On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:36:13 +0000, MM wrote:
>On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:27:17 +0000, Cynic
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:21:52 GMT, "zaax"
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Safeways (and morrisons still might) used to have a scanner you picked
>>>up on the way in, and scanned as you shopped and paid on the way out -
>>>no check out :)
>>
>>IIUC they are beginning to lose favour with the supermarkets, and the
>>"self scan" checkout used instead, where the activities of several
>>customers are overseen by a staff member as they scan their items, and
>>checking is also done by having the till ensure that the weight of the
>>bagged items equals the weight of the scanned items..
>>
>>The problem has been that customers tend to start off scanning their
>>items as they shop with complete honesty, but after a while quite a
>>high percentage of customers decide to skip scanning the odd item,
>>thinking that if they are chosen for a random check, they can get away
>>with claiming it was a mistake. Then if not challenged, the number of
>>"oversights" becomes greater, until the supermarket is losing quite a
>>bit to the "soft" shoplifting activities.
>>
>>So whilst initially heralded as a success, supermarkets have since
>>discovered that customers have been getting progressively more and
>>more dishonest.
>
>The first time I saw this scheme, in a Waitrose, I thought what a
>darned stupid idea. It's an invitation to turn otherwise honest people
>into crooks through inertia. And this is what has happened. People
>today have a record who would not otherwise have had one. And anyway,
>what problem was Waitrose trying to solve? I hated Waitrose then for
>the extortionate pricing, and now, thank God, I don't have any near me
>to be seduced into by the very attractive, polite and well-spoken
>young ladies they put on the tills during the public school holidays.
Personally, I'm looking forward to having a decent Waitrose nearby
when we move house (while I don't know exactly when or where yet, the
nearest town will probably be Monmouth).
I don't find their prices extortionate, because I have found their
quality to be higher than the cheaper supermarkets.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
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