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Tiggerbabe
28th-February-2006, 03:32 AM
To the smartypants from Tesco who thought it would be a good idea to introduce self-service checkouts at the 24 hour branches and have ONLY these operating after a certain time of night (10pm at a wild guess!)

I've got news for you :mad:

Myself,
the 20 or so other customers who had to wait 40 minutes in a queue
and the 3 available staff
(who were running around like headless chickens
trying to get the bloomin' things to work properly,
whilst also helping those of us who were on our own, to pack
and therefore stop the bloomin' thing refusing to work, again, as the conveyer belt is "backed up")

don't agree :flower: :confused: :(

Heather
28th-February-2006, 08:42 AM
Personally I'd vote with my feet and shop at the 24 hour ASDA .
They'd have got the message if folks had walked out leaving trolleys full of shopping!

:hug:
Heather

Tiggerbabe
28th-February-2006, 09:15 AM
Personally I'd vote with my feet and shop at the 24 hour ASDA .

Trust me Heather, if it hadn't already been a quarter past midnight, if it wasn't David's birthday on Saturday, if this wasn't the only chance I had to do a reasonably "big shop" this week etc etc etc then I would have.

I felt truly sorry for the people working there (they couldn't have tried harder to get things moving, but obviously are not allowed just to open an ordinary checkout) and just wondered if the "top guns" who think up these things, ever stop to think what it actually means for the staff.


Rant over, I'm feeling better now :wink:

TheTramp
28th-February-2006, 09:28 AM
I'm surprised that they didn't open up a normal checkout.

I came across this a couple of weeks ago at the Tesco on the Kingsway. Came to pay with a full trolley of shopping, to find that I had to use the automated machines. This takes longer, and firstly I had to wait for the 2 people in front of me, and then I was only halfway through doing my own shopping, with a queue getting bigger behind me, when they opened up 2 tills to clear the queue.

When I went to Tesco last night after dancing (again on the Kingsway), there were 2 tills open, and they opened a 3rd while I was there, as there seemed to be a bit of a busy period then.

LMC
28th-February-2006, 12:16 PM
The automated machines are *so* slow, I refuse to use them.

If I was doing a "big shop" I used to quite like Safeway's 'scan as you go' system with the little handheld thingy, because they only checked you every 5 or 6 times, sometimes even less. Although it didn't make the shopping trip any quicker, it saved a lot of loading/unloading trolleys because you could pack as you shopped.

I can't see any advantage to Tesco's system though except in terms of them saving money on staff - and since that is hardly likely to be reflected in reduced prices, and I'm not a Tesco's shareholder, that's not my problem. I'd quite happily walk off and leave a trolley full of stuff there, but then I don't have a family to feed, I can appreciate why Tiggerbabe didn't/couldn't - :hug:

Tiggerbabe
28th-February-2006, 02:19 PM
I'm surprised that they didn't open up a normal checkout.

So was I. I asked them to and so did other people, but to no avail. I can't see that it has any advantages for the staff, as they were getting nothing but grief.

I often do my shopping at that time of night, and previously they seemed only to have about 4 staff serving/managing but there were always 2 checkouts open and few queues.

If I only had a few items I wouldn't mind at all, in fact it can be fun. But a trolley full of shopping needs one person scanning and one packing. :hug:

ducasi
28th-February-2006, 03:39 PM
I've never personally used Tesco's system, but when I've seen it used by friends, it was only to skip the queues at the normal check-outs.

Piglet
28th-February-2006, 11:03 PM
Thanks for this advice - I've never used one of the automated machines, wouldn't have thought of it. I've heard that the internet shopping is good though - but not done that either. Any advice on that one?

Tessalicious
1st-March-2006, 07:44 PM
I've heard that the internet shopping is good though - but not done that either. Any advice on that one?Yup. Set your delivery time before you do the shop, because it will make a difference to what you don't order, since there are always things you will need before the shopping can be delivered, so you'll have to pop out and get those few things anyway, and if you really only need one, having ordered it as well can be really annoying.

Also, never set the delivery time to be just before you have to go out...

babycass77
2nd-March-2006, 09:45 PM
I'm totally boycotting Tesco just now anyway. The one in my town never has what I'm looking for, only the Tesco version of it :angry:

Actually I'm only emotionally boycotting it as it's the only store to shop at where I live! Talk about cornering the market!

Magic Hans
2nd-March-2006, 11:53 PM
Good idea? No!!!! :mad: It's a fab idea!!!:clap:

First time I went through, I thought it was such a laff, that I almost went and bought something I didn't need, just to go through again!!! :D

[Mind you, I suppose the novelty might just wear off after the 3,937,387 time .... at which point it was revert to being a bad idea!]

When I went through, there were four checkouts being overlooked by one member of staff during the day, as well as plenty of other checkouts.

As for speed, I think I was probably slower than a normal checkout the first time, but have tuned my technique!!! Don't bother pressing start, just scan that first item through, then finish, swipe or scan club card and wack the cash in the machine .... done job!

Personally, I quite like it!!

Tiggerbabe
3rd-March-2006, 12:48 AM
Somehow I'm getting the impression that you didn't have a trolley-full of shopping.

For 4 or 5 items, I agree, it's fun (when it works, of course!) but if there's no option of an ordinary check out and you're on your own with a week's shopping then it's PANTS - plain and simple :na:

Like Babycass I have a Tesco in the village where I live, but the choice of items is poor and so usually I go into town to do my shopping and until now it's often been done after dancing :(
I'm toying with the internet shopping thing but I like to have a wander around and decide if I want my "usual" list or try something different.