How much would it suck working as a teller these days with a self-checkout machine next to you?

[StageLeft]

Man, that HAS to suck. At one of the local walmarts and one of the local home depots right next to the human tellers are automated checkouts - which I always pick now, if I can. If that doesn't kill your morale to want to continue on in your "career" I really can't imagine what would. You've got a machine that costs less than your yearly wages doing your job and it doesn't complain, require breaks, or charge the company benefits.

 

[FoBoT]

the buggy whip makers and wagon wheel makers had to retrain/get new jobs too

time marches on

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
the buggy whip makers and wagon wheel makers had to retrain/get new jobs too

time marches on

I don't know, but I'd think that back in their day their labor was probably somewhat skilled, so they went into another semi-skilled or skilled job. As a teller at the age of 40 with no education watching these machines doing your job for cheaper it must really blow.

 

[kitkit201]

dont u need someone to still cehck and make sure that all items are accounted for? so it does't really do any justice to clerks...

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: kitkit201
dont u need someone to still cehck and make sure that all items are accounted for? so it does't really do any justice to clerks...

They're moving to radio chips to replace barcodes. As soon as it gets affordable, you wont even need them anymore....

 

[rival]

i kinda dislike those self checkout lines, i was at home depot, buying an 8'x4' pieice of 'lattice'(?)...and it kept saying i had to put it in the bag, i finally tricked the machine by puttin my hand in it or something...

but yea, workin next to a computer that does pretty much what you do...would suck

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: kitkit201
dont u need someone to still cehck and make sure that all items are accounted for? so it does't really do any justice to clerks...

Well the four checkouts at walmart nobody is watching. I'm sure security is, but even if you've got only one person per 4 machines it's great for walmart. And as mentioned above if they can have the magnetic strips included in even more products to the point where everything is, well hell then you have to basically walk up to the check out, put your credit card in, and walk out of the store without doing anything else (I've seen on TV at least one store has this feature). That is _awesome_ for the customer, and saves the store a TON of money on tellers.

and it kept saying i had to put it in the bag

yeah that can get annoying. Certain items do not work well for self checkouts.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: kitkit201
dont u need someone to still cehck and make sure that all items are accounted for? so it does't really do any justice to clerks...

they use a scale to make sure you put each item into the bag, and one person watches 4 self-checkouts to watch for obvious fraud that the machine can't catch.

so they can eliminate 3 jobs by putting 4 of these machines in.

this isn't new, BTW, a grocery store in upstate new york put some in back about '97 - '98 when i was living there. not sure why they didn't catch on back then.

 

[RMSistight]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: kitkit201
dont u need someone to still cehck and make sure that all items are accounted for? so it does't really do any justice to clerks...

they use a scale to make sure you put each item into the bag, and one person watches 4 self-checkouts to watch for obvious fraud that the machine can't catch.

so they can eliminate 3 jobs by putting 4 of these machines in.

this isn't new, BTW, a grocery store in upstate new york put some in back about '97 - '98 when i was living there. not sure why they didn't catch on back then.

Well...some stores are testing it out and to see if they have any use in them. A machine ain't cheap either...I've read it was like $50,000 or something like that.

 

[EyeMWing]

People are too stupid to use them. And the fact that the only one at my local home Depot is at the contractor door bugs me. Why put it there when the only people using that exit have huge chunks of material.