547
Some Walmart employees say customers are getting hostile at self-checkout — and they blame anti-theft tech
(www.businessinsider.com)
this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2023
547 points (97.7% liked)
Technology
59593 readers
3043 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related content.
- Be excellent to each another!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
Approved Bots
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
The 'robot' isn't the problem. This design is intentional and human made. Here in the Netherlands self checkout is the norm, even in very small grocery stores. However, it's super easy and not frustrating at all, because the stores TRUST their customers. The self checkout is super simple, you scan a product and put it on your bag, or backpack or whatever you have. No need to weigh the scanned products or anything. Nothing overcomplicated.
Now there are some control measures, but they are designed in a way to not be too intrusive or create unnecessary frustration: First, most places have a gate at the exit that only lets you leave by scamming your receipt (or if you go paperless, you scan your membership card on your phone). Also, some places do random inspection. But that's frustration free too - a worker comes up to you with a hand scanner, scans like four or five random items of yours and leaves. Boom, done.
Yeah, you can’t trust Americans. They’ll steal your own land out from under you and Rob your grandma and call it good business sense. Saying this as an American.
Don’t drink the water. There’s blood in the water.
And probably some forever chemicals, but we've made that everyone's problem
Don’t forget microplastics.
Comes with the blood.
Where isn't there, the Antarctic?
No, that's all oil
DID SOMEONE SAY THEY NEED SOME FREEDOM?!? F16s fly overhead, teens getting tossed ARs
WE WILL SAVE YOU ~~and your resources~~
And penguins
The penguins are coated in the oil.
lol, I've been at the Albert Heijn near my hotel 3 times and 3 times I had to have my items rescanned. Maybe it's because I'm not blond and tall?
One week in NL and I'm wondering what we're even doing over here.
We're accepting white the Nordic countries are fiercely xenophobic. It changes the game quite a bit.
NL is neither a Nordic country nor ethnically homogeneous. Just like all countries with a history of colonizing other people, many of those people are now in NL. Stop blaming everything on diversity
Nice try, but no.
Walmart customers
A third of these are people who are either disabled or in medical crisis. They're marked "funny". And this is where you go for entertainment? Well, when people tell you who they are, believe them.
Yeah, I'm gonna disagree with that. They've recently ramped up those checks because of increased theft due to inflation. They also scan more items now. After having been checked 4 times in a row and them completely emptying my bag each time, I no longer use the self checkout.
Jeez where do you live?
NL as well. Maybe it's because it's a big city, poor neighbourhood, more theft, I don't know, but I'm done with it.
Sounds frustrating, sorry to hear that
Thanks, it really was. I had happily used the self-checkouts for years before that, so it's a real shame.
That would be unlawful detention here. Also, what about people that go in and decide they don't actually want to buy anything after all?
Fun fact: You can ignore the receipt checkers at wal-mart in the states. They have no legal authority to require you to stop. Costco, on the other hand, since it's a membership club, can.
Costco can stop you from leaving either. They can however revoke your membership for breaking the terms. But if you not longer care about you membership you ignore them like the Walmart checkers
I did that last time I went to Walmart for something. Long line of people waiting to show their receipts and I just walked out.
It's not like you're trapped... you can just walk out if you want, but doing so without paying and carrying full bags may raise an eyebrow with employees. Although I think I could easily get away with that in my small village supermarket during quiet hours when nobody is paying attention.