Frazzled checkers at Wall Mart

[Lakewood90712]

Frazzled checkers at Wal Mart

I rarely shop there , but the bigger stores are 24 hr locally. 2 items 5-$6 each , checker puts both in the bag , only rung up the $5 food item (the other was spray paint) . Total way too low ??

I insisted on paying or leave the item.

( turns out , the register " kicked the paint off , requires age verification, over 18" as she said) The checker, an older worker, was so frazzled, and looked like she was about to drop dead from overwork, she was just going to give it to me and not charge .

I wonder how much loss is due to low paid , overworked employees, rather than presumed shoplifting. WM makes plenty of money, so I guess this kind of loss is not even a speck of dust on the mountain. Unless a lot of " Dust" leaves the place free

 

[utrecht]

Walmart has a lot of self check registers in my area. Ive wondered how much theft there is in this area. There is one worker overseeing 8 self check registers. Someone with 20 items could easily ring up 12 and only "pretend" to ring up the other 8 and I doubt anyone would notice. Especially when you sometimes have to scan an item several times for it to register. Unless someone is specifically watching a person scan each item and verifying whether or not the register recognized every item, I bet someone could pay for half their items and never get caught. Even if someone notices, the customer just has to say "oh sorry, I scanned it. I didn't know it didn't register". Good luck prosecuting them.

 

[braumeister]

Someone with 20 items could easily ring up 12 and only "pretend" to ring up the other 8 and I doubt anyone would notice

I don't know about Walmart, but at my local Kroger where I always use the self-checkout the machine will complain loudly and stop dead if it doesn't get the correct weight added to the bagging area after you scan an item. Takes an employee to cajole it into accepting the weight as is, and the employee always does a quick visual verification of items against the register screen.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Walmart has a lot of self check registers in my area. Ive wondered how much theft there is in this area. There is one worker overseeing 8 self check registers. Someone with 20 items could easily ring up 12 and only "pretend" to ring up the other 8 and I doubt anyone would notice. Especially when you sometimes have to scan an item several times for it to register. Unless someone is specifically watching a person scan each item and verifying whether or not the register recognized every item, I bet someone could pay for half their items and never get caught. Even if someone notices, the customer just has to say "oh sorry, I scanned it. I didn't know it didn't register". Good luck prosecuting them.

As long as the item not scanned is also not bagged at the bagging carousel , as it detects weight. Ya, the stuff can go out without paying. No " Greeters" at the local stores anymore checking receipts either.

 

[Walt34]

More worrisome than WalMart is the same thing at the local CVS pharmacy. Lots of turnover with the regular counter staff, pharmacists always hectically busy and they usually only last about a year. I check my prescriptions carefully.

 

[Midpack]

You were never frazzled on the job? Unfortunately we all see frazzled people/workers everywhere from time to time. It's not about [-]Wall Mart[/-] WalMart or "checkers." One data point...

 

[Texas Proud]

I do not know if the local stores have it.... but I did see on some TV show where they have a camera pointed down to checkers that can alert someone if they fake scan an item...

It is looking at the movement of the checker... and if something is passed over the scanner but nothing is registered... it 'knows'... the show was showing that even the checkout people are in on some of the theft... IOW, if a friend or family member gets in line they cover the bar code and pass it over the scanner making it look like it was scanned...


I will admit that I have taken an item or two that have not scanned and the person is too busy talking to help me out... I will give them a shot to get it done, but do not plan on waiting for them to do their job since I am saving the store money by not paying a checker...

 

[Chuckanut]

They have plenty of camera power watching the self check area. I would not worry to much about it

 

[harley]

Also, even if the amount of shoplifting is increased due to the self check areas, and I don't think it's really that significant, it's far less than the cost of having employees. I have a couple of friends, big time union guys, who won't use the self check lanes because they want to make sure people are hired instead of being replaced by machines.

 

[Lakewood90712]

They have plenty of camera power watching the self check area. I would not worry to much about it

Big box retailers have video surveillance all over the place, not just a point of sale , IMO for defending against questionable customer and employee "accidents" .

Just look up. Those little video half spheres are everywhere , in the store , that is . ( The NSA cameras follow me on the street and are invisible ).

I just kind of expect the world's largest retailer to have better control of the front end of the store.

 

[omni550]

A few months ago, I was at the checkout at a Walmart behind a young family with a baby (in its carrier) in the shopping cart. I noticed that there were about a half-dozen varied items of store merchandise tucked-in alongside the carrier (beneath a baby blanket that was hanging out of the carrier). These were not put on the belt to be scanned by the cashier.

Before the cashier began to ring up my items, I quickly mentioned these unchecked items to the cashier hoping that she might alert security or something. She merely said "Oh, someone near the door will probably catch them."

As I was only buying a couple of items, I was checked out in no time at all. I easily caught up with the family as they were in the parking lot, and I could see the merchandise was still tucked in alongside the baby carrier and obviously no one had stopped them.

It irked me, as ultimately, paying customers are the ones eventually charged higher prices to cover the costs of a store's "shrinkage".

omnihttp://www.early-retirement.org//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[Texas Proud]

A few months ago, I was at the checkout at a Walmart behind a young family with a baby (in its carrier) in the shopping cart. I noticed that there were about a half-dozen varied items of store merchandise tucked-in alongside the carrier (beneath a baby blanket that was hanging out of the carrier). These were not put on the belt to be scanned by the cashier.

Before the cashier began to ring up my items, I quickly mentioned these unchecked items to the cashier hoping that she might alert security or something. She merely said "Oh, someone near the door will probably catch them."

As I was only buying a couple of items, I was checked out in no time at all. I easily caught up with the family as they were in the parking lot, and I could see the merchandise was still tucked in alongside the baby carrier and obviously no one had stopped them.

It irked me, as ultimately, paying customers are the ones eventually charged higher prices to cover the costs of a store's "shrinkage".

omni

Heck, there are pics of people with a full shopping cart that has not even gone through a check out line walking out the front door... nobody seems to catch anything...

When I bring things in, I make sure that the greeter puts whatever sticky thing they need to show which direction I am bring the item...

 

[ERTX]

Saturday morning I went to Walmart and got the dirtest look at the cash register. The lady in front of me had a giant bag of dog food under her cart. I asked her if her dog gets excited when he sees the bag? She turned around and lasered me. Now I realize she was planning on not paying for it and just rolling it out the door. She was pulling away when I was going out and gave me another dirty look. Of course, I waved and smiled.

 

[audreyh1]

I confess that I avoid Walmarts. If I need to go to one for something in particular, I'll try go to a new one that is not located in a busy shopping area.

 

[Gumby]

I have a couple of friends, big time union guys, who won't use the self check lanes because they want to make sure people are hired instead of being replaced by machines.

I've never been in a union at all, but I also don't use the self check for this very reason.

 

[samclem]

When I go to the grocery store, I usually bring in a cart from the parking lot--a loose one if I see it, from someone unloading one if I can save them a trip to the cart corral, or from the cart rack itself if nothing else. Saves the store money and it's no trouble for me.
I guess maybe there are other people bringing two or three extra carts out with them to make sure a lot of cart fetchers get hired. Oh, well.

 

[MichaelB]

I've never been in a union at all, but I also don't use the self check for this very reason.

Same here.

 

[ERD50]

I've never been in a union at all, but I also don't use the self check for this very reason.

And we should attack them infernal steam engines with pitchforks - they'll put a whole lot of people out of work!

And this modern agriculture stuff, what's wrong with a mule and plowing a few acres a day? Used to be ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_the_United_States#Employment

In 1870, 70-80 percent of the US population was employed in agriculture.[15] As of 2008, less than 2 percent of the population is directly employed in agriculture.

but we don't have 70% unemployment.


And this crazy internet thing - we should be forced to hitch up the team, go to the library, and look it up in a ten year old book. Keep the librarians and bookbinders employed!

What's the old story about the economist who observed workers on a major project in China with shovels, and he asked why they didn't bring in bulldozers to get the job done faster - he was told "this is to create jobs". The economist responded, "Why don't you give them spoons instead of shovels?".

I think removing humans from repetitive, mindless tasks that can be done better, faster, and more accurately by machine is a good thing. I prefer just about any on-line shopping, banking, etc to having to deal with a person, who just is a middleman to doing what I know I want to do anyway. Let me push the button, I already know which button to push! I can't really understand thinking the world would be better with more clerks.

-ERD50

 

[mickj]

Saturday morning I went to Walmart and got the dirtest look at the cash register. The lady in front of me had a giant bag of dog food under her cart. I asked her if her dog gets excited when he sees the bag? She turned around and lasered me. Now I realize she was planning on not paying for it and just rolling it out the door. She was pulling away when I was going out and gave me another dirty look. Of course, I waved and smiled.

Our new Krogers grocery store has a camera at the bottom of the aisle between check out aisles just for this purpose.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm a die-hard self-checker-outer, even at Walmart.

 

[Gumby]

I can't really understand thinking the world would be better with more clerks.

So use the self-check.

 

[aja8888]

I use the self check out if the store has one. I like to pack my own bags since the baggers or cashiers usually do a lousy job of it.

We have 7 Super Walmarts, three Sam's Clubs and a Costco within a 15 mile radius of our location so they are heavily used stores. Always hiring clerks, etc.

Generally, the isles with cashiers are so long at WM it takes quite a while to get through the process. I can't understand why a store would have 40 check out positions and only staff a handful of them during the busiest times, like Saturday mid-day.

A Whole Foods store is opening in our neighborhood soon. I will shop there for some items. I've only been in one of their stores and liked it.

 

[photoguy]

Walmart has a lot of self check registers in my area. Ive wondered how much theft there is in this area. There is one worker overseeing 8 self check registers.

I have no idea what are typical retail fraud rates but it seems like they would save a huge amount in wages with seven less cashiers.



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[audreyh1]

Even when we occasionally go through a checkout line, because we have too many items, or there is no self checkout, or we need some special price assistance, my husband usually packs the bags and the checker doesn't have to slow down. We started this because over 20 years ago when we started bringing our own bags and the packers would have no idea what to do, so DH would show them. It's not unusual to bring your own bags now, but it took a long time before the non-Whole Foods chains got up to speed.

 

[audreyh1]

I have no idea what are typical retail fraud rates but it seems like they would save a huge amount in wages with seven less cashiers.



Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Maybe, but I notice that in most of the Walmarts I've been in, the self checkout aisles are usually quite empty.