Walmart removes self-checkouts and swaps back to 'traditional' lanes
...
...
In reality, many stores are ditching self-checkout kiosks because they
are especially vulnerable to theft, an issue which retailers claim in
recent years have been plaguing their businesses and forcing them to
shut locations altogether.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13341161/walmart-self-checkout-removal.html

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On Wed, 24 Apr 2024, JAB wrote:

Walmart removes self-checkouts and swaps back to 'traditional' lanes
...
...
In reality, many stores are ditching self-checkout kiosks because they
are especially vulnerable to theft, an issue which retailers claim in
recent years have been plaguing their businesses and forcing them to
shut locations altogether.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13341161/walmart-self-checkout-removal.html

Yes, please! I hate the self checkout systems. They are so bad and it
takes me longer than using regular checkout. Happy to see them go!

As a technologist, I do have the suspicion though that it should be
possible to make them into a nice experience.

The japanese clothing store Uniqlo base their self checkout on some kind
of low cost chip or printed tag, and apparently it has received quite high grades from their customers. Maybe that could be a good starting point for
food store checkouts?

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On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:41:09 +0200, D <nospam@example.net> wrote:

The japanese clothing store Uniqlo base their self checkout on some kind
of low cost chip or printed tag, and apparently it has received quite high >grades from their customers. Maybe that could be a good starting point for >food store checkouts?

Using barcodes is practicable and cost efficient for most grocery
items. AI scanner might be the only solution, but if some people are
stealing, then an AI theft 'observer' is needed.

For years, clerks and customers have been caught stealing products.
Walmart has cameras over each checkout lane, and they do catch their
clerks not scanning all of the products.

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On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:17:12 +0200, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

At least that's what I came up

Unknown what percent of "stolen" goods were unintentional acts.

In US, a person could monitor the screen to see if an item was
scanned, but they would have to be trained to follow this method.

I'm not aware of a store training customers on the fine points.

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On Thu, 25 Apr 2024, JAB wrote:

On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:17:12 +0200, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

At least that's what I came up

Unknown what percent of "stolen" goods were unintentional acts.

In US, a person could monitor the screen to see if an item was
scanned, but they would have to be trained to follow this method.

I'm not aware of a store training customers on the fine points.

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to
find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in the
end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that I, by mistake some times pay too much or too little, but fortunately no one has
cared so far. ;)

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D <nospam@example.net> writes:

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to
find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in
the end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that

Here in Finland, we just look at the number printed on the box or shelf
and select that number on the scale.

--
Jukka Lahtinen

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On Fri, 26 Apr 2024, Kyonshi wrote:

On 4/25/2024 11:46 PM, D wrote:

On Thu, 25 Apr 2024, JAB wrote:

On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:17:12 +0200, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:

At least that's what I came up

Unknown what percent of "stolen" goods were unintentional acts.

In US, a person could monitor the screen to see if an item was
scanned, but they would have to be trained to follow this method.

I'm not aware of a store training customers on the fine points.

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to find >> the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in the end I
just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that I, by mistake >> some times pay too much or too little, but fortunately no one has cared so >> far. ;)

well, I think I most likely did choose some wrong, in one way or another. Sometimes the pictures on the screen just don't look anything like what I have in my cart. How would anyone, even someone trained on that stuff, know that I am choosing the wrong kind of produce if I am myself unsure if that was the right thing to choose?

Oh that sounds like a great starting point for a legal process, don't you think? ;)

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On Fri, 26 Apr 2024, Jukka Lahtinen wrote:

D <nospam@example.net> writes:

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to
find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in
the end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that

Here in Finland, we just look at the number printed on the box or shelf
and select that number on the scale.

Sadly not in this system. Here you weigh the items at checkout, so I would
have to walk all the way back, take a photo, walk to the check out compare
with bad photo and so on.

The finnish system sounds way more rock star than the systems I have used
in various countries. I _think_ when I used to live in switzerland, ages
ago, they had the weigh by the fruit with nr setup and you printed a bar
code, they then scanned at check out.

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D <nospam@example.net> writes:

On Fri, 26 Apr 2024, Jukka Lahtinen wrote:

D <nospam@example.net> writes:

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to
find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in
the end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that

Here in Finland, we just look at the number printed on the box or shelf
and select that number on the scale.

Sadly not in this system. Here you weigh the items at checkout, so I
would have to walk all the way back, take a photo, walk to the check
out compare with bad photo and so on.

Well, here we have the scales near the stuff to be weighed. Usually the
nearest one is just a few steps from where you pick the goods. The
bigger the store, the more scales they have.
Just put the bag on the scale and select the number, you'll get the
price sticker.

--
Jukka Lahtinen

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Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> writes:

On 4/26/2024 10:47 PM, Jukka Lahtinen wrote:

D <nospam@example.net> writes:

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to
find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in
the end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that

Here in Finland, we just look at the number printed on the box or
shelf
and select that number on the scale.

Yeah, but sometimes that's not easy to read either. There's three
kinds of apple, all various kinds of red. Which one belongs to which
price tag?

The one with the NUMBER shown where you picked the apples, as I wrote.

--
Jukka Lahtinen

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In misc.news.internet.discuss,
Jukka Lahtinen <jtfjdehf@hotmail.com.invalid> wrote:

The one with the NUMBER shown where you picked the apples, as I wrote.

Are you paying for the apple where the number is shown, or do you need
some way to transfer that number from the shelf to the cash register?

I buy a lot of things that are "bulk" and you need to write a number
down to transfer it from the bulk bin to the cash register, but the
stores with that system have tags and pens in the bulk section but
don't over in the produce section.

Usually some percentage of larger fruit, like apples, will have stickers
with the number, but if you only pick up one, you might get unlucky. And smaller fruit, like kumquats or strawberries (to pick things I ate
today) will never have those stickers. Nor will lettuce or spinach.
Onions probably will be stickered but not garlic or shallots.

Elijah
------
generally copies the number for mushrooms since he is paper bagging those

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JAB wrote:
Walmart removes self-checkouts and swaps back to 'traditional'

lanes

....
....
In reality, many stores are ditching self-checkout kiosks because

they

are especially vulnerable to theft, an issue which retailers claim

in

recent years have been plaguing their businesses and forcing them

to

shut locations altogether.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/consumer/article-13341161/walmart-self-checkout-removal.html

Honestly
these things are actually good where I am. I really do not see a
problem with them at all.
I enjoy just being able to swipe, and deposit my money.

I honestly feel that an unpaid item might set off an alarm, as I am
aware of that from the past. Nowadays some places have hidden alarm
stickers on them. So it might set off ( even silent ) in another
location. However I would feel guilty. Since the whole immigration
thing happen, many store literally have many things on lock-down (
like Q-tips, shaving creams, and most female items ). I guess the
ladies are doing most of the theft.

Walmart in the past already promoted the idea of "stealing from
them". They literally push the idea of people openly taking
things from the store instead of paying for them. Why? Because you
could easily identify a particular person committing theft in other
areas, or even match their pattern. So obviously people will steal
things if you are promoting the idea itself.

These checkout lanes usually should have a security guard ( even an
under-cover one ) with glasses on ( on the chain gang ) just looking
at specific customers. But again that bag-lady from 1974 might be up
to something.


This is a response to the post seen at: http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=664206554#664206554

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On Sun, 28 Apr 2024, Eli the Bearded wrote:

In misc.news.internet.discuss,
Jukka Lahtinen <jtfjdehf@hotmail.com.invalid> wrote:

The one with the NUMBER shown where you picked the apples, as I wrote.

Are you paying for the apple where the number is shown, or do you need
some way to transfer that number from the shelf to the cash register?

I buy a lot of things that are "bulk" and you need to write a number
down to transfer it from the bulk bin to the cash register, but the
stores with that system have tags and pens in the bulk section but
don't over in the produce section.

Usually some percentage of larger fruit, like apples, will have stickers
with the number, but if you only pick up one, you might get unlucky. And smaller fruit, like kumquats or strawberries (to pick things I ate
today) will never have those stickers. Nor will lettuce or spinach.
Onions probably will be stickered but not garlic or shallots.

Elijah
------
generally copies the number for mushrooms since he is paper bagging those

I'm not Jukka, but in a similar system I experienced in switzerland you
would print out a bar code sticker which you would attache on the platic
bag that contains the apples you wanted to buy. So the scenario would go
like this. 1. Select N apples from the section marked with "4". Put apples
in plastic bag. Weigh plastic bag on scale and press "4". Bar code sticker
will be printed, and this sticker is attached to the plastic bag.

Upon checkout, the cashier would scan the bar code and the correct price
would be shown.

I imagine the finnish system works kind of similar.

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On Sun, 28 Apr 2024, Kyonshi wrote:

On 4/27/2024 9:31 PM, D wrote:

On Fri, 26 Apr 2024, Kyonshi wrote:

On 4/25/2024 11:46 PM, D wrote:

On Thu, 25 Apr 2024, JAB wrote:

On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:17:12 +0200, Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>

At least that's what I came up

Unknown what percent of "stolen" goods were unintentional acts.

In US, a person could monitor the screen to see if an item was
scanned, but they would have to be trained to follow this method.

I'm not aware of a store training customers on the fine points.

That's actually a good point. From time to time I despair of trying to >>>> find the exact sort of apple I took (or rather the wife took) and in the >>>> end I just select the apple that looks closest. I'm convinced that I, by >>>> mistake some times pay too much or too little, but fortunately no one has >>>> cared so far. ;)

well, I think I most likely did choose some wrong, in one way or another. >>> Sometimes the pictures on the screen just don't look anything like what I >>> have in my cart. How would anyone, even someone trained on that stuff,
know that I am choosing the wrong kind of produce if I am myself unsure if >>> that was the right thing to choose?

Oh that sounds like a great starting point for a legal process, don't you
think? ;)

you mean as a defense? yeah. if there's no reasonable way even a trained person would be able to make that distinction, how is a customer supposed to know how it works?

Exactly!

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D <nospam@example.net> writes:

I imagine the finnish system works kind of similar.

Yes, at least it used to. These days we're moving towards scanning the
barcodes ourselves and self service checkouts. Finland is really in with
self service for most things so this setup will likely spread.

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On Mon, 29 Apr 2024 04:10:26 +0000,
danmin@danminart-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (Danart) wrote:

These checkout lanes

Training...today, an older female was learning how to be a checkout
clerk. Well, for years, she has seen bagging done, but she had to be
told to keep the cold items separated out, and sacked together.

For self-checkout lanes, some of this "stealing" may be nothing more
than an ignorant shopper.

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