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1247 points mangoman | 1 comments | 05 Dec 16 14:57 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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Someone1234 ◴[05 Dec 16 15:26 UTC] No.13105907[source]▶
Companies have been discussing "checkout-less" stores since forever, but nobody has been brave enough to do it due to the perceived threat of shoplifting.

And while shoplifting is a legitimate threat, are non-shoplifters going to be turned into shoplifters without a checkout? Are normal shoplifters stopped by checkouts? These are the core questions, and until it is tested nobody will know for sure.

Target is getting awfully close to this. With their Cartwheel app you're meant to scan all your items as you shop (so it auto-applies coupons and discounts); but they haven't taken it to the next logical step and allowed you to provide your Cartwheel output at the checkout for checking out.

I will say that the way Target has implemented smartphone barcode scanning makes me think that there might be a future in all this. It is extremely painless, they just need to stop kicking you out of the scan screen when it finds a discount (i.e. it doesn't kick you out if no discount is found, but does when a discount IS found, that's problematic for efficiency reasons).

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bbrks ◴[05 Dec 16 15:30 UTC] No.13105954[source]▶
In the UK, Tesco have been running a 'Scan as you Shop'[0] thing for a couple of years now. Customers pick up a scanner as they enter, scan their items as they go into their cart, and they have special checkouts which read your scanner.

There's a random chance that your scanner will be audited by a human against the contents of your shopping cart. Usually the first time you use it, then it backs off.

[0] http://www.tesco.com/scan-as-you-shop/

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draw_down ◴[05 Dec 16 15:33 UTC] No.13105999[source]▶
Sounds great if it's not as unbelievably user-hostile as the self checkout machines. Those things are just total crap, every one I've ever tried.
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nmeofthestate ◴[05 Dec 16 16:39 UTC] No.13106647[source]▶
I found it depends on the 'class' of the supermarket. The higher class the supermarket, the less calibrated they are to treat you like a shoplifter.
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mcintyre1994 ◴[05 Dec 16 17:18 UTC] No.13107057[source]▶
In Waitrose you can use your own rucksack without getting flagged!
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TillE ◴[05 Dec 16 17:55 UTC] No.13107499[source]▶
At M&S, you must wait to get approval after indicating that you're using your own bags. Awful system.

I've had nothing but trouble with the self-checkouts I've used in the UK. I'm quite slow and methodical about it, but the machines always manage to inexplicably fuck up halfway through.

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1. mcintyre1994 ◴[05 Dec 16 18:11 UTC] No.13107678[source]▶
I find in Tesco and the Coop (don't think I've used M&S) they let you say you're using your own bags, but they assume that's a carrier bag and complain at my rucksack. I always leave packing until the end if I can now, although they'll still complain about unexpected items even after paying..