Comment by ethagnawl
3 days ago
I have no doubt that you've experienced all of the above but I'd hazard that it's the exception and not the rule.
Personally, I'm faster at scanning items than most cashiers are. I used to work in retail, though, so maybe that's just me.
I haven't ever experienced a receipt check while using self-checkout. If I did, I'd stop visiting that store. That's a bright red line for me. To my partner's chagrin, it's one of the reasons I won't go into Costco.
While self-checkout is less private in a lot of ways (see article) I value it because I have social anxiety and would prefer to avoid too much (or too little!) smalltalk with cashiers -- especially about the items I'm buying.
> I haven't ever experienced a receipt check while using self-checkout. If I did, I'd stop visiting that store. That's a bright red line for me.
Not self checkout related, but the Kroger stores by me have all started having security guards check receipts before you can leave the store. They do this whether or not you do self checkout. Accordingly, I have stopped patronizing those stores because I refuse to spend my money at a business that treats me like a criminal. I sympathize in that they are trying to stop theft, but I'm not going to put up with that particular method of deterrence.
I was boycotting Kroger for a long time over a different thing they were doing. The self-checkouts (and a lot of the time there isn't another option) had a camera that watched what you put in your bag. If you didn't move what you scanned very slowly (the camera seemed to be running at <10 FPS) over the exact trajectory it expects it would demand an employee make sure you weren't stealing the thing you scanned. So every few items you would need to wait 5-10 minutes for an employee to notice you, be free to come over, decide they can be bothered, and go through everything.
They got rid of it eventually and I started shopping there again, but if they start doing receipt checks they're back on the shit list.
Not sure what state you're in, but in most places you can just walk by then with zero legal issues (excluding contractual obligations like costco)
I was going to say, at the point they aren't letting you out the door, aren't they committing false imprisonment?
Besides, most places nowadays you have to explicitly ask for a receipt or press extra buttons within a 5-second time window to get one.
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