re: #320 lawhawk

Indeed. A cashier is trained to scan and process sales transactions and what to do with poor scanning items. Using the self-checkout lines assume the same or similar level of understanding as the cashier.

My biggest beef is that the self-checkouts stop working if you don’t place items directly in the bagging area (checking weight) - which in a home improvement store can get nuts when you’ve got oddly shaped items, oversized items, etc.

And that doesn’t include technical glitches with the self-checkout lines.

You’re correct. In a supermarket, every packaged item has a corresponding weight in the database. You scan an item, put it in the bagging area, and if the actual weight doesn’t match the weight in the database… it’s locks up. And of course, that can easily happen. The bagging area scales are actually more accurate than you imagine, and manufacturers weights can be off by a bit.

ANd if you toss an item into the bag, instead of placing it, that extra momentary “force” can upset the weighing.