Do you like self-checkouts? It’s a polarising topic. Some people love the lack of human interaction, others fume at the loss of service and jobs and no corresponding drop in prices.
Speak with any supermarket worker and it’s a rare employee who enjoys working on the checkout. People are often rude, the work is monotonous and for some reason in Australia – apart from at Aldi – sitting is discouraged.
Try being on your feet all day in the same position and you’ll see their point.
Read: Questions you must ask to save money
Also, theft is rife from self-checkouts and those mostly minimum wage supermarket employees are left to police the section with little support from management.
If I have one or two items, I pop through them, but anything more than that and I want my groceries checked out for me.
The problem is these days there is never more than one or two checkouts open, even in a busy metropolitan location. And forget about it if you want to do a decent shop after 7pm.
All praise to people who prefer to put a full trolley through the self-checkout but I’ve found it physically uncomfortable wedging the trolley in so it doesn’t take up anyone else’s space.
One supermarket group is bucking the trend and has ditched self-service checkouts in a trial at a concept store.
The store is part of the Mint Fresh group – part of the IGA group – and is in Epping, in Sydney’s rapidly growing north-west.
Owners Antoine and Richard Rizk told Yahoo News they surveyed residents through an app that connects local people with business owners, and conducted weekly focus groups ahead of the store opening in October.
The brothers decided to offer only staffed registers so they can “truly get to know their customers”.
Antoine said it was “how we like to operate as a business” with a focus on “actual conversations with customers and old-fashioned customer service”.
Whatever you think about self-checkouts, love them or hate them, I’m afraid they are here to stay.
Read: Apps to help navigate your supermarket shop
This week’s deals
IGA
Sensible: Sunbeam 375g mixed fruit, raisins or currants, $4, save $1. Vital for any Christmas cooking, especially puddings, fruit cake and mince pies. Expect the packet to sit forlornly in the back of your pantry for the rest of the year.
Indulgence: Peters Drumstick 24-pack, $20, save $12.30. Does anyone really need 24 Drumstick ice creams? Of course not. Will they all be eaten, probably in less than two weeks? Of course.
See the catalogue here.
Coles
Sensible: Schmackos Dog Treat, BBQ Lamb Kebab, half price $3. Our pets always get a Christmas treat, and this might be it for the year.
Indulgence: I&J Raw Prawns, tail on or off, half price, $12. Frozen shellfish is never the best ever option, but fine to toss through pasta or in a salad and that’s a pretty good price.
See the catalogue here.
Read: Concessions tool reveals hidden discounts for older Aussies
Woolworths
Sensible: Aerogard Tropical Strength, half price, $6. I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but I have never seen the mosquitoes as bad as this year. Tropical strength sounds like a good start, but do they make it in industrial strength? We might need it.
Indulgence: Australian Tomato Mix-a-Mato, $3.90 a pack. These are great for summer salads. Surround a large serving of burrata with these babies, drizzle some balsamic vinegar and olive oil and bam, you’ve got yourself a delish salad with near zero effort. Win, win.
See the catalogue here.
Aldi
Sensible: Ready, Steady … Cook! Boneless butterflied lamb leg, $18.99/kg. I love butterflied lamb, quick, easy to marinate and the different thickness ensures every taste is catered for from raw and bleedy to well done for the heathens.
Indulgence: Luv a Duck, whole duck, $16.99. I think we as a nation should embrace duck for Christmas instead of turkey. For a start, it’s much easier to cook and there aren’t so many tiresome leftovers. My one tip, whole duck produces a lot of fat so elevate it from the bottom of the roasting dish on a rack and make sure you pierce the fatty bits with a skewer. Collect the drippings for your next best roast potatoes
See the catalogue here.
Are you a fan of self-checkouts? Would it make a difference to where you shop if a store did not offer the option? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
IGA is hardly a big supermarket chain, it might work for them but not for the big ones. I go to a small Coles, they hav also closed self service but , usualy no hold up with 2 checkouts. I love SS, allows me
to pack how I like
Try and get the half price prawns inn Coles if you can. I can’t.
I am semi-country and shop at Coles. They have about 7 self check-out counters, a 12 items or less check-out and quite a few staffed check-outs. I only shop once a week on a usually busy Thursday, around $300, and no way would I ever consider using a self check-out. Except at Christmas and Easter there are usually enough staffed check-outs to cope with the customers.
I detest Self Serve checkouts. I would rather wait in a line to have my shopping items scanned by an employee. Apart from the better pricing, that is also why I like Aldi. Shopping for groceries these days is depressing. Being a pensioner I have to add up as I’m shopping to make sure I’m not embarrassed at the checkout, but it’s so nice to get to the checkout and they greet you with a cheery “How’s your day”…. it’s the personal touch we are missing these days… everything is done by machines. Sad.