am i behind the times

[littlerayray]

i went to home depot the other day and was ready to purchase about 1000$ worth of stuff
i wanted to go to a cashier but all they had open were the self check outs.
so i asked the attendant to open a cash for me she refused, and told me i had to use the self check outs.
i told her no that i am spending enough money you can open a cash.
she refused so i left my cart with all my goodies in it, in the middle of the ails.
as i was making my way to my truck the manager runs up to me and apologizes profusely so i told him if he were that sorry then he would give me a 15% discount on my total purchase as well as ensure that at least one cashier was working the cash register at all times.
he said i was being a little outrageouse so i got in my truck and left.
went to lowes bought what i needed at lowes and returned to see the manager with the receipt to rub it in his face

 

[rivermouse]

Re: am i behind the times

I believe that all home depots are going to self serve check outs..Some genius has figured out it must save them money to do it. Problem is the self check out machines often mess up.How can a self serve machine check your id? My debit card has my picture on it for a reason you know..Guess that doesnt matter to home depot.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: am i behind the times

Heck Home depot don't even have you sign your charge for anything less than $50 now a days, I know I could spend a couple of hours with someone else's card and only spending $50 at a time and rack up a whole bunch of stuff.

 

[roscoe]

Re: am i behind the times

There is a large, very large grocery store I stop at, maybe twice a year, since it is 160 miles away.
They also are pushing the self checkout lanes.

Filled a cart with wonderful spices and specialty items I cannot find locally, and ended up leaving most of it sit there.
Ring it all up, $220 worth, to find out they only accept debit cards, no credit cards. Really? So I gave them the $47 cash I had, and left the rest.

Anyway, the self checkout is a pain in the butt.
Every place I see them, there is someone calling for assistance.

 

[DirtyOldBoat]

Re: am i behind the times

That's kind of funny, I got into a fight with an employee at Lowes a while ago for the same reason. I told them if they want my money they're going to have to ask for it. In person. The truth is if you're doing it yourself then you should get a discount because the store is not spending money on overhead, more like an online store that would probably be cheaper. If there's a "problem" with something at a self checkout I just throw it in the bag and move on, I am neither paid nor trained in retail checkout. I will attempt to flag down the person that should be there watching and helping, but I will not wait for them...

 

[matt167]

Re: am i behind the times

I don't mind the self checkout if I'm getting a couple small things, but also the cashiers at the self checkouts pretty much everywhere except Walmart have a cash drawer/ checkout at the attendant podium, so the attendant was just being lazy cause he/she coulda done it right there.. Also, ANY Home Depot employee is allowed to spend $50 to solve a conflict without issue, you condured up $1,000 of stuff probably spending more than an hr in the place, and being right on track to their $80k customer ( in a lifetime, it's HD's theory everybody's worth at least $80k in home repairs ), to then find out you couldn't check out. You asked the manager for 15% off $1,000 so a small $150 discount, certainly not unreasonable.

Home Depot pulls that a lot, but the pro desk is usually always open when I'm ready to check out. I actually no longer go to a certin HD because the store manager is very unethical. For the most part my local ACE and GLH/ Agway hardwares sell me most of what little hardware items I need.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: am i behind the times

You know, with all the employees that HD and Lowes have walking around asking customers if the need any help, you would think they could spare 1 or 2 of them to keep the "revenue generating stations" (another word for checkout counters) staffed with a real person.

Sometimes it seems that these businesses are so focused on 'saving' money, they forget about the process of 'making' money.

 

[smclear]

Re: am i behind the times

I do not frequent Home Depot. I am there maybe twice a month. But, every time I do go, there is always a cashier to take my money. The only time I've ever used the self check out has been when there is a small line and I am in a big hurry. Wonder if this a "regional" thing.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: am i behind the times

.... returned to see the manager with the receipt to rub it in his face

That sums it up I think.

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: am i behind the times

Every place I see them, there is someone calling for assistance.

Exactly! When are these stores going to realize that at that point how efficient are they really?

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: am i behind the times

Sometimes it seems that these businesses are so focused on 'saving' money, they forget about the process of 'making' money.

Great point! I hate these damn things!!!

 

[britisher]

Re: am i behind the times

Self check outs do accept cash and there is usually a person on hand to help with self check out purchases (usually these people monitor 2 or 3 self check outs. I can understand and appreciate your frustration at not being able to use a regular check out desk, but you can usually find a cash desk open in those places at the construction or garden center sections. In my local Walmart, they have 32 checkouts with usually no more than 6 open. It's a cattle market. When it's like that I nip down to the Garden Center check out and I always get through and out real quick. The real problem with the big box stores over the old style hardware stores is that at the latter, the owner dealt with you and understood the value of keeping your business. At the big box stores, it's the hired help who couldn't really give a monkeys, so long as their pay check and health benefits are there. I find customer service generally in the US sucks. It's about people caring about people...and many don't!

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: am i behind the times

Welcome to the future and it will become even more convoluted for us old-timers. In the future you will pull something off the shelf, scan it while standing there and place into your cart. As you leave, a computer will scan your entire cart full of items to ensure you have not inadvertently added something. There will be no cash transactions of anything and your account will auto deduct. Further into the future, you won't go to a store but simply choose what you want online and it will be delivered either immediately or the next morning. Heck...I shop on my phone or tablet and have most stuff delivered to my house--and I live in a large city. Associated story-I bought over $1000 in merchandise from Home Depot last week and left empty handed. They delivered everything the following morning. It's all in what you are accustomed to. Personally, I will look for a self checkout before ever going to a cashier.

 

[avenger79]

Re: am i behind the times

I agree with you about the self check outs, I don't like them.

That said however, I totally agree with the mgr that asking for 15% off because you don't like the way the world is going seems extreme. asking him to open a register I could understand.

I've used one once, (self check out), it worked but I don't do it by choice.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: am i behind the times

If presented with the ability to use the self check out, I normally take it. That said, if I have a lot of stuff, I will always go to a manned check out, that way if there is any problems, it can be taken care of. Our home depot never has just the self check open, normally they have at least two regular check outs and two in the lumber area manned. I do live in a smaller community, and if I can, I go to one of the local hardware stores over HD or Lowes if I can.

 

[jkust]

Re: am i behind the times

Go to a Target store...at least around here they don't use self check outs. Walmart has several under the supervision of one person. Walmart would be challenging since they have groceries and produce that is charged by weight. Homedepot has them but usually a cashier will flag me over so they can check me out. I don't recall Lowes off the top of my head. Sometimes I'm annoyed by them when they don't work and other times I'm happy they are there when I can avoid the cattle heard at Walmart. Once the guy in front of me paid in all coins and the self check out kept spitting them back out...that was annoying.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: am i behind the times

I refuse to use self checkouts. It's not enough that I'm spending some bucks on your products, now I have to checkout myself too? Kinda like you go to a parts store and they ask if I have a part number. What are those computers and manuals for in front of you? Do you want me to go behind the counter and get the part too???:facepalm:

 

[tpenfield]

Re: am i behind the times

I don't mind the automated check-outs and use them quite often. However, depending on what you are buying, sometimes it is not practical to use the automated stations.

So, in the case of the OP buying $1000 worth of stuff, it would seem to be more suited to a staffed checkout versus automated. It is funny that the store personnel did not seem to grasp that . . .

 

[avenger79]

Re: am i behind the times

I refuse to use self checkouts. It's not enough that I'm spending some bucks on your products, now I have to checkout myself too? Kinda like you go to a parts store and they ask if I have a part number. What are those computers and manuals for in front of you? Do you want me to go behind the counter and get the part too???:facepalm:

the one that gets me more than that is when I go to the HD shop WITH a part number. They tell me I have the wrong number and give me what they say it should be. Than I have to return the next day to get the part I originally asked for.

I have found a great parts counter guy at one of the local shops now days and I stick with him as much as possible.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: am i behind the times

Go to a Target store...at least around here they don't use self check outs. Walmart has several under the supervision of one person. Walmart would be challenging since they have groceries and produce that is charged by weight. Homedepot has them but usually a cashier will flag me over so they can check me out. I don't recall Lowes off the top of my head. Sometimes I'm annoyed by them when they don't work and other times I'm happy they are there when I can avoid the cattle heard at Walmart. Once the guy in front of me paid in all coins and the self check out kept spitting them back out...that was annoying.

No Walmart self check outs here, they took them out.