Self Service Checkouts

Tony Bev · Guru

Self Service Checkouts

Cuppa · Guru

I would do the same if I could Tony Bev, but I cannot recall the last time I saw a non self serve fuel station.

Yesterday we queued for quite a while at one of only two supermarket checkouts. The second one was unmanned. On two occasions a member of staff invited folk from the queue to come to the self checkout & pack section & not one took up her offer. After a while another member of staff was allocated the the second checkout.

Tony Bev · Guru

Cuppa wrote:
I would do the same if I could Tony Bev, but I cannot recall the last time I saw a non self serve fuel station.

Yesterday we queued for quite a while at one of only two supermarket checkouts. The second one was unmanned. On two occasions a member of staff invited folk from the queue to come to the self checkout & pack section & not one took up her offer. After a while another member of staff was allocated the the second checkout.

Hi Cuppa

What I meant by a non self serve fuel station, is the fuel outlet with just a large bulk fuel tank, where you have to put your card in the slot, compared to a manned fuel service station, where they have a person inside the shop, where you walk in to pay them

It has been many years, since I saw a proper service station, where a person came out to serve you, and put the fuel into your vehicle.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was at Eden NSW, around 2012

Cuppa · Guru

Tony Bev wrote:
Cuppa wrote:
I would do the same if I could Tony Bev, but I cannot recall the last time I saw a non self serve fuel station.

Yesterday we queued for quite a while at one of only two supermarket checkouts. The second one was unmanned. On two occasions a member of staff invited folk from the queue to come to the self checkout & pack section & not one took up her offer. After a while another member of staff was allocated the the second checkout.
Hi Cuppa
What I meant by a non self serve fuel station, is the fuel outlet with just a large bulk fuel tank, where you have to put your card in the slot, compared to a manned fuel service station, where they have a person inside the shop, where you walk in to pay them
It has been many years, since I saw a proper service station, where a person came out to serve you, and put the fuel into your vehicle.
If my memory serves me correctly, it was at Eden NSW, around 2012

Ah.... my mistake.

My first experience of the self serve, card machines was in Alice Springs about 5 years ago. I was not impressed. You had to key in a maximum amount, & take fuel. The company held on to the maximum amount for over two weeks before refunding the difference to our account. More recently we regularly used the card machine at Lockhart River.The machine warned it may hold money as the Alice one had, but it never did. We still had to key in a max amount, but the paper receipt always corresponded to the actual fuel taken & no extra was ever taken. Never anyone 'holding' our funds. That's how the card machines should should be.

peter67 · Guru

Tony next time you go through Denmark (coming from Walpole) as you go down the hill into town there's a fuel station on the left that has driveway service.

-- Edited by peter67 on Friday 18th of August 2023 06:05:21 PM

Izabarack · Guru

Cuppa wrote:
Yesterday we queued for quite a while at one of only two supermarket checkouts. The second one was unmanned. On two occasions a member of staff invited folk from the queue to come to the self checkout & pack section & not one took up her offer.

One of the larger Supermarket chains has a deliberate policy of having only a couple of manned checkouts open, no matter the volume of shoppers. It's about the management of cash held in the store. Lots of open manned checkouts is a managment of cash-on-hand volume problem. If only a couple of checkouts are open, only a couple of checkouts have to be equiped with a cash float. The main aim is to minimise the cost of money delivery and transport services. Armaguard, for example, costs a lot.

EFTPOS facilities at manned checkouts are an example of the encroachment of selfserve practice that serves the company, rather than helping the customer. The manpower overhead in reconciling cash sales is quite large so customers paying with as card is preferred. Electronic transactions are all overseen by Bots and humans are not involved. If you deliberately choose manned checkouts thinking you save jobs, then also pay cash if you want to keep someone in a job.

A small aside - in the USA state of New Jersy, no self serve is allowed. Petrol pump attendants get $15 an hour to pump your fuel. One other state allows stations with less than 5 pumps to allow self serve, but, most motorists in that state do not know how to pump their own so actively seek out stations with attendants.

deverall11 · Guru

Also based on the number of people employed by which ever supermarket, do you want to have
a manned check out in order to fulfill your fantasy or same member of staff (team member in today's speak)
to top up the shelves and fill online orders. Seems that night fillers are a thing of the past.
As mentioned previously, it's all about making a profit to satisfy the share holder.

Aussie1 · Guru

deverall11 wrote:
as mentioned previously, it's all about making a profit to satisfy the share holder.

And as a share holder, I am in total agreement with that biggrin

Whenarewethere · Guru

I do try to use the checkout with an actual person depending how much time I have (I know that's not an excuse).

Next best option is the invariable queue for the cash self checkouts.

The supermarkets only have 2 to 3 cash self checkouts, the out 17 are card only, always a queue for the cash machines.

They are trying to get people to pay by card. Except Aldi.

Cupie · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
I do try to use the checkout with an actual person depending how much time I have (I know that's not an excuse).

Next best option is the invariable queue for the cash self checkouts.

The supermarkets only have 2 to 3 cash self checkouts, the out 17 are card only, always a queue for the cash machines.

They are trying to get people to pay by card. Except Aldi.

I use Aldi only occasionally & then just for a couple of items. (3L AU Olive oil tins & Cleaning products)

It always annoyed me that I'd have to wait for ages in a long queue at the check out.

Recently the shop that I prefer (there are 5 Aldis in close proximity to our place) installed self-service checkouts that are rarely used ... ie no queue.

I always use a card so I am unaware if they all take cash or card.

Cuppa · Guru

Aussie1 wrote:

And as a share holder, I am in total agreement with that

It comes as no surprise that it's you who is at the root of society's problems.

Whenarewethere · Guru

There is a sign when you come into Aldi. From memory it is 0.5% on all card transactions even from savings.

Contactless payment is often charged as an extra in many shops as it is a third pay service with kickbacks to the banks. Better to use a pin number.

It's why I cut the aerial in the card. Hardy difficult to use a pin number.

Cupie · Guru

Cuppa wrote:
Aussie1 wrote:

And as a share holder, I am in total agreement with that

It comes as no surprise that it's you who is at the root of society's problems.

IMHO it is not the expectation of a reasonable profit from investment that is today's problem, but rather the scramble for excess dividends or capital growth that is the driver.

We have lost the balance between Capital and Labour where Capital gave a reasonable return and there was a reasonable return for Labour.

On the same subject, it's about time that we started to implement "Windfall Profit" taxes. But then I support Carbon Taxes and think that our community should receive fair returns from all Miners & Global Corporations ripping profits from Au activities.

Aussie1 · Guru

Cuppa wrote:
Aussie1 wrote:

And as a share holder, I am in total agreement with that

It comes as no surprise that it's you who is at the root of society's problems.

Is that "personal" comment supposed to make me feel guilty. If so it failed. My late response was due to being late home from my private golf club this evening. Fees covered by good returns on share holdings. Nah, I don't feel guilty at all Cobber biggrin

I will say I'm like my good Cobber "whenarewethere". Worked really hard (and smart) retired early and having a ball in retirement.

Hope your as happy as me Cobber. You take care now and stay safe.

Cheers.

landy · Guru

We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs, Victoria recently, Ilex street I believe. would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.

Landy

Izabarack · Guru

landy wrote:
We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs..... would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.

Would using that particular fuel outlet create more jobs? How do they pay for the provision of driveway service? Higher prices or less profit or higher turnover or maybe theft control,might be behiind the business decision to offer driveway service.

Self service is being introduced everywhere. My Great Grandkids even have reading and maths programs on their tablets. The extended family encourages them to be self learners by offering rewards for each new level attained in these programs. In my primary school days, the Catholic Nuns would beat heck out of us if the homework was not done correctly and with Copybook standard penmanship.

Self service opportunities in services from Centerlink and Medicare spring to mind as examples of where self service online is convienent (mostly) and has resulted in fewer Sticks-n-Bricks counter services in the community. How many Centrelink and Medicare customers actively and deliberately go to those places, motivated by the logic that the action will save jobs?

There is a good arguement that if you want to create jobs at the Supermarket, start using the online ordering and delivery services. Fewer checkouts chicks (please excuse the sexist term) have been made up for in Personal Shoppers and delivery van driver jobs. Online shopping also saves all those costs associated with driving to the Supermarket.

To be clear, I don't generally have an issure with self-service opportunities. What I do have trouble with is trying to get an answer by phone, to some non statndard quustion. My frustration index peaks at "Please hold the line. Your call is imortant to us. Your are 4 hundred and 25 th in line".

rmoor · Senior Member

Izabarack wrote:
landy wrote:
We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs..... would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.
Would using that particular fuel outlet create more jobs? How do they pay for the provision of driveway service? Higher prices or less profit or higher turnover or maybe theft control,might be behiind the business decision to offer driveway service.
Self service is being introduced everywhere. My Great Grandkids even have reading and maths programs on their tablets. The extended family encourages them to be self learners by offering rewards for each new level attained in these programs. In my primary school days, the Catholic Nuns would beat heck out of us if the homework was not done correctly and with Copybook standard penmanship.
Self service opportunities in services from Centerlink and Medicare spring to mind as examples of where self service online is convienent (mostly) and has resulted in fewer Sticks-n-Bricks counter services in the community. How many Centrelink and Medicare customers actively and deliberately go to those places, motivated by the logic that the action will save jobs?
There is a good arguement that if you want to create jobs at the Supermarket, start using the online ordering and delivery services. Fewer checkouts chicks (please excuse the sexist term) have been made up for in Personal Shoppers and delivery van driver jobs. Online shopping also saves all those costs associated with driving to the Supermarket.
To be clear, I don't generally have an issure with self-service opportunities. What I do have trouble with is trying to get an answer by phone, to some non statndard quustion. My frustration index peaks at "Please hold the line. Your call is imortant to us. Your are 4 hundred and 25 th in line".

During Covid when I was very ill and isolated for around two years I was using the supermarket delivery system for some time. It was OK, but not like the pleasure of roaming the aisles in a quiet hour. Last week I used the Aldi self serve for the first time. There were only two aisles open and big lines of at least ten people lines on each. So I wandered over to the self serve and gave it a go for the first time instead of waiting 10 or 15 minutes longer. I wondered at the time if it was an Aldi tactic to only have two aisles open. Got it all to work OK but the one thing I did find was no pressure to load my dozen or so small items as opposed to the Aldi assistant launching them at you when scanning quicker than you can pack can have a degree of stress attached to it.

So, I am each way on all of the above thread comments and will use an assistant most times but if in a crowded supermarket and only a few items I will most likely go to the self service checkout.

I am with you on the waiting on the phone bit, that gets me riled up about as much as the nuisance phone calls we all get. The hide of one last week said to me - this phone call will be recorded. I replied - No it %$#^&# won't because we won't be having a conversation.......Click.

In recent years I have said to many good friends, in some ways we are lucky we are the age we are as we have seen the best of it. We all now live in a world gone mad, not going mad, they achieved that a few years ago. In this profit intensive, woke, greedy, internet based, scamming, dog eat dog, cut-throat world we now live in the world has now become a distasteful place in which to live unlike the 50's to 80's. We also have lunatic politicians on all sides running the joint and forcing us into national division with their ridiculous schemes. My intent after health issues have settled down a bit is to jump in the new ute and old fishing van and just go bush. No capital cities for me other that an Adelaide night cricket test and maybe the odd major sporting event as a spectator. Other than that, they know where they can stick their crowded unfriendly cities. A lake or stream, a fishing rod, a golf club and a gold pan, just like Beechworth starting Thursday. My kinda town, small supermarket, shops and the best of all, a good 'ol fashioned pie shop being served by a friendly smiling shop assistant.

Gundog · Guru

I wonder what would happen to the price of fuel if driveway service became the norm. Think about the servo with 36 pumps, on average there are 2 pumps per row with 4 nozzels per side on the car lanes and the truck lanes are configured so trucks can fill tanks on both sides of the truck at the same time, generally a single hose each side of the pump.

Now how many workers would you require for driveway service in a 36 pump 24hr 365 day business, I'm a bit out of touch with SDA fuel service rates, the base was approx $23.00 per hour for full time day shift workes, then there were shift penalties, a casual worker was paid about $30.00 per hour Plus penalties.

Now in the event of driveway service being reintroduced, I could envisage a massive log of claims by the unions for these people working outdoors dispensing dangerous liquids, special uniforms and a whole raft rules.

Lets look at the income for the servo its generally at 4-10cpl, I pull into a servo and get 100lts of fuel, It may have received $230 for the fuel but my gross profit is only $10 max, that drive way attendant needs to be pumping better than 12000 lph

Think about it this way if you want driveway service you will need to pay either by higher fuel prices or a service fee.

Just look a the takeway business a Macrubbish the drive through appeares to be busier than the walk customers, the same would apply for RR, KFC, HJ etc, but now we have the ultimate lazy BS home delivery services of fast food, the charges for them can be more than the food purchased.

-- Edited by Gundog on Sunday 20th of August 2023 11:45:32 AM

Dick0 · Guru

peter67 wrote:
Tony next time you go through Denmark (coming from Walpole) as you go down the hill into town there's a fuel station on the left that has driveway service.

-- Edited by peter67 on Friday 18th of August 2023 06:05:21 PM

Pat & Tina BP in Shepparton, Vic have and still provide full driveway service at no additional cost. A very rare experience these days.

Tony Bev · Guru

Dick0 wrote:
peter67 wrote:
Tony next time you go through Denmark (coming from Walpole) as you go down the hill into town there's a fuel station on the left that has driveway service.

-- Edited by peter67 on Friday 18th of August 2023 06:05:21 PM
Pat & Tina BP in Shepparton, Vic have and still provide full driveway service at no additional cost. A very rare experience these days.

Thank you, Peter (peter67), and Richard (Dick0)

I have taken note of those two, full driveway service stations

msg · Guru

If they want my business they have to earn it. Retailing is more than getting a truck full on merchandise and plunck it down in a store, put a price on it, and expect me to wrestle it to a check out and pay for it. Being cheaper is a sales con.

Tony Bev · Guru

Just as a matter of interest, I have made a list of full driveway service of servos in WA, plus the one Richard (Dick0), put up

Link to website below

https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t69777162/servos-with-full-driveway-service/?page=last#lastPostAnchor

Dick0 · Guru

landy wrote:
We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs, Victoria recently, Ilex street I believe. would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.

Landy

That's one for Tony Bev.

Tony Bev · Guru

Dick0 wrote:
landy wrote:
We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs, Victoria recently, Ilex street I believe. would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.

Landy
That's one for Tony Bev.

Thanks for pointing out, that I had missed one, Richard (Dick0)

-- Edited by Tony Bev on Tuesday 22nd of August 2023 05:39:10 PM

Tony Bev · Guru

landy wrote:
We got driveway service at the shell station in Redcliffs, Victoria recently, Ilex street I believe. would be good to support them if anyone is passing
through that way.

Landy

Thanks for putting this one up, landy

Sorry that I missed it

I shall now put it in the file, with the others