https://au.yahoo.com/news/message-at-woolworths-self-serve-checkouts-turning-frustrated-customers-away-030527018.html

This article made my day!

Hopefully these billion dollar profit making multinational corporations get the hint!

From the above link ....

Message at Woolworths self-serve checkouts turning frustrated customers away.

AI technology used in Aussie supermarkets continues to divide shoppers.

Mon, 21 August 2023

Self-serve technology at supermarkets is a contentious topic. The modern tech is designed to save customers' time with a promise to simplify the checkout process, however for many people self-serve checkouts are hell.

For many shoppers, the checkout process has now become long and sometimes complicated with seemingly endless prompts and error messages. But a single feature in Woolworths' checkout system is turning some people away for good.

After a recent shopping trip to an unnamed Woolworths store, a customer expressed their frustration over the supermarket's AI tech which requires their trolley or basket to be empty before being able to pay.

Have you left items in your trolley or basket? Please wait for assistance" reads the message on the self-checkout screen in a photo shared online this week. But there's a tiny problem.

"I had an empty Coles bag in the trolley," the shopper wrote on Reddit alongside a photo of their screen, suggesting there were no more items left to scan. Instead, the post suggests the tech had wrongly identified a non-saleable item, unnecessarily calling over a staff member to assist.

Feature turns customers off Woolworths

"Not loving this feature. Bloke next to me had the same thing," the poster added. But he wasn't the only one who'd become frustrated during their Woolworths shop.

And the complaints continue here....


“Yeah, there’s a camera scanning your trolley. I once had a small bag from the pharmacy sitting in my trolley and got the same message when checking out. I’ve stopped using the self-serve checkout," one other shared.

"I've stopped using Woolworths over this very issue. The shopping centre [I go to] has a Coles and an Aldi and I just shop there instead," another admitted.

Customers express 'privacy' concerns over checkout tech

But it was an issue of privacy for some who said the feature sometimes meant Woolworths staff would need to remove personal items from the trolley to bypass the on-screen prompt.

"The 'self-checkout supervisor' just leant over and picked up MY (empty) bag and opened it, no asking permission, just a grab of my personal bag!" one shared. They said they were "bloody horrified" and vowed "I won't be going back".

On the topic of privacy, another said, "their camera's can scan and store images of the contents of our personal bags' and asked, "Where is our privacy in all of this?"

"I definitely prefer the simplicity of the regular checkouts," concluded another shopper. "Throw your stuff on the conveyor, put stuff in the trolley, tap card, and you're done".


πππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππ

I agree! It’s faster and easier too! So of course I chose the NO option in the live poll which was attached to the article

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I think those things are ripe for a hidden camera comedy sketch. "Please scan your next item" just before the person scans each item. Then getting more and more urgent and snarky, before telling the customer 'now f off' just as they are leaving.

I use self serve because I don't want to wait ages in a long line for the cashier.
Most of the time it's OK.

However -
some machines are faulty as they stop and ask for operator assistance
when there is nothing wrong.
Then the operator swipes their card and the machine works again.
They don't even know what's going on or why it failed.

Bobby. wrote on Aug 21^st, 2023 at 2:04pm:

I use self serve because I don't want to wait ages in a long line for the cashier. Most of the time it's OK. However - some machines are faulty as they stop and ask for operator assistance when there is nothing wrong. Then the operator swipes their card and the machine works again. They don't even know what's going on or why it failed.

Bobby how about you click on the linked article and vote NO (in that live poll) as a gesture of your support for SANITY to prevail.

On the other hand..
bloke walks out of self-serve with full trolley without paying, W girl calling out to him. She can't do anything now, not even get in his way.

I don't think AI can ever fully replace humans. AI "learns" off humans. A different message "learnt" by its self, is prone to error.

"Finally, these programs are not sentient, they simply use massive amounts of text to predict one word after another, and their outputs may mix truth with patently false statements called
hallucinations."

https://escholarship.org/content/qt3x02r32b/qt3x02r32b.pdf

Lisa Jones wrote on Aug 21^st, 2023 at 2:10pm:

Bobby. wrote on Aug 21st, 2023 at 2:04pm: I use self serve because I don't want to wait ages in a long line for the cashier. Most of the time it's OK. However - some machines are faulty as they stop and ask for operator assistance when there is nothing wrong. Then the operator swipes their card and the machine works again. They don't even know what's going on or why it failed. Bobby how about you click on the linked article and vote NO (in that live poll) as a gesture of your support for SANITY to prevail.

No cause most of the time it's OK.

freediver wrote on Aug 21^st, 2023 at 2:02pm:

I think those things are ripe for a hidden camera comedy sketch. "Please scan your next item" just before the person scans each item. Then getting more and more urgent and snarky, before telling the customer 'now f off' just as they are leaving.

"Please place your bag in the collection area!"

"I don't have a bag!"

"Please scan your first item and place it in your bag..."

**scan** put down....

"Please remove your extra item from the collection area!"

"I haven't got an extra item - I just started!"

"Do you need more time?  Good-by and thank you for shopping with SkankStore... security will be here soon....."

I prefer to stand and wait rather than use those stupid things... they never shut up.... "Please remove your offending item from the bagging area!"... "But you just told me to put my bag there - I got it from the car just for you!!" "Please wait for a staff member....."

I said loudly one time - "If I want to hear this kind of repetitive gratuitous advice and instruction, all I have to do is go home, same woman's voice!!!!"

People laughed....

https://au.news.yahoo.com/woolworths-self-serve-checkout-issue-turning-frustrated-customers-away-030527139.html

"Self-serve technology at supermarkets is a contentious topic. The modern tech is designed to save customers' time with a promise to simplify the checkout process, however for many people self-serve checkouts are hell.

The checkout process has now become long and sometimes complicated with seemingly endless prompts and error messages. But a single feature in Woolworths' checkout system is turning some people away for good.

After a recent shopping trip to an unnamed Woolworths store, a customer expressed their frustration over the supermarket's AI tech which requires their trolley or basket to be empty before being able to pay.

"Have you left items in your trolley or basket? Please wait for assistance" reads the message on the self-checkout screen in a photo shared online this week. But there's a tiny problem.

"I had an empty Coles bag in the trolley," the shopper wrote on Reddit alongside a photo of their screen, suggesting there were no more items left to scan. Instead, the post suggests the tech had wrongly identified a non-saleable item, unnecessarily calling over a staff member to assist."