| + Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
Automation reduces costsOriginally Posted by NinianOpinion1927
yeah right!!!
We have a very competitive supermarket sector. Compare our prices to those on the continent.Automation reduces costs
I really can't understand your objection to self scan. Automation definately does reduce costs, here's a question for you, would you un-invent the vacuum cleaner? It put a lot of cleaners out of work.
Did it? There seems to be many cleaning companies in Cardiff with a good few staff. Anyway what’s vacuum cleaners got to do with supermarket checkouts
The vacuum cleaner is an example of technology reducing costs & reducing man power required. Self scan check outs reduce man power & reduce overheads.Did it? There seems to be many cleaning companies in Cardiff with a good few staff. Anyway what’s vacuum cleaners got to do with supermarket checkouts
It takes one staff member to man 10 self scan check outs. What's not to like?
Erm, why do we want manpower cut? As I said earlier, have shops dramatically dropped prices because of automation? Have they shite!
We want to cut man power because automation reduces costs, robots are cheaper and more reliable than human Labour. There's an endless list of jobs that need doing in society, we're wasting man power on checkouts, in factories etc.
What would be cheaper? A hand made jumper or one made in a factory with machine? Same with how cars are made.
As i've said, from my experience we have some of the cheapest supermarket prices in Europe. It's a very competitive sector. Prices wouldn't drop dramatically because we have so many variables like inflation. It's more likely that prices wouldn't increase as fast thanks to automation.
Cost, cost, cost, prices, prices , prices. Some folk know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. It’s about human interaction, for some lonely bugger a chat with a check out operator may be the only interaction they get.
Have one or two self service checkouts for the rush, rush, rush brigade but it’s bloody awful seeing all those empty checkouts, while the ones that are manned have queues a mile long. Mainly because many shoppers hate the self service ones and are willing to wait.
I've got to be honest and say that my experience is that queues for the self service checkouts are usually much longer than those for manned checkouts. There have been plenty of times where I've found a checkout with someone twiddling their thumbs by the till waiting for someone, and used them as a matter of speed.
Yup I used a “manned” one today, had the option of two empty manned tills. While the self service seemed busy. I don’t really care what I use, I just want the cheapest price and the quickest experience, it’s a waste of my Sunday, I should do online delivery but I like to look at the meats I choose especially in Morrisons as they have the butchers.
I do get that some people feel lonely and like the personal touch but that seems a bigger debate and not sure that’s on supermarkets to solve.
I’m wary of the online delivery, as you say it is preferable to actually see the product before you buy. The cynic in me tells me that the substandard stuff would be chucked on the van. Also, not sure if it’s true, I’ve heard that if a requested item isn’t in stock something similar is delivered. I’m imagining Bird’s Custard being ordered and a budgie turning up
Tbh during and after Covid we did a lot of click and collect with Asda and I’m not sure if it’s the same now but anything you queried, ie dates of food, or didn’t like the replacements they provided you could request a refund on the app, and it was instant (and you kept the item). Not that we took advantage but we had some decent freebies, meat we needed to freeze rather than keep because of the dates rather than in the fridge and a wine they swapped which wasn’t the best (but still drunk).I’m wary of the online delivery, as you say it is preferable to actually see the product before you buy. The cynic in me tells me that the substandard stuff would be chucked on the van. Also, not sure if it’s true, I’ve heard that if a requested item isn’t in stock something similar is delivered. I’m imagining Bird’s Custard being ordered and a budgie turning up
Years ago I used to work in a call centre for Tesco and part of my remit was calls and dealing with online grocery orders.I’m wary of the online delivery, as you say it is preferable to actually see the product before you buy. The cynic in me tells me that the substandard stuff would be chucked on the van. Also, not sure if it’s true, I’ve heard that if a requested item isn’t in stock something similar is delivered. I’m imagining Bird’s Custard being ordered and a budgie turning up
You couldn't be more wrong about substandard stuff being chucked on the van. Pickers would be in trouble if they didn't pick the best dates etc. Substituted items has always been a bit of an issue. 99% of the time it is done sensibly and at no extra cost (so if you picked a good coffee that was on promotional offer, it wasn't in stock, you'd get something better for the same price. Yes, there have been lots of humourous substitutions, but they're rare.
Online deliveries are a substantial part of supermarkets' business.
The surprising thing is that, if you went into store and bought the same items, you'd get no refunds at all. In the vast majority of cases, where stuff was short dated, it was because they were the only items available to pickers at the time.
Social interaction is important i agree with you. But if people want social interaction they can go to the pub or join a club. Pubs are struggling so they'd welcome the trade.
Would you use a cement mixer or do it all manually?
Bollox
Yes, that's about your usual standard of reply.
A lot of lonely people are elderly widows and widowers who wouldn’t consider a pub or club. They go shopping a few times a week for bits & bobs just to get out and about, talking to anyone is a bonus. Taking away choice is also not good. I’m not being a Luddite but the there will eventually be no give and take with automation. Banks disappearing, shops going by the wayside, it’s not good for society on the whole.
Old age pensioners being lonely is not the Supermarkets cross to bear though is it
My wife's elderly aunt still pays for things like TV license on a weekly basis in the local shop or post office using cash. It's not that she couldn't set up direct debits for everything, it gives her a reason to get out of the house to meet people. She's rarely at home in the mornings.
She does tend to use the self service checkouts, which may seem a bit odd, but she can spend 2 hours in Tesco chatting to people she knows, so the social aspect of having a brief chat with a checkout operator isn't important.
Anyone remember Under The Splottlight’s post a few years back about self service tills? He had a chat with them, eventually telling it to f*ck off as it kept buggering up his order
Maybe this will change to warehouse businesses in the future?
Build a purpose-built Tesco/Asda Warehouse Unit in a cheap area and just do deliveries, leaving the shops to be shops only, wouldn't that be cheaper, due to scale and logistics?
They could probably close a few less viable stores to fund it and, offer to deliver free instead, or does this already happen?
I love self service tills. Quicker easier and I'm out of the shop early. They're here to stay better get used to them.
I try to avoid self checkouts , and wait for a human , bloody job killers
Me too.
Always something won't scan, alcohol involved etc anyway.
The only reason they exist is to increase profit. "Customer experience" is irrelevant.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote