supermarket giant Aldi has announced is to increase the number of self-service checkouts in its stores.
While not everyone is happy with the ever-increasing advancement of this technology, two KentOnline reporters formerly employed in retail explain why they don’t miss out on the unwanted wrath of customers as they go about their business.
I worked in retail for over four years and it definitely had its ups and downs, type charlotte phillips.
One particularly memorable low point was when someone called the store and asked if we sold tutus (we didn’t, it was New Look) and was told I was a “useless bitch” before hanging up.
I started working there when I had just turned 17 and was based in the Bromley Y canterbury shops, transfers to and from the university, which was very helpful.
Although in each one I received verbal abuse from customers, almost daily.
I worked the checkout all shifts, which ranged from four to nine hours, and with that came a number of different kinds of interactions.
Sometimes I dealt with regular customers who knew me by name and who made the monotony of working in a store a little more rewarding.
Returns, however, were the main time verbal abuse occurred: someone would come with a huge bag from their delivery, totaling between £20 and £200.
The clothes would be out of their shipping bags, they would really smell and would have been worn very clearly.
But when I brought any of these factors to the client’s attention, all hell broke loose and I was the one in the wrong (apparently).
Having to smile and apologize for something you have no control over is not something you will miss.
Not only that, but asking to see the last four digits on a customer’s card would turn into a huge argument and often end with some sort of name.
When you pay for things on your phone, it has a strange habit of changing the last four digits of your card to a ‘device number’ instead of your card number.
Because of this, we would have to ask customers to log into their wallet app where the device number will appear, a very simple process, or so it should be.
I ended up losing count of the number of times someone made a fuss when I asked them to do this, like it was my fault they decided to pay on their phone.
During my time at work, I saw a customer verbally abuse a 16-year-old girl to the point that she ran off the store floor in tears, all because she didn’t ask if she wanted her receipt emailed ( I was sick that day and couldn’t speak).
Another thing that I noticed a lot was that customers changed the prices of things.
But the truth is, if you rip a promo tag off a sale item and put it on something at full price, we’ll find out. You will not get a discount.
To be fair, I would say that the redeeming quality of working in retail for me was the people I worked with, who made all of the above bearable.
But working the checkouts all day and having to put up with constant abuse and insults was certainly a challenge.
Isabel Tree writes: I started working at Iceland Food Warehouse in maiden stone when I was 16, in the midst of the pandemic.
I spent many of my weekends working behind the register, serving customers.
While working at the checkout, I was frequently subjected to verbal abuse by customers.
They were quick to notice when something had happened at a different price than the original tag.
While most buyers were polite and calm about the situation, there were always a few who liked to make a fuss.
To maintain a high level of customer service, staff remain level-headed and speak to the customer in a courteous manner.
Buyers frequently demanded to see a manager complaining about employee performance, even though we followed our training to the highest level.
Many would take their anger and frustration out on cashiers, although we did not control the price at which items would be scanned.
While I can understand why customers might be frustrated by this situation, cashiers are generally unaware of the problem, which means we have to get guidance from other staff members.
There were also clients who made the work environment uncomfortable.
I remember once having a regular client in her 30s come in and ask me what days I work and if she can get a job so she can spend more time with me.
There were many times when I was told that I had a “beautiful smile” or that “I’m too pretty to sit behind a checkout all day.”
Many of my colleagues were young and women, and I know that they too had been made to feel uncomfortable several times.
Customers frequently leaned over protective screens set up for Covid safety regulations, and it often felt quite intimidating, being trapped behind the checkout.
On one occasion, a customer managed to steal cash from my till by leaning over.
They noticed that I was busy and tried to confuse me by asking me to change some notes for her.
In all the confusion, he managed to swindle me out of over £100 worth of bills before he left.
The Maidstone store only has four boxes, which is a small number for such a large store.
Many shoppers were frustrated with long wait times, seeing as we were understaffed and running as many checkouts as possible.
This often led to arguments between customers as to who was queuing first.
Being trapped behind the register, the cashiers did not have much authority as we were not allowed to leave them unattended.
However, working behind the registers had benefits.
It was nice to be able to see the regulars come in and talk to them.
It’s also comforting to know that older customers have someone to talk to, even if it’s just for five minutes a day.
Most of the clients were friendly and nice and respected us for the work we were doing, especially during the pandemic.
It was nice to be able to talk to customers throughout the shift, although bad experiences are more memorable than good ones.
Will the machines take over?
Leigh Sparks is Professor of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
Although the number of self-service checkouts is growing (Tesco is also a big supporter of the technology), he doubts that in the long term they will completely replace traditional checkouts.
He said: “I’m not sure many companies will fully convert. the [automated checkouts] they are most likely as part of a store offer.
“Those that potentially go ‘all the way’ would be those where customer volume is very high at set times and/or where staffing is an issue.
“So maybe downtown convenience/grocery stores and very isolated places.”
