🌎 "My big issue with self checkouts and ordering kiosks is that the goods didn’t get cheaper when replacing a wage employee with a robot."

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I love self checkouts. Never a line and much quicker, for me anyway. Noticed this am at the local Walmart Market, they updated them to now recognize fruits and vegetables... so when I put 2 bell peppers on the weight plate, I didn't have to type it in on the screen anymore, the bell pepper options just popped up to select. Only thing I hate about them is when something goes wrong... like wrong price, or you need an override for a gift card... and you can't find help.

 

[TerryP]

I love self checkouts. Never a line and much quicker, for me anyway. Noticed this am at the local Walmart Market, they updated them to now recognize fruits and vegetables... so when I put 2 bell peppers on the weight plate, I didn't have to type it in on the screen anymore, the bell pepper options just popped up to select. Only thing I hate about them is when something goes wrong... like wrong price, or you need an override for a gift card... and you can't find help.

Aight. I'm going to be a Walmart spokesperson again.

W+ - $99 a year; free shipping and delivery.
Walmart app.
(Walmart spend, I'll get to that in a minute.)

In the app you can click on scan and go. So, let's say you have five items. Scan them, in the grocery cart (the real one) and the cart in the app. When your done, both loaded.
Click checkout. You scan a QR code on the screen, click pay, and your done. It'll ask you how many bags, etc.

(Walmart Spend. It's a credit card. I have one where all my Walmart purchases go. Walmart doesn't take Apple or Google pay, if you use them, so it's a bypass with the app and the card.)

So, as an example. I stopped by one the other day to get four items for the mower and some wood chips for the smoker. I scanned them all when I put them in the basket. A few clicks on my phone and I was out the door: all it took was a shot of the QR code. I could have all that shipped free; didn't need it that day. But I wanted to look at their spring plants ...

E.Z.

 

[TerryP]

Not only that, but most humans are pretty terrible at using them. Very, very slow.

This is somewhat true. A LOT of it has to do with eye/hand coordination.

is that the goods didn’t get cheaper when replacing a wage employee with a robot.

Blatantly ignoring the constant raises in minimum wage. IF they were humans ... those prices wouldn't be the same.

 

[Krimson]

I love self checkouts. Never a line and much quicker, for me anyway. Noticed this am at the local Walmart Market, they updated them to now recognize fruits and vegetables... so when I put 2 bell peppers on the weight plate, I didn't have to type it in on the screen anymore, the bell pepper options just popped up to select. Only thing I hate about them is when something goes wrong... like wrong price, or you need an override for a gift card... and you can't find help.

My biggest issue are the plastic bags, I hate trying to open those things

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Aight. I'm going to be a Walmart spokesperson again.

W+ - $99 a year; free shipping and delivery.
Walmart app.
(Walmart spend, I'll get to that in a minute.)

We have it. Used it to fill up this am and save the 5 cents or whatever it is per gallon. I use the scan and go at Sams and bypass the lines, but I don't at WM. Seems faster to just use the checkout, plus sometimes, for some reason the cell service inside the WM's here is shitty and the app won't even respond.

Side note, one reason I had to stop by this am was to pick up a half ham. The ones at Publix were too small. Gonna do a pulled ham this weekend. Been wanting to try one for a while now but haven't taken the time to do it before... will be super easy, just time consuming... but I'll let it go overnight like a pork butt and then finish it in the morning before lunch.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

My biggest issue are the plastic bags, I hate trying to open those things

A trick I learned recently, take your hands and stretch them at the open end (like 4 inches apart), it distorts the plastic and makes it easy to then pull apart.

 

[TerryP]

Side note, one reason I had to stop by this am was to pick up a half ham. The ones at Publix were too small. Gonna do a pulled ham this weekend. Been wanting to try one for a while now but haven't taken the time to do it before... will be super easy, just time consuming... but I'll let it go overnight like a pork butt and then finish it in the morning before lunch.

Oh. Man. (What kind of wood?)

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Oh. Man. (What kind of wood?)

I'm gonna do it on the Traeger so pellets in this case, but I have a maple/cherry mix that I'll more than likely use.

 

[OldPlayer]

The person taking the order isn't the one who screws up the order. It's the person in the back who fills the bag.

 

[alabama mike]

If I have a few items I will go through the self checkout but otherwise they are going to bag my stuff. LOL

 

[footballer]

I have heard that Walmart is losing big money through self checkout stations to thieves and considering taking the stations out. Anyone else heard this?

I have also heard and read that many retail stores across the country, mostly blue states, are either just closing up shop or putting a lot of merchandise behind lock and key due to shoplifting. I also heard this morning from a reliable source, living in a blue state, that a number of people will go into a store and take what they want. Too many to catch. They also block roads and stop delivery vehicles and take their stuff. I have a nephew who delivers for Amazon. He and his fellow delivery drivers are very concerned.

 

[TerryP]

I have heard that Walmart is losing big money through self checkout stations to thieves and considering taking the stations out. Anyone else heard this?

Two years ago, almost to the date, is when that news story broke. There were a few that had already eliminated them; others were switching to self-checkouts ONLY available to Walmart+ members (and the SPARKS drivers.)

I have also heard and read that many retail stores across the country, mostly blue states,

The 'biggest' story I've heard lately came from NY state. Yesterday, maybe Wednesday, I read a report covering 150 Macy's closing around NYC. THAT caught my attention. It wasn't so much "another leaving/closing" as much as it was who and where. Macy's and NYC...damn, that's a long standing tradition and partnership.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

I have heard that Walmart is losing big money through self checkout stations to thieves and considering taking the stations out. Anyone else heard this?

I have also heard and read that many retail stores across the country, mostly blue states, are either just closing up shop or putting a lot of merchandise behind lock and key due to shoplifting. I also heard this morning from a reliable source, living in a blue state, that a number of people will go into a store and take what they want. Too many to catch. They also block roads and stop delivery vehicles and take their stuff. I have a nephew who delivers for Amazon. He and his fellow delivery drivers are very concerned.

On the first part, it makes sense. And I know when self checkouts were first introduced it happened a lot... either not scanning items or tag/upc swapping on items to get it for a much lower price. But they do have technology that that will stop the transaction in some cases if the system detects that something wasn't scanned. Then a manager has to come over and override the system for it to continue.

On the shoplifting... there's basically no incentive for people not to do it. Hardly any national chain type stores allow their employees to pout hands on people these days thanks to attorneys. Many years back when I worked in loss prevention at a department store, many thieves were shocked when we'd chase them, fight them, basically do whatever necessary to get them caught and the merchandise back. Since other stores like Walmart wouldn't do it, they assumed nobody would. These days, I don't know of anyone who still does it other than in rare cases or locally owned/privately owned places.

But back to the incentives for not doing it... most people don't care if it goes on their record. They aren't losing nice jobs over it or anything. And very, very few do any significant jail time, even for felony thefts (at least in AL). There are also the "professional" shoplifters who literally do it for a living, usually roaming from city to city in groups. They are more difficult to catch, but even when you do get them, they don't stop. It's not like the FBI steps in and has time to investigate and charge them with federal crimes. So it's all just an endless cycle... people of all types... doing it over and over again. And stores doing less and less about it because of limp wristed corporate policies and fear of being sued.

 

[TerryP]

Many years back when I worked in loss prevention at a department store, many thieves were shocked when we'd chase them, fight them, basically do whatever necessary to get them caught and the merchandise back. Since other stores like Walmart wouldn't do it, they assumed nobody would. These days, I don't know of anyone who still does it other than in rare cases or locally owned/privately owned places.

Fall of 1985, Memphis TN.

I met a guy named Bobby who worked at Sears, of all places, in loss prevention. Dude. The location was a little smaller than the Dillards in the Mall on McFarland. And by a little...10K+ SQ ft smaller. They had a dual-operated camera / monitor / video bank that looked like a TV production studio...and hand controlled joysticks following and recording people around the store. In the mid-80's that was "high tech."

As soon as a shoplifter left the store, crossed the threshold, it was on.

 

[PurlJam]

I have heard that Walmart is losing big money through self checkout stations to thieves and considering taking the stations out. Anyone else heard this?

I have also heard and read that many retail stores across the country, mostly blue states, are either just closing up shop or putting a lot of merchandise behind lock and key due to shoplifting. I also heard this morning from a reliable source, living in a blue state, that a number of people will go into a store and take what they want. Too many to catch. They also block roads and stop delivery vehicles and take their stuff. I have a nephew who delivers for Amazon. He and his fellow delivery drivers are very concerned.

They also steal your taillights in the hotel parking lots. All of our fleet vehicles are GMC AT4s. Apparently, the taillights are a hot commodity. 2 of our guys had theirs stolen in Dallas last month.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Two years ago, almost to the date, is when that news story broke. There were a few that had already eliminated them; others were switching to self-checkouts ONLY available to Walmart+ members (and the SPARKS drivers.)


The 'biggest' story I've heard lately came from NY state. Yesterday, maybe Wednesday, I read a report covering 150 Macy's closing around NYC. THAT caught my attention. It wasn't so much "another leaving/closing" as much as it was who and where. Macy's and NYC...damn, that's a long standing tradition and partnership.

They are about halfway through a four year plan to close 150 stores, 65 or so last year, 16 this year, including one at Northlake Mall on Briarcliff in Atlanta, a distressed mall that's already transitioned a good bit of its space to healthcare and childcare. According to the company, the first round of closings really helped their operations, so they may be slower in closing the remaining targeted stores.

 

[TerryP]

They are about halfway through a four year plan to close 150 stores, 65 or so last year, 16 this year, including one at Northlake Mall on Briarcliff in Atlanta, a distressed mall that's already transitioned a good bit of its space to healthcare and childcare. According to the company, the first round of closings really helped their operations, so they may be slower in closing the remaining targeted stores.

This report specifically said "150" in the greater NYC area. When I heard it I stopped just to look and make sure I was hearing what I thought I heard.

Perhaps the news reporter had his information wrong. I know I heard what he said. I know is was a business channel though I can't remember which.

The gist of what I took from the report is they were trying to go back a quarter of a century where the Macy's box stores were ONLY luxury; not priced-down satellite outcroppings, for lack of a better expression. They mentioned two stores that would "take" that share of their business: I assumed under the same umbrella.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

This report specifically said "150" in the greater NYC area. When I heard it I stopped just to look and make sure I was hearing what I thought I heard.

Perhaps the news reporter had his information wrong. I know I heard what he said. I know is was a business channel though I can't remember which.

The gist of what I took from the report is they were trying to go back a quarter of a century where the Macy's box stores were ONLY luxury; not priced-down satellite outcroppings, for lack of a better expression. They mentioned two stores that would "take" that share of their business: I assumed under the same umbrella.

The number is way off. In total, there are thirty stores in the State of NY. Twenty-six in New Jersey. They plan to close fourteen stores in 2026, including one in New York and two in New Jersey. Those closings are component of the 150 they announced in either late 2024 or in 2025.