I went to the fruit and nut section at Woolies looking for salted peanuts, which I thought were the world’s most popular nut. All they had were 750g bags. That’s too much. You can scoop any amount of loose cashews, almonds and walnuts, but there are no loose peanuts. My guess is that since peanuts are a severe, even life-threatening, allergen for some people they don’t want a customer to accidentally, or on purpose, drop a peanut into the cashews. But if they aren’t going to offer loose peanuts they need to provide smaller bags than 750g. I left without any peanuts.
you and I must be about the same level of grumpy. I did a similar thing not that long ago. I went to Coles (foolishly, but it was the closest to me). I had to buy literally 1 item. The self-service section had a queue. There was only one staffed checkout so it had a queue of shopping trolleys. They also have a so-called “assisted checkout” which is essentially a cross between self-service and staffed (apparently) although to me it just appears to be a self-service with a conveyor belt to put your items on. I’m not sure what part of it is “assisted”. Anyway. That part was closed for some reason.
Frustrated at waiting at the staffed checkout which was barely moving (and for some reason nobody thought to open a second checkout?) I reluctantly went to the self-service which I hate but still found myself waiting. I thought why am I waiting in a queue just so that I can do their job for them. If it’s meant to be quicker then it was failing in that regard. I returned the item I wished to purchase, said nothing and left. I ended up going to IGA which I should have done in the first place. IGA can cost a little bit more and isn’t as close to home but am happy to support it.
2 Likes
Fair enough if you return the items to the shelf but very rude if you leave a basket full of goods at the checkout. You might be angry at the supermarket management but it’s the poor lowly staff member who cops it. They are the ones that have to spend ages trying to work out where everything came from to return them to the right aisle and shelf.
2 Likes
I see people leave stuff around supermarkets all the time and even as a customer it grates on me.
2 Likes
There is usually two checkouts open or sometimes three, but Aldi always seems to get through the queue in a reasonable time.
It’s one of my pet hates too. People are becoming more and more inconsiderate these days. They often find something better as they move through and just leave whatever they had picked up earlier, anywhere they feel like.
I partciularly noticed that the other day when Arnotts Chockie biscuits were an extraordinarily low $1.82 and everyone had dumped their Coles brand biscuits (picked up earlier in the bakery) all around the Arnotts shelves.
That’s because they don’t do any packing for you, and having the tiniest of spaces after they have scanned the items so it forces people to restack their groceries back into the trolley quick smart.
Also, I’ve never understood why people that shop at Aldi put everything back into their trolley loose, then wheel it out to the car, then stack it all into the boot of their car loose! Effectively they are handling all their groceries 6 times from shelf to pantry.
I put my groceries straight into the bags in the trolley at Aldi, I don’t need to repack.
There isn’t necessarily time as items are being checked through at a rapid rate and there’s only that poky shelf at the end of the checkout. But there is usually the proper shelf away from the checkout to allow bagging up loose items.
What they should do is have more space at the end of the checkout. So you can bag things up properly in one go. They have this overseas I’m not sure why they don’t it here.
I totally understand that, but instead of packing on the packing bench as one normally would, some folk just trot straight out to the car and load it all in bit by bit. I’d be scared I would find a packet of frozen peas under my seat after a week.
Crackdown of self serve checkouts by Coles and police to reduce shoplifting over summer
COLES supermarkets has called on police to help them crack down on theft at self-serve checkouts through NSW.
Standing outside Coles in Zetland, in inner city Sydney, Superintendent Murray Chapman said police would be getting serious over summer in arresting thieves.
Rude would be taking my anger and frustration out on a staff member. Abandoning a few groceries in a basket is a silent protest against having my time wasted.
I don’t go into a store with the intention of re-arranging the joint. When I try clothes on in a store I always re-fold them and return them to the rack in the condition I found them. I know the frustration of having to tidy the same display umpteen times a day. I’m happy to pay or wait a reasonable amount of time for assistance but nobody likes to feel their presence is a nuisance to staff. It’s the reason I no longer shop at Myer or Harvey Norman. Even on a quiet day in those stores the customer has to practically beg someone to take their money.
Too many businesses in this country seem to take the attitude that the customer is dependant on them when really they don’t have a business without the customer.
2 Likes
Definitely must be new policy,went into Coles tonight at 8pm and all self serves were closed off, and an enormous line greeted me as only 2 checkouts were open for all transactions. Not happy… but the losses through self serve must be massive if they’re going to these lengths.
My local Coles does that after 9pm.
at my local coles the self serve don’t even open until around 10am.
we used to pop up after dropping the kids at school to pick up bits and bobs when we needed them but have stopped. we would have 4 or so items and coles wold have 1 register open and we would be stuck behind someone doing a weekly shop.
[quote=“sammy123, post:497, topic:167, full:true”]
There is always a queue in my local Coles in Glen Waverley for the self-serve!
[/quote]Not the case for my local Woolies or Coles.
[quote=“TV.Cynic, post:517, topic:167, full:true”]
Crackdown of self serve checkouts by Coles and police to reduce shoplifting over summer[/quote]Who didn’t see this occurring at some stage? 
[quote=“Troiboi, post:496, topic:167, full:true”]
Really? Self service alllllllllll the way. If I have to go through a ‘real’ checkout - I tend to avoid the store. [/quote]Really? I’m the complete opposite to this. I’d rather keep people employed. So whenever I see the self-service I’ll tend to ignore it and go for the one manned. And I’ll continue to do so until inevitably I have no other option. I know heaps of people who feel exactly the same way as this.
1 Like
If I’m only buying a few items I much prefer self serve to the checkout. However if its my big weekly grocery shop I’ll always go through the checkout.
My local Coles however is opposite to some of the ones above. If you come really early or late it’s usually only the self serve checkouts that are open!
I’m starting to come around to self service, but would rather a human interaction at the checkout and will always take that option if it’s time permitting and available.
The first few years of self service with the “Unexpected item in the bagging area” followed by the machine shitting itself and having to be attended to by an assistant was a nightmare, especially if you had a lot of fresh produce in bags.
Luckily, my nearest IGA is both 24/7 and a 2 minute walk from me, which doesn’t have those checkouts (thank god).
I’ve been to a Ritchies IGA with self serve - it was running that first gen self serve software, so panicked on light items and did the unexpected item stuff, and had no way of telling it I was using my own bags.
Still needed to go through a register anyway, as I had an item that didn’t scan and they couldn’t just put it through on the machine.
Obviously IGAs aren’t something you can generalise - but apart from some newish freezers, the whole place felt really run down. I’ll go back there again as they stock some items I can’t get elsewhere, but I wouldn’t do my weekly shop there, even if it was price competitive.
1 Like
IGA is really only good for the weird imports you can’t find elsewhere, or if it’s your (within walking distance) local when you need some milk or whatever.
5 Likes