The Customer Self-Checkout Habit That Never Fails To Annoy Workers

Are you on team self-checkout, or do you believe the entire self-checkout concept is a big ol' fail? It may just depend on whether you would rather scan your produce and snacks in peace — and risk a machine going haywire — or have to interact with a staff member. While there are nay-sayers who hate self-checkout, it's fair to say that this automated checkout process is unlikely to go away soon — and neither are the grievances that staff members have with customers who use these machines improperly. 

Store staff have taken to social media to share the most common mistakes they see people making with self-checkout and vent their frustrations. In a post on Reddit entitled, "Why do people refuse to read the screens at self checkout?" one staff member voiced their concern with shoppers not reading the prompts at checkout and calling staff over for assistance. "Drives me absolutely nuts," they said. 

Folks in the comment section shared similar experiences and frustrations. "It's not only reading. Ours actually verbally tell you what to do over and over again and they still don't know what to do," said another Reddit user. Not only does this force a staff member to abandon their post and try to help the customer — further delaying other customers from checking out — but it can also stress them out, especially when customers become irate.

The logical thing to do as a customer, if you're met with a self-checkout prompt that you've never seen before, is to re-read it. However, there are some instances where self-checkout does malfunction, something doesn't scan, or you need assistance. In that case, you should take a page out of Aldi's playbook and ring the bell on the machine when you need assistance, rather than wandering aimlessly until you find a staff member. If you abandon your checkout, it can create a bottleneck elsewhere in the store and cause confusion. 

Paying attention to context clues, like the sign that says "Card Only," can also save you time and aggravation. "People go to the terminal that says 'no cash' in [big letters] and 'oh, I didn't know this didn't take cash,'" one employee wrote on Reddit. "Source: I witnessed this at least five times yesterday." On that same thread, others reported that customers tried to use broken machines, even going so far as to move the "closed" sign in an attempt to scan their groceries. In short, reading the room goes a long way in making the self-checkout process a little more seamless for everyone.

Another thing that goes a long way is being kind to staff members who are there to help. In that same Reddit thread, many folks voiced that customers can be downright mean when they're not understanding what to do at self-checkout. "I don't mind people asking for help or not knowing or not paying attention.... I just mind the attitude! Be nice," said another Reddit user. "Just be patient and polite."