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towerdave
join:2002-01-16
O Fallon, IL

towerdave to Russ6

Member

to Russ6

Re: Grocery Store Checkout Lane Light

I love the single line idea. Not only does it keep everyone's wait closer to the average, but it gets rid of that awkward situation that happens when a new lane opens and everyone rushes to switch to that lane. Makes adding and subtracting cashiers much easier, to avoid the OPs original problem. Probably makes scheduling and breaks easier on the store too.

TD

Oh_No
Trogglus normalus
join:2011-05-21
Chicago, IL

Oh_No to beck

Member

to beck
said by beck:

No. You should have asked where her line was cutting off. And to be polite, she should have told you.

Some of those stores are very strict on breaks etc. If you work into your 10 minute break, then too bad for you.

In most states that is illegal to deny you your break.

Also the light should have been turned off well in advance of the break if the cashier was taking one.

If you are in line before the light is off then you should be served.
Oh_No

Oh_No to J E F F4

Member

to J E F F4
said by J E F F4:

She may have forgotten to turn off the light. She likely asked the manager if she could check you out (pardon the pun) w/o ruining her break.

Doesn't your wal*mart have that line with 12 cashiers? I never use the stand alone lines...

Most walmarts dont have the one line to 12 register setups.
In canada it might be more common, but in the US it is very rare.
Oh_No

Oh_No to dmagerl

Member

to dmagerl
said by dmagerl:

What a multi server queue does is shrink the deviation around the average wait time so there are no extremely long or fast waits but the average wait time is still the same.

The single queue is faster. It allows the lines to move around the few slow people. If you dont have a single queue there is a chance you will get stuck behind the slow people.
AsherN
Premium Member
join:2010-08-23
Thornhill, ON

AsherN to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
The single queue averages the wait time better and makes changing the nu,mber of cashier easier. It does require a re-flow at the front of the store, sometimes removing items for sale.

Then again, if done properly, it adds a lot of space for those impulse, small item buys. There is a HomeSense in my area that has 12 registers. It has a single queue where you enter facing register #12 and the head of the queue is at register #1. You have to walk what is configured as a gauntlet of small items, toys and candy. They must make a killing on those.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
general rule in most supermarkets I have worked in and have been in is that if you are in line when the light goes off they will still ring you up. However if you see a register just finishing up it is a nice thing to do to move to that one.

Naturally though and I have worked a register before is the rude thing a customer does is run into the line when its empty and light off and get shit on the belt quickly and then go "Oh I did not see the light off." Sadly in the world of customer service generally you have to take them now.

Draiman
Let me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC

Draiman to thegeek

Member

to thegeek
said by thegeek:

I just make my wife do the shopping. I never have to stand in line then.

Why even bother with that? Don't you have any grocery stores that deliver here yet? Go online shop and answer the door if your that lazy or don't want to deal with the hassle.

kontos
xyzzy
join:2001-10-04
West Henrietta, NY

kontos to Kearnstd

Member

to Kearnstd
yeah, but that's okay because you can usually get away with putting their milk on top of the bread when you bag.

J E F F4
Whatta Ya Think About Dat?
Premium Member
join:2004-04-01
Kitchener, ON

J E F F4 to Oh_No

Premium Member

to Oh_No
said by Oh_No:

said by J E F F4:

She may have forgotten to turn off the light. She likely asked the manager if she could check you out (pardon the pun) w/o ruining her break.

Doesn't your wal*mart have that line with 12 cashiers? I never use the stand alone lines...

Most walmarts dont have the one line to 12 register setups.
In canada it might be more common, but in the US it is very rare.

Probably not at all of them. I'm guess at the 7 Wal*Marts in this city 5 or 6 have the check-out with 12 registers. The one at the mall I don't think has one. They even got rid of the self-servce IIRC.

The only issue with the multi-register lines is if they only have 3 or 4 operators.

Over time, at the grocery stores, I've grown frustrated at the idiots who take 40 items to the 1-10 item lane....

Oh_No
Trogglus normalus
join:2011-05-21
Chicago, IL

Oh_No

Member

said by J E F F4:

said by Oh_No:

said by J E F F4:

She may have forgotten to turn off the light. She likely asked the manager if she could check you out (pardon the pun) w/o ruining her break.

Doesn't your wal*mart have that line with 12 cashiers? I never use the stand alone lines...

Most walmarts dont have the one line to 12 register setups.
In canada it might be more common, but in the US it is very rare.

Probably not at all of them. I'm guess at the 7 Wal*Marts in this city 5 or 6 have the check-out with 12 registers. The one at the mall I don't think has one. They even got rid of the self-servce IIRC.

The only issue with the multi-register lines is if they only have 3 or 4 operators.

Over time, at the grocery stores, I've grown frustrated at the idiots who take 40 items to the 1-10 item lane....

It is debatable on if that is OK.
It all depends on the cashier, how they have their cart organized, how many multiples they buy, but someone with 40 items could easily check out faster than someone with 10.

Look at self checkout.
I will take a cart full of 30 to 40 items and have it all scanned and bagged before someone next to me can do 10 to 15 items.
I can do the 40 items faster in self checkout than every cashier at my local stores can do with their normal register.

I guess your frustration is with someone incompetent at life or a cashier who is a waste of oxygen trying to check out 40 items as slow as possible.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

said by Oh_No:

Look at self checkout.
I will take a cart full of 30 to 40 items and have it all scanned and bagged before someone next to me can do 10 to 15 items.
I can do the 40 items faster in self checkout than every cashier at my local stores can do with their normal register.

You're special... and exaggerating, I think... 1) Every self-checkout machine I've seen is stupidly slow and 2) they're all typically for a smaller # of items in that they have extremely limited bagging space.
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

Speaking of bagging, the Walmart in Houston I went to has a machine that contains plastic bags that rotate. If you buy lots of groceries, what happens if you don't take the bags off as they are filled and each bag position fills up? Does the cashier just stop filling bags or can another bag be filled at the same position? It is hard to keep track of all the bags.

Hall
MVM
join:2000-04-28
Germantown, OH

Hall

MVM

Those are "normal" at the Wal-marts here. As they are filled up, you put them in your shopping cart to take to your car !
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

I understand that, but if I am watching the cashier to make sure I don't get double charged for an item because it was scanned twice, etc.

Poorfellow
join:2008-03-16
Taco Town

1 recommendation

Poorfellow

Member

said by Russ6:

I understand that, but if I am watching the cashier to make sure I don't get double charged for an item because it was scanned twice, etc.

Your life seems very difficult and stressful.
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

My question was more out of curiosity than anything else.

Xioden
Premium Member
join:2008-06-10
Monticello, NY

Xioden to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
said by Russ6:

I understand that, but if I am watching the cashier to make sure I don't get double charged for an item because it was scanned twice, etc.

The Walmart here it's a miracle if they scan more than one item every 10 seconds, so there is plenty of time to take the bags from the spinning bag holder.

Oh_No
Trogglus normalus
join:2011-05-21
Chicago, IL

Oh_No to Hall

Member

to Hall
said by Hall:

said by Oh_No:

Look at self checkout.
I will take a cart full of 30 to 40 items and have it all scanned and bagged before someone next to me can do 10 to 15 items.
I can do the 40 items faster in self checkout than every cashier at my local stores can do with their normal register.

You're special... and exaggerating, I think... 1) Every self-checkout machine I've seen is stupidly slow and 2) they're all typically for a smaller # of items in that they have extremely limited bagging space.

Self checkouts are not slow, just the prompts are.
You can scan and bag quickly. You have to make sure you put the item onto the bagging scale as quickly as possible.
Also your cart needs to be pre-organized for quick bagging to minimize reaching, movement, and fumbling with items.
The bagging organization needs to take into account stacking the backs on the bagging scale so it wont prompt for an employee to approve skipping bagging.

I am not exaggerating about my quickness at checkout.

thegeek
Premium Member
join:2008-02-21
right here

thegeek

Premium Member

About 7 years ago a Walmart in Shawnee, KS had the most awesome self checkouts. You would scan your item and then place it on a conveyor belt that weighed the item and moved it to the bagging area. You could unload an entire cart full of items extremely fast. It was ready to scan another item before you could get your hands on the next item to scan. I loved it. Then I moved and couldn't shop at that store anymore. I've never seen another self checkout like it anywhere. I have no idea if it is still like that there or not. But it was 7 years ago so they've likely changed it by now.

DannyZ
Gentoo Fanboy
Premium Member
join:2003-01-29
united state

DannyZ

Premium Member

There's a Giant Eagle grocery store here with the same type of self-checkout. Never seen it anywhere else, including other Giant Eagles

Lone Wolf
Retired
Premium Member
join:2001-12-30
USA

Lone Wolf to kherr

Premium Member

to kherr
said by kherr:

He should have just left the cart and walk out the door .......
If the checker leaves, she leaves. Life still goes on .....

I've done that before. Not only does it anger management, it creates work for the employees who must return the items in your cart to the shelves.

Shows management it's cheaper to keep the checkout open and pay the cashier instead of losing a sale and paying someone to put the crap back.

Jackorama
I Am Woman
Premium Member
join:2008-05-23
Kingston, ON

Jackorama to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
The Walmart here cashiers leave their lights on until the last customer who they have given a sign to hang on the handle of their cart that states this checkout is closing and to proceed to another checkout.

The only problem with this is that last Thursday after waiting in line at a check out for about 15 min., the customer in front of me said that she was so sorry and that the cashier had given her the sign to put on her cart. She put it on backwards. I just did a face palm and hobbled with my cane pushing my cart to another checkout. My mother following wearing a heavy air cast pushing a walker. At least my mother could sit down.

I think I should write Walmart and ask them to put the checkout is closing on both sides of the sign. Then that way people won't get confused about which way the sign should hang on the cart.
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

1 edit

Russ6

Member

Last Friday when I was at Walmart, I noticed that one checkout lane light was flashing. The lane was closing and the flashing light indicated not to get in that lane. If your Walmart used that process it would have prevented you from wasting your time in a lane that was closing. I think the best approach would be to use both a sign and a flasing light. The sign would help the cashier know where the line ended when she turned the light to flash. The flashing light would make it easier for customers to know the lane is closing without having to look for the sign.

The customer with the sign should have told you the lane was closing when you got in line.

P.S.
Why do the cashiers leave the light on if the lane is closed to new customers?

jubangy
Premium Member
join:2005-03-26
Corry, PA

jubangy to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
said by Russ6:

said by Hall:

I'm curious, what resolution do you want in the end ?

I wanted to be checked out without having to go to the end of another line and that is what happened.

I was curious on what other people thought should happen when the grocery store checkout lane light is turned off. Should the customers currently in line be forced to go to the end of another line or should the cashier check out everybody currently in line when the light is turned off?

From the previous replies, people have different opinions.


I want I want I want....
is half the reason good customer service is getitng so hard to find these days. People are so dam whiny and bitchy any more when it comes to customer service reps such as cashiers that it is ridiculous. Heres a switch, how about take your ass to the grocery store when you know you have time to compensate for a mishap or 2? Nah that would make sense make everybodys life hell while you stand there whining and bitching how your time is so much more precious then everyone elses. Maybe people should just start randomly picking businesses to drop in on and start bitchig at the employees for the hell of it. hell i dont even work in cs but pisses me off none the less. And now come Black friday, the same people who bitch about how the cashier screwed up will go shopping and make complete ASSES of themselves up to and including slamming old ladies into walls.
What a world we live in, me me i want i want but half cant pay their electric or rent but I bet will be grabbing all the goodies on nov 23rd.
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

said by jubangy:

said by Russ6:

said by Hall:

I'm curious, what resolution do you want in the end ?

I wanted to be checked out without having to go to the end of another line and that is what happened.

I was curious on what other people thought should happen when the grocery store checkout lane light is turned off. Should the customers currently in line be forced to go to the end of another line or should the cashier check out everybody currently in line when the light is turned off?

From the previous replies, people have different opinions.


I want I want I want....
is half the reason good customer service is getitng so hard to find these days. People are so dam whiny and bitchy any more when it comes to customer service reps such as cashiers that it is ridiculous. Heres a switch, how about take your ass to the grocery store when you know you have time to compensate for a mishap or 2? Nah that would make sense make everybodys life hell while you stand there whining and bitching how your time is so much more precious then everyone elses. Maybe people should just start randomly picking businesses to drop in on and start bitchig at the employees for the hell of it. hell i dont even work in cs but pisses me off none the less. And now come Black friday, the same people who bitch about how the cashier screwed up will go shopping and make complete ASSES of themselves up to and including slamming old ladies into walls.
What a world we live in, me me i want i want but half cant pay their electric or rent but I bet will be grabbing all the goodies on nov 23rd.

If you allow people to take advantage of you, that is your business. I am not willing to let people take advantage of me.

Caddyroger
Premium Member
join:2001-06-11
To the west

Caddyroger to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
I just back from doing some grocery shopping. I was the last person served. He did it the right way. He turned off the light and put a lane closed sign at the end and checked me out.

N10Cities
Premium Member
join:2002-05-07
0000000
Asus RT-AC87

N10Cities to Oh_No

Premium Member

to Oh_No
said by Oh_No:

said by Hall:

said by Oh_No:

Look at self checkout.
I will take a cart full of 30 to 40 items and have it all scanned and bagged before someone next to me can do 10 to 15 items.
I can do the 40 items faster in self checkout than every cashier at my local stores can do with their normal register.

You're special... and exaggerating, I think... 1) Every self-checkout machine I've seen is stupidly slow and 2) they're all typically for a smaller # of items in that they have extremely limited bagging space.

Self checkouts are not slow, just the prompts are.
You can scan and bag quickly. You have to make sure you put the item onto the bagging scale as quickly as possible.
Also your cart needs to be pre-organized for quick bagging to minimize reaching, movement, and fumbling with items.
The bagging organization needs to take into account stacking the backs on the bagging scale so it wont prompt for an employee to approve skipping bagging.

I am not exaggerating about my quickness at checkout.

I LOVED the self-checkout lines at our local Wal-Mart, but they took them out recently. I could pull up and check out my cart pretty fast and avoid the long lines at the regular checkouts, even if I had a cart-full.

Bad thing was waiting behind someone who decides to try to use self-checkout for the first time and takes 30 minutes to check out 3 items after repeated trips to the clerk watching over the self-checkout machines. That was probably why they took them out... bummer...
kherr
Premium Member
join:2000-09-04
Collinsville, IL

kherr to jubangy

Premium Member

to jubangy
said by jubangy:

said by Russ6:

said by Hall:

I'm curious, what resolution do you want in the end ?

I wanted to be checked out without having to go to the end of another line and that is what happened.

I was curious on what other people thought should happen when the grocery store checkout lane light is turned off. Should the customers currently in line be forced to go to the end of another line or should the cashier check out everybody currently in line when the light is turned off?

From the previous replies, people have different opinions.


I want I want I want....
is half the reason good customer service is getitng so hard to find these days. People are so dam whiny and bitchy any more when it comes to customer service reps such as cashiers that it is ridiculous. Heres a switch, how about take your ass to the grocery store when you know you have time to compensate for a mishap or 2? Nah that would make sense make everybodys life hell while you stand there whining and bitching how your time is so much more precious then everyone elses. Maybe people should just start randomly picking businesses to drop in on and start bitchig at the employees for the hell of it. hell i dont even work in cs but pisses me off none the less. And now come Black friday, the same people who bitch about how the cashier screwed up will go shopping and make complete ASSES of themselves up to and including slamming old ladies into walls.
What a world we live in, me me i want i want but half cant pay their electric or rent but I bet will be grabbing all the goodies on nov 23rd.

+1

If I get in a line and the cashier closes, I think to myself “Got in the wrong line again”, backup and go to another line and check out. It’s part of life to get in the wrong line at the wrong time. All the time the OP wasted, he could have been checked out and driving home. Things happen. It’s part of life. Move on already!!

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

CylonRed to Russ6

MVM

to Russ6
nm
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to Russ6

Premium Member

to Russ6
When I have done the cashier thing, typical rule was turn off the light and finish off your line.

Naturally you had to pray the last person did not have those damned WIC checks... Lots of procedure for them because if they are not done exactly the state will not pay the store. While a slight slipup on a personal check will be allowed to fly.