant and incorrect.

Mod: Alternate link without paywall

Would you pay to use a self checkout given those circumstances?

Poll Options

  • 652
    No
  • 9
    Yes
  • 4
    Yes but only if the lines are long

Comments

        • Oh there is a point, now the store needs to put the items away. If they don't act quick enough, the frozen stuff will have to be tossed.

          The store will always be able to put the stuff away faster and more efficiently than you will be able to dredge it out. Realistically they'd do the frozen stuff immediately in a basket and dump the rest in a trolley for the evening quiet. The "yes, go bankrupt as the Cornettos melt onto the very floor of the supermarket, Yes!!!!" concept is a (poorly thought out) fantasy.

          So if enough people do this, they will open more check outs.

          The two of you like the "if enough people" idea but.. if enough people gave you $1 to hear your ideas on this subject, you would both have a million dollars. Now are you going to get a million dollars or can we toss that in the fantasy pile as well?

          Or even more ok to pay a yearly membership to get service? That you have to do yourself

          The Walmart+ thing is a service that offers all sorts of features (delivery, Paramount Plus subscriptions, no doubt some special offers and.. yes.. the possibility of some exclusive self service machines in addition to the regular self service machines that they also offer). "Paying a premium to use self service aahhhh!" is Confused By Clickbait territory, we can do better than this.

          • @CrowReally:

            The store will always be able to put the stuff away faster and more efficiently than you will be able to dredge it out

            So they magically have staff to put food away but not serve customers?

            Realistically they'd do the frozen stuff immediately

            So these magically staff will be on to it? Have you even been to a supermarket lately? Getting help at the self service is like pulling teeth, let alone finding a free staff member to handle these requests. There is no room full of staff waiting for a job.

            The "yes, go bankrupt as the Cornettos melt onto the very floor of the supermarket, Yes!!!!" concept is a (poorly thought out) fantasy.

            Maybe I'll load the trolley up with meat on the way out and leave it in a far corner of the store for them to find.

            Spoiled product is an issue for stores. While they won't go broke, it is lost sales.

            "Paying a premium to use self service aahhhh!" is Confused By Clickbait territory, we can do better than this.

            While the story was clickbait, they do have to 'pay' to be able to use the self service, only those with the plus membership will be able to use them. Sure its more of a perk, but unless you are paying 'extra' you can't use them.

            Anyhow you enjoy standing around for 30mins waiting for your turn at the checkout and then be thankful you got the chance to hand over wads of cash as well.

            • -3

              @JimmyF: There's nothing "magic" about the staff at all, they put the frozen stuff away immediately, and they put the excess stuff in a trolley to be put away during a lull.

              I would have thought everyone would have seen this firsthand for themselves, but perhaps you aren't very observant.

              From the "they make crazy profits man, who is to say whether it's """"stealing""""" at self serve checkouts anyway" style nonsense you've
              sprayed up and down this thread, I'm …. less inclined to trust in your ability to make grown-up thoughts

              Maybe I'll load the trolley up with meat on the way out and leave it in a far corner of the store for them to find.

              Aha, bingo.

              The Find Out portion is them checking the CCTV, banning you from the store (chain) and you end up on Tiktok reciting the UN Charter of Human Rights in the car park.

              Jokes on them though, you can buy your dozen cans of lasagna and McCains Big Boy Frozen Parma Pub Lunch from the store that's further away and less convenient.

              While the story was clickbait, they do have to 'pay' to be able to use the self service, only those with the plus membership will be able to use them. Sure its more of a perk, but unless you are paying 'extra' you can't use them.

              FFS, I literally just explained it to you; self service machines are available for everyone, but some additional self service machines are for the premium service. Go and read the Clickbait again and come back and apologize for failing the comprehension test (twice).

              • @CrowReally:

                There's nothing "magic" about the staff at all

                Oh it is magic alright, clearly you haven't been inside a supermarket in years as they don't have any staff sitting around to do what you are claiming and if they did, why are they not serving people instead of standing around looking at a massive queue of people waiting, all while waiting for a trolley load of food to put away.

                The Find Out portion is them checking the CCTV, banning you from the store (chain)

                Just like most TikTok shit, I'll take things that don't happen.

                FFS, I literally just explained it to you; self service machines are available for everyone, but some additional self service machines are for the premium service. Go and read the Clickbait again and come back and apologize for failing the comprehension test (twice).

                Who needs to go back and read the article? I'll quote it for you, as I know comprehension is hard skill for a lot of people

                Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, said it removed self-checkout lanes and replaced them with cashier-staffed lanes at locations including stores in Cleveland and Shrewsbury, Mo. When checkout access is limited, some stores are designating self-checkout lanes for Walmart+ customers, who pay a membership fee of $98 a year.

                “We believe the changes will improve the in-store shopping experience and give our associates the chance to provide more personalized and efficient service,” said Charles Crowson, a Walmart spokesman.

                So…. self service machines are NOT available for everyone like you claimed as they have been removed for a more personalized service, aka harder to steal from us and only to those who have PAID to be a plus members might get a chance to use them if all the staffed lanes are busy.

              • @CrowReally:

                Go and read the Clickbait again and come back and apologize for failing the comprehension

                Do I need to tap the sign? I'm waiting…..

                • @JimmyF: Always happy to admit when I'm wrong, just as I'm happy to admit when you're wrong.

                  I was wrong when I said no Walmarts were forcing people to pay to use self serve checkouts, and you were wrong when you said all Walmarts were forcing people to pay to use self serve checkouts.

                  Speaking of bad takes:

                  The Find Out portion is them checking the CCTV, banning you from the store (chain)

                  Just like most TikTok shit, I'll take things that don't happen.

                  I don't want to be accused of mischaracterising your argument, so let me know if this is what you are actually saying:

                  You expect that if you put several hundred dollars of meat in a trolley and left it in an obscure part of the store to spoil, when it was discovered

                  1. The store manager wouldn't be interested in finding out who did this and
                  2. At the same time, they'll feed "trolley full of spoiled meat in a corner" into the Batcomputer and come to the conclusion it's a protest about the length of checkout queues and
                  3. There would be no consequences for you

                  Isn't this just another childish fantasy?

                  And finally

                  Do I need to tap the sign? I'm waiting…..

                  Aren't you an eager beaver? I'm looking forward to a prompt response from you… Unless, of course, you decide to admit you're wrong by slinking off without a reply

                  • -1

                    @CrowReally:

                    I was wrong when I said no Walmarts were forcing people to pay to use self serve checkouts, and you were wrong when you said all Walmarts were forcing people to pay to use self serve checkouts.

                    No you had just been wrong, simple as that. At no point did I say say all Walmarts. So stop trying to spin it.

                    Isn't this just another childish fantasy?

                    You think the store has a board of people photos up and they are monitoring every person that comes in?

                    I'm looking forward to a prompt response from you… Unless, of course, you decide to admit you're wrong by slinking off without a reply

                    LOL I'm not wrong, see above. So here is your reply

  • +1

    Would You Pay A Membership Fee to Use Self-Checkout?

    $98 a year for 'self checkout'? Sure I'm down for that. If they mean self check out, as in I pay $98/yr once off and fill my trolley up and walk out whenever I want. DEAL!

    Walmart+ is being introduced whereby you pay $98 per annum for access to self-checkout machines

    But seriously, I won't be paying to self check out use.

    basically I suspect if you do not pay then you will be standing around in line for a very long time.

    If I have a basket or trolley of items and there are massive queues with no check outs free but these pay ones, then I'll be leaving the trolley and walking out.

    These stores have become a joke. Removed staff by pushing us to self checkouts, now thinking about charging us to check out. Ummm no. Lets not talk about the record profits either.

  • About a fifth of people who used self-checkouts said they accidentally took an item without paying for it, according to a survey of 2,000 shoppers last year by LendingTree. Some 15% of self-checkout users admitted to stealing an item on purpose.

    Quote from the article. People do this, as they see it as them doing someone elses job they are not paid to do. Its justified as they are saving a 'wage' by self checking out, so getting something back.

    Very simple way to stop this overnight, put staff back on to serve you!

    • Or people could just be honest and diligent. You fix issues and move on you do not go backwards.

      • Or people could just be honest and diligent.

        If you want to talk about being honest, lets start with the record profits these companies are making all while doing massive staff reductions.

        Lets also talk about the treatment of supplies and the very one sided agreements they have.

        You fix issues and move on you do not go backwards.

        To fix the issue of self checkouts they created, is to go backwards and remove them.

        • There are many of us who like using self serve checkouts and don’t steal things. Why should we be penalised because other people don’t want to use them? You have an alternative go and use it.

          You are also currently conflating two things that aren’t related. If people want to steal and risk being caught and charged that is to their own conscience.

          • @try2bhelpful:

            You have an alternative go and use it

            No you don't. All my locals have a sea of selfchecks including the belt self checkouts. There is no alternative other than wait 30 mins in the single staffed checkout open.

            You are also currently conflating two things that aren’t related. If people want to steal and risk being caught and charged that is to their own conscience.

            People who wouldn't normally steal, never stolen before are doing it because they are feeling ripped off by these companies, which they are. You can't force people to do all the work via self checkouts, reduce staff and make record profits at the same time, all while turning around and say theft is high.

            If theft is high, how are they getting record profits? Does not compute.

            There are many of us who like using self serve checkouts

            Well that is a you issue of not wanting to talk to people.

            As for the business issue of them being concerned about 'theft', well they have alternatives as well.

            • @JimmyF: People are responsible for their own morality. Stealing from a company you don’t like is still stealing. It is a slippery slope trying to justify it.

              There wouldn’t be a sea of self service checkouts if people hated them. In fact most times I go to the supermarket there are queues for the self service. If they were hated then the long queues would be for the serviced checkouts.

              I suspect they will continue for serviced checkouts for people who can’t/wont use the self service checkouts.

              • @try2bhelpful:

                Stealing from a company you don’t like is still stealing. It is a slippery slope trying to justify it.

                And when they steal from 'customers'? Its a bit like the old saying, Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank, but give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.

                But in this case the bank is the supermarket.

                BTW I never justified stealing, I simply quoted the bit about stealing and gave a reason I believe it is happen. People feel ripped off doing someone elses job.

                There wouldn’t be a sea of self service checkouts if people hated them

                Total lies. My local Coles is all self checkout other than a single staffed checkout that is opened. The rest are a sea of self checkouts and the belt self check outs.

                Before this change, there used to be 3-4 staffed checkouts running all the time.

                So now your choice is stand in a queue for 30 mins, or use the self checkout to get out quicker.

                I go to the supermarket there are queues for the self service. If they were hated then the long queues would be for the serviced checkouts.

                So you have queues at both…. What is the wait time? Generally the self checkout queue moves very fast, so people with a few items put up with that. Its the same as the old 10 items all least queue as they got rid of that as well.

                • @JimmyF: However you try to justify theft, it is still theft. It isn’t “sticking it to the man” because he will just increase prices for everyone to cover the shortfall.

                  Ya know, I’m old enough to remember what it was like before self service checkouts and my main memory was very long queues to the serviced checkouts. The introduction of self service means they run a lot more checkouts than there were previously. My experience is the wait times are much shorter than they were years ago.

                  If you want serviced checkouts go use them. Me, I’m happy to go with what I consider to be the much more convenient option.

                  • @try2bhelpful:

                    It isn’t “sticking it to the man” because he will just increase prices for everyone to cover the shortfall.

                    LOL vs the price increase before theft went crazy?

                    Its funny, you blame price increases on theft, but theft was a result of price increase.

                    Ya know, I’m old enough to remember what it was like before self service checkouts and my main memory was very long queues to the serviced checkouts.

                    Queues for a staffed checkout had never been as bad as they are now. They always magically found staff to open a register when there was more than 2 people queued.

                    If you want serviced checkouts go use them.

                    What serviced checkout!?

                    Me, I’m happy to go with what I consider to be the much more convenient option.

                    Yes we know, you don't like talking to people IRL.

                    • @JimmyF: No the theft was a conscious decision people made to break the law. They can try to justify it to themselves all they like but that is the bottom line.

                      The average customer will be waiting in the queue for a lot less time now. Frankly I also doubt your assertion that serviced checkouts have longer queues nowadays given people have so many alternatives.

                      I talk to a heap of people IRL. If I was in a service queue I would certainly talk to the checkout person. When I walk into a store I greet the security people, the ones on the desk, etc. I even thank people on the way out. During lockdown the owner of my regular even thanked me for coming each day and buying take away stuff and taking time to talk the staff. Frankly your comment made me laugh. What an absurd statement to make.

  • +1

    I dont pay to interact with a human and put someone else in a job?

    Ok 👍

  • lol… Soooo… I am already supplying the labour and now they want me to supply a "membership fee?"

    • +3

      In fairness, you will get to enter the members lounge with the other staff members at the back of the shop. You get to have first dibs on whichever milk crate you want to sit on, and you can help yourself to anything off the damaged and returned items rack.

  • Absolutely not.

  • Whether this is real or not, whoever made it up has given someone out there a bright idea, like how Wendy's wanted to implement surge pricing a couple of months ago.

  • Self serve checkout suck, I don't want to bag my own stuff.

    The exception is aldi, as I normally only want one or two items from there, and the normal checkout lines are 4km long.

    • The exception is aldi

      Well ALDI doesn't bag your stuff ever… So I guess that works in well.

    • -1

      And serviced check outs are still available for you. Some of us prefer the self service checkouts. It is about choice.

      • That's fine, except now there are 20 self checkouts, and one staffed checkout.

        • -1

          Then you stand in the queue rather than learn to use the new technology.

          • @try2bhelpful:

            I don't want to bag my own stuff.

            What does that have to do with any technology?

            • @brendanm: That is probably the weakest excuse I’ve heard for not using a self service checkout. If you don’t want to bag your own stuff then shop online. They will not only bag it for you they will deliver to you. Even where there are serviced checkouts having someone bag your goods is falling out of favour.

              Personally I prefer to bring my own bags and bag my own goods. I can bag things so it is convenient with where they will be in my house. Separate bags for freezer, fridge, pantry, bathroom, laundry, etc. Makes putting things away much easier when I get home.

              • @try2bhelpful: So you want to bag an entire trolley work of stuff in a stupid self serve checkout? I want to put my stuff on the conveyor belt, then put it in the trolley. If I wanted to bag my own stuff I'd go to aldi and have them throw it at me.

                If you are happy paying more for less service, more power to you I suppose.

                • @brendanm: Many supermarkets now have self service checkouts with conveyor belts that look like standard serviced checkouts. We use them for our bigger shops.I have no issue with bagging my own stuff, it isn’t exactly rocket science and, as I said, it means it is easier to unpack and put away stuff when I get home.

                  If you watch people in the Supermarkets the technology is, obviously, popular. I suspect it has greatly shortened how long the average person stands in the checkout queue. It has, certainly, been my experience that is the case.

                  There definitely needs to be a mixture of both.

                  • @try2bhelpful: Lol, it's "popular" because people have no choice but to use them. It's popular with the supermarkets as they don't have to pay checkout staff, as the can now get the plebs to pay more for their groceries, as well as scan and bag them themselves.

                    As I said, if I wanted to bag my own, I'd go to aldi and save money at the same time, I'm paying more so I don't have to deal with that.

                    • @brendanm: Frankly this whole argument is pointless. You just have to accept you lost. If people were that fussed they would stand in the serviced queue until the Supermarket got the message. Funnily enough not so much. You might just have to learn to bag stuff yourself or stand in queue.

                      The premise of this whole thread is wrong as well. The priority access to certain checkouts was predicated on having a package of a bunch of different privileges. However, that doesn’t meet with the OPs prejudices.

                      Obviously the self service checkouts were popular or they would’ve made it the serviced ones. Might tell you something?

                      • @try2bhelpful:

                        If people were that fussed they would stand in the serviced queue until the Supermarket got the message

                        Imagine believing that people here would actually do that. We just bend over and take whatever we are given.

                        I choose to stand in the queue.

                        • @brendanm: Yup, go to the barricades for not packing your own groceries.

                          • @try2bhelpful: Why would I want to pack them, when previously they were packed for me?

                            • @brendanm: It is called changing and adapting. You have to pack your own bags but you get a lot more checkouts to use. You get the bags packed how you want them to be.

                              Previously you would’ve gone to a teller to do your banking. Most of us now do banking online, use ATMs and/or credit cards. It means I can do my banking 24 hours a day.

                              • @try2bhelpful: It's changing and adapting to increase the supermarkets bottom line, reducing human interaction, and increasing the amount of effort I have to put in, while not reducing the amount I have to pay.

                                There was never an issue with the number of checkouts available before, as most of the checkouts were staffed. I don't want to pack my own bags, it's also very easy to have them put in bags in an order you want, you put the on the conveyor belt in a logical fashion.

                                Previously you would’ve gone to a teller to do your banking

                                I like going to a teller. I like getting cash out if needed, I like putting cash in the bank if needed. That is also now more difficult, and worse than it was previously.

                                • @brendanm: Except this is not how most people prefer to do their shopping or their banking nowadays. There was, absolutely, a problem with the number of checkouts before when we only had serviced ones. I seemed to be perpetually in long queues.

                                  Certainly, in many ways, things are much better. When I went on a holiday in Queensland in the early 1980s I had to change banks because my State Bank had no access interstate. There was no such thing as credit cards. Shopping hours were limited. People can be concerned by change but once they get over the hump they wonder why they had an issue. My suggestion is give it a chance.

                                  • @try2bhelpful: I've given it a chance, many times, for years. I hate it, and hate that the supermarkets are making more money, by getting customers to do the work, while the price of groceries goes through the roof.

                                    People like what they like, it is what it is.

    • The 2 Aldis near me don't even have self-checkout

  • -2

    Everything keeps getting worse over time. Apparently the correct term for this is ens%1ttification. Companies find a way to make their products and services both worse and more expensive. Solution: Command economy.

    • +1

      “A command economy is a system where the government has total control over the economy it reigns over. Characteristics of this economy include governmental control of wages and pricing, limited property rights, government ownership of key businesses and industries, and robust black markets”

      You, honestly, think this is the solution? I’m a pretty bolshie leftie and even I think this is a tad OTT.

    • Everything keeps getting worse over time

      Comrade, your comments are a good example.

  • +1

    What if shoppers were offered 3 tiers of checkout operators - what would you pay and who would you choose?

    Slow Yakka - Loves to chat with shoppers, scans 1 item per second max performance

    Normal Kate - Scans quicker at 2-3 items per second, minimal chatter

    Fast Freddy - Premium scanner, wears teflon gloves to handle multiple items at furious speeds, There is no limit to how fast this operator can scan, but they may have time for a chat and ciggy afterwards.

    • Need 4th tier: Karen checkout, needs assistance on every item?

  • From what I can gather this is like the Everyday Extra where access to priority checkouts is something they are considering as part of a package of benefits you pay for. It is unlikely people would buy the package just for the priority access to checkouts, it would just be a value add. The question then becomes would the package be more attractive to you if it comes with priority checkout.

  • +1

    In my corner of Oz one can clearly see the trend towards self checkouts.
    Every month I see probably 1 manual checkout less with even the most reluctant slowly switching.
    Nothing is going to stop this trend.

  • No, never… If the non membership is too time consuming, I would rather shop elsewhere. (I actually do these days as my food req has become dead simple and only needing handful of items from green/red/blue brand stores)

  • pay a fee to so I can do other peoples' work and then pay them money?
    the rich really are showing everyone how stupid the average punter really is

    • +3

      Do some Googling and go read what this is really about. This is part of a package of privileges. Nobody is being compelled to use any checkout type. Obviously the self service checkouts are considered to have advantages or they wouldn’t be offering them as part of the package. That is more food for thought.

    • Many people paid like $30 for a annual everyday extra membership (gives 10% off shop).

      If there was a priority line for membership holders, at no extra cost? Would I be stupid for using or not using it? Hmmmmmmmmm

      • To me that is the point. You are paying for the other benefits. The ability to use the priority checkouts is a freebie.

  • lol

  • Tell them they're dreaming

  • The just shop in supermarkets with free self-checkout.

  • I refuse to use auto-checkouts
    It seems to always fail on me with its "assistant required" bs with people rushing you with their eyes because auto-checkout appears to mean "do not take more than 30s"
    I wait in line for a human to do what they do best, no issues, no bs, it always work plus keep their work.

    Let alone "paying for the luxury of using self-checkouts", yeah nahh

  • I think with the amount of Professional Thieves these days, the big boys are going to require you to register your identity and scan you in biometrically soon before accessing thier premises. its not a great experience for tourists and the like, but this is why we can't have nice things. Society not making petty thieves accountable has lead to this. The videos you see of animals going in and looting apple stores in broad daylight in the US is where we are heading. Thieves are embolden to act with impunity knowing there is no consequence. These people should not be part of humanity and be removed from the gene pool and shot on site. This is not stealing to meet basic needs , it's stealing because there is lack of respect for the community and society and they should be dealt swiftly.

  • wtf they should be paying me to use that s—t i mean it is a suprise that automated door hasnt broke someones leg or some s—t

  • I love it, eliminate jobs and employment, then, make the customer pay additional costs to maintain the infrastructure that replaced them.

  • +1

    I don't understand the hate for self checkouts. It's so much easier, and the lack of self checkouts is my main reason for skipping Aldi. Who in their right minds want to queue up?

Login or Join to leave a comment