In my limited experience, Wal-Mart’s self-checkout is pretty quick and easy to use and hassle-free. Even so, if I had a full cart with lots of items, it would probably be quicker and easier to unload them all onto a conveyer and have an experienced checker scan them all.
I do need an attendant’s approval to buy alcohol, but they don’t ask for my ID; apparently my gray beard is proof enough. (ETA: I have seen the attendant have to answer yes to “Is the customer over 40?” or some such question that pops up on the screen.) I don’t know whether the requirement that they ask you for ID varies from store to store, or state to state, or what.
Based on signage I’ve seen, it may not be legal for alcohol to go through self-checkout in California. Since I’m very much a non-drinker, doesn’t really matter to me.
I’m going to guess that the issue is that the stores are not comfortable with no human involvement at all. The machine might be able to somehow match my face to the photo on the ID - but is the machine going to be able to pick up the six pack and keep me from buying it? Remember, if the machine lets a 16 year old use their 22 year old sibling’s ID and the store gets caught, the store will probably lose their license.
I’m sure we have different store layouts. The ones I frequent don’t have room for a cart in the self check out area. And only room for maybe 6-8 small items on the scale. If you take something off the scale and put it in your cart, it tells you to put it back on the scale.
The assisted check out will have yourself unloading the cart, the cashier ringing it up, and usually a bagger (and or me) putting it in bags. Very efficient.
I say it should be the reverse. If you have a bunch of stuff, go to an assisted lane. If you only have a few items do it yourself.
Is the machine able to pick up the six-pack and prevent me from buying it? Sure! If they require an ID, and cannot verify that it is valid for this purchase, you cannot continue until a clerk arrives. This already happens without the possibility of an automatic ID verify step.
That was just one example of why a store might not be comfortable without any human involvement - another is whether the the machine can compare the photo on the ID to the customer as well as a person can. Or if the machine can even compare the photo on my ID to my face at all- I’m not at all sure they have that capacity. And I’m sure there are other issues I haven’t thought of.
I’m not sure face recognition would work terribly well if someone’s drastically changed hair color/style or what type of corrective lenses they use. Switching between glasses and contacts or a significant change in frame style could make quite a difference. At least when I got a new DL photo last year (it had probably been ten years or more), they let me leave my glasses on, unlike past photos where I was required to remove them.
The pic on my passport has no beard. My face has a beard. The immigration computers at several countries have no problem deciding I’m the same guy as my pic.
Where did I say I took it out on him? I know he can’t do anything, I’m sure even the store manager can’t do anything as it’s about 4 levels above him & two silos over where they designed these particular checkouts in the store design/layout group, with probably input from the security group. They’re the ones that designed it with only one shelf about 18" off the ground (that’s lower than the lap of someone sitting in a standard wheelchair), & they’re the ones who are requiring the use of the scale, & they’re the ones not putting a price checker anywhere near the checkout scanners. Don’t design them for the shortest person using the tallest bag.
Except they’re not there to assist customers, their job is, apparently, to be a variant of the Walmart greeter. When someone came in & wanted to pick up photos (behind the counter) he couldn’t even get them; had to call someone up from the back to walk behind the counter to hand that customer their order when there wasn’t even anyone using self checkout.
Even if that technology was mature enough to roll out you couldn’t use it in my state because state law does not allow it (the corporate lawyers have been working on it, so my information comes via the corporate grapevine). My imperfect understanding is that this might be legal in some states but not all.
That’s the thing about the ID laws - they store has very little control over them. A lot of this is driven by state law, not corporate rules. I’m not saying a corporation couldn’t add more aggravation, but stores are there to sell stuff and, at least for my employer, they are far more interested in encouraging people to buy than go elsewhere.
This can also be affected by whether or not a store clerk screwed up. One of my (now former) co-workers a couple years screwed up on the ID check during a police undercover sting. They literally slapped cuffs on her, escorted her to the store office, then perp-walked her out the door. The state was going to yanked not only our store’s liquor license but that of every other store of our chain in the state. After that, the state mandated we ask to see and scan absolutely everyone’s license without exception for any age-limited item. Didn’t matter how old they looked. That went on for 8 months.
I heard the young lady got a lawyer that got her a year’s probation instead of the usual six-months jail time. First time offense. They come down a lot harder for any subsequent ones. The store got a fine, too.
But sure, take out your annoyance on worker bees who are just trying to follow state law and in some cases their employer’s whims. You’re annoyed - they’re worried about losing their job. And while there is a lot of retail work out there if you’re fired for screwing up alcohol sales that leaves a legal trail and you will not be hired by any store selling anything age-limited if you’ve got that on your record - in my state that’s not just alcohol but R-rate movies, cough syrup (even for infants), fireworks, ammunition, spray paint… Having that on your record makes you a lot less employable.
We tell new people to absolutely ask for ID if they have any doubt the person is under 50 (used to be under 40, but that changed about a year and a half ago). We don’t want any screw ups on this because the law has zero mercy for anyone.
The base rules vary by state. Some stores with locations in multiple stores might decide to use the more restrictive ID laws for uniformity sake, although my employer it’s all state-by-state. Some employers might put additional rules in place, so that would account for the differences between stores within a state. And sometimes court cases will impose additional rules on a store for a period of time.
You might be surprised how many times people steal alcohol. Once had a thief with hands full of premium liquor parkour up and over the back fence of the store garden center without losing his ill gotten goods.
Not that any of the humans would try to stop someone going out the door with unpurchased goods, but for some reason shoplifters tend to try to avoid being witnessed by humans. Nevermind it’s the video presented in court that usually gets them convicted, they seem to be unaware of the cameras.
Yes. When I’m on duty as the checkout attendant I am NOT allowed to leave the cluster of machines I am watching over. Nope, not even to walk ten paces over, not even when there is no one at the self-checkout at that moment. I make a lot of phone calls as SCO attendant for that reason. When I’m not SCO attendant I’m getting called out of the office I’m working in a couple times a day to take care of something because at those times I am allowed to go places.
Again, he’s probably just following the rules of his job. He’s not being lazy or inattentive, he’s just probably not allowed to go where you wanted him to go.
No cheating allowed - I’m on camera the whole time I’m in the SCO area, the areas near the SCO, the doors, etc.
Or maybe he works for a bunch of jerks and/or he’s a jerk, but I do think you’re still not grasping the full picture here.
These days… that depends. My store has some SCO’s dedicated to 5 items or less but the rest are for any size order. However, there is sufficient room by those machines to put more than one cart without blocking traffic. Sometimes we’ll open a staffed lane for 20 items or less, depending on what’s going on in the store.
I still MUCH prefer self checkout, even with a full cart. I am organized and pretty quick, and I understand the machine’s requirements so I almost never need the staff’s help.
And that’s a good thing because at my store (Publix, fwiw) the attendant is always busy helping people and keeping the area tidy.
I also shop at Aldi, which has recently changed to 1 manned checkout and about 6 self check lanes. I can get in and out SO much more quickly now!
