Self-checkout stations have always been polarizing. Shoppers either love them, or hate them. They’re considered either a convenience, or an excuse to offer customer “no service”. Various stores either seem to be installing them, or tearing them out. Now you can count Hy-Vee among those that are coming down on the side of doing away with them. The Iowa-based grocery[Read More…]
You can’t beat this deal – in exchange for scanning and bagging all of your own groceries, you get to take everything home for free! Pity the poor person in line behind you who gets stuck with your bill, though. That’s what was apparently happening to many shoppers, before a southern California grocery chain and a local TV news investigation[Read More…]
Whatever happened to customer service? It seems more retailers are asking you to serve yourself – and claiming it’s a convenience. The customer is always right, it’s said, but exactly how many customers are clamoring to scan, bag, price match and otherwise do all the work themselves? While supermarkets and other retailers are eager to show how hip and high-tech[Read More…]
Most of us have grown accustomed to needing a store loyalty card to take advantage of sale prices and perks like doubled and digital coupons. Those who refuse loyalty cards quite literally have to pay the price: no card, no savings. Many privacy enthusiasts are okay with that. But some are not okay with one store’s latest move – requiring[Read More…]
Did you know your kids are buying beer at the local grocery store, using the self-checkout lanes? Really! They’re putting both beer and soda in their shopping cart, scanning the soda twice, and leaving with the beer. Why, there oughta be a law! Actually, there already are laws meant to prevent this. It’s against the law for kids to buy[Read More…]
Back in the Dark Ages of self-scanning at the supermarket – way back in 2011 – customers thought it was cool if they could use a store-provided “wand” to scan their items as they shopped. Yawn, that’s so last year. Now, at least one major supermarket chain is letting customers scan items with their own phone – and soon, you[Read More…]
