My local Waitrose is like that. Always frustrating when the tills are blocked by people scannening full trolley loads despite staffed checkouts being available.
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Supermarkets discussion
- Thread starter Cowley
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My local one was a bit like that before its recent refurb. There were only four self-scanning kiosks and about 8 conventional check out desks that rarely had more than 3 in operation. There were periods of card-only operation on the kiosks which tended to favour the regular self-scanners, but with a high proportion of OAPs here, their weekend shops often severely hit the overall throughput.
Post refurb, there are ISTR 9 kiosks and 3 desks and an enhanced assistance that has improved the use of them.
On a good day, I can walk to the store, get one or two items and a free coffee, pay for them and walk back home in under 10 minutes. All at normal supermarket prices.
Waitrose used to have separate tills for hand scanners and apps but decided to make them all work for everything.
My Sainsbury's has a dedicated scanner section but it's closed off quite a bit so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't just use that area for more standard tills and make them usable for scanning at the checkout or scanning the QR code from your scanner.
I suspect it's a staffing issue in many cases.. I remember when it was one person to 4 tills years ago and now it seems to be as little as 1 for however many tills they've got. I'm talking generally, not any specific store.
Nobody wants a complete rescan as nobody else can get age checks done or get help for any other errors. Even scanning a fixed number of items takes time when there's only one person on hand.
My Sainsbury's has a dedicated scanner section but it's closed off quite a bit so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't just use that area for more standard tills and make them usable for scanning at the checkout or scanning the QR code from your scanner.
I suspect it's a staffing issue in many cases.. I remember when it was one person to 4 tills years ago and now it seems to be as little as 1 for however many tills they've got. I'm talking generally, not any specific store.
Nobody wants a complete rescan as nobody else can get age checks done or get help for any other errors. Even scanning a fixed number of items takes time when there's only one person on hand.
py_megapixel
Established Member
I remember my local Waitrose introducing them. They actually introduced the hand scanners before self service tills, so originally you would scan everything and then hand over the scanner to the cashier at the checkout. They would transfer the shopping to their till and you would pay them as usual. I have no idea if any supermarket still allows that.
Then they created a dedicated area with some self service tills and one small staffed checkout which was only used for rescans. The member of staff at this checkout was also responsible for overseeing the self service tills, which at that time were only for scan-and-go users (scanning your shopping at the self service till was not allowed).
Most recently they switched to the same as the other similar sized supermarkets in the area, a big area with lots of self service tills that can be used by anyone, with scan-and-go users having their rescans done from hand scanners
317 forever
Established Member
Like before Christmas, Sainsbury's are having a promotion whereby if you spend enough on up to 4 shops before Easter, you get additional Nectar points.
In my case I get 200 extra points if I spend £25 or more on up to 4 shops.
Yesterday I prioritised items I need, items offering Nectar discounts and items offering extra points such that my shopping was only just over £25. I bought a little extra dry stuff that will keep.
My total bill was less than £26. I kept it down to reduce the risk of not needing enough shopping next week or soon after.
In my case I get 200 extra points if I spend £25 or more on up to 4 shops.
Yesterday I prioritised items I need, items offering Nectar discounts and items offering extra points such that my shopping was only just over £25. I bought a little extra dry stuff that will keep.
My total bill was less than £26. I kept it down to reduce the risk of not needing enough shopping next week or soon after.
Mcr Warrior
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200 extra Nectar points = £1 ?
jon81uk
Member
Which as long as you are not buying anything perishible you really don't need is still a 4% saving on a £25 shop.
We do a lot more smaller shops at Sainsbury's and have been fortunate to be given the Easter challenge of spending £10 to get 250 points (worth £1.25), so that was around 9% back on todays £13 shop.
317 forever
Established Member
Yours is more generous than mine, but at the risk of reflecting on a rival supermarket: Every little helps
ABB125
Established Member
My Sainsbury's Nectar bonus point offers are a bit different this week: rather than around 20 items with bonuses between 20 and 50 points, I have 6 items but with much higher bonuses (eg: 170, 90 points). I think the total number of points on offer is relatively similar (600 if I were to buy all 6 items). Has anyone else had a change like this recently?
No, still around 20 bonus items though they range between 20 and 80 points each.
317 forever
Established Member
Twice this year I have timed some purchases at Sainsbury's to coincide with my personal discounts, but forgotten to unlock them so not qualified for them.
A small amount, but an irritation I hope to avoid in future.
A small amount, but an irritation I hope to avoid in future.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Works for me as my nectar prices tends to refresh for a Friday morning with the nectar points offers from the previous week expire on the Friday night, so there are some weeks when a particular product has both a bonus points & a lower price available.
Although having to unlock the offers can be a pain in the rear end. Every week I'm still getting offers on drain deblocker (purchased one time last year to remove a block in the drains), one week points, the next price, similar to a particular loaf of bread I purchased near Christmas time last year solely due to having limited stock options available.
SuspectUsual
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At least now it’s a single click to unlock all of them rather than having to do them individually
Was confusion in my local Aldi on Saturday. Halfway through my items being scanned for payment every tilled crashed leaving everyone in limbo. Fair dues every staff member rushed to help and try and solve the problem. After about 6-7 minutes then screens started to wake up. We all had to have what was previously scanned in our trolleys redone then finish off products on the conveyor. Self service tills were unaffected.
Yes - had a week or so of that a few weeks ago, but it seems to have reverted to the old standard now.
Just an annoying thing at my big Tesco on Saturday, went early hardly anyone in there... except every part of the shelves where l wanted to purchase something someone was stood there with trolley blocking the range of goods. Either reading labels, reaching the far back of the shelves for longer dates, on their phone, talking to a friend etc etc. Now l know we're all guilty for doing one of these things at least once during a big shop but the coincidence was very annoying. Perhaps I'm getting old.
DelW
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Curiously my local (large) Sainsbury's has been completely cleaned out of tinned sardines and pilchards for the last week or so. There were plenty of mackerel fillets and tuna, so fishy alternatives were available, but has there been a big rush on sardines and pilchards, or is it a shortage of supply?
Catches are falling.
I know the type, I just hover over them and cough now and again.
Yes. Morocco, their catches are dwindling.
DelW
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That's a pity, sardines are one of my store-cupboard standbys. Maybe I'll have to try the mackerel fillets while I can still get them.Yes. Morocco, their catches are dwindling.
martin butler
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The biggest problem I have with some of the larger, more popular Supermarkets Is when some customers seem to think that the middle of an already busy Aisle is the place to have a conversation with someone, both with fully laden trolleys, parked across ways, so no one can get past,
They also seem oblivious to everyone else glaring at them, because no one can get past, and if you Dare ask, " can I please get by" it's as if you've personally offended them,
Second to that is when store decide to do a revamp that means every aisle isn't the same anymore, and you double you time having to walk round every bay to find where stuffs been moved to.
They also seem oblivious to everyone else glaring at them, because no one can get past, and if you Dare ask, " can I please get by" it's as if you've personally offended them,
Second to that is when store decide to do a revamp that means every aisle isn't the same anymore, and you double you time having to walk round every bay to find where stuffs been moved to.
What's wrong with just saying: 'excuse me please?' Most people will recognise that as politely (but assertively) informing them that they are blocking the way of others, - they probably hadn't even considered that they were.
A new search facility was available on my Sainsbury's self scan handset on Saturday which should tell you which aisle a product is located in.
Didn't work for me when I tried to locate some Volker Gingerbread Vanilla cakes which were available in store.
Didn't work for me when I tried to locate some Volker Gingerbread Vanilla cakes which were available in store.
The game I call ‘musical shelves’. The other variation is items placed in multiple locations. A large Tesco near me in the past, had five places where naan bread was filed. A right pain if the first four were empty.
It's deliberate, - it forces shoppers to change their routes, with the likelihood that many will see, and buy products that they wouldn't have seen following their usual routes.
3rd rail land
Member
Some people will totally ignore you and continue with what they are doing. Gossiping with their mate in this example.
This must work otherwise supermarkets wouldn't go to the effort of doing it but for me it doesn't work. I don't buy extra items just because I've had to wander around the looking for something I previously knew where to find. Its just really irritating. Grocery shopping is already a chore and I don't want it to take longer than it already does.
Being partially sighted, it makes it much more difficult as I can't read labels unless up close, so rely somewhat on expecting things to be in the right places. I'm surprised more fuss hasn't been made of this obvious access issue. Perhaps the Sainsburys search functionality is in response to this? It's a start, but would be good if they can break it down further than by aisle.
That's what everybody whose had that pointed out says, (including me), but precise locations of products, along with timing, is a very large part of supermarket business development. Almost everybody is caught by some product being launched or discounted at some time, so it does work when done well
It's not entirely just to get you to buy new products, although there is an element of that.
When I used to work in retail there was so much analysis available on each metre of the store - and it's a constantly moving goalpost with new product launches, discontinued as well as now in this world we live in "viral" products and changing consumer habits. If you imagine now everytime there is a craze (hot honey, Dubai chocolate, pistachio everything...) it comes with a ton of new products and big selling items - so your range mix changes. You want to ensure that your aisles are relatively laid out in an order - for example you don't want bread next to washing powder.
That's why every so often the supermarkets will do a full relay which means they'll work out how many metres of each category they need and then rejig the store accordingly which will inevitably mean things will have to move around. It's just as annoying for the shop staff as it is for the customers.
You will have probably noticed recent refits of Tesco stores have brought bakeries nearer to the front of stores as opposed to in corners and also larger fresh fruit & veg sections whereas ranges such as "American Sweets" which were a fad previously and had up to 3-4 metre runs in big stores now being a shelf at most. You'll probably notice a reduction in space given to tech products (think back to the early 00's and every large supermarket had huge aisles of TVs etc.) which are now relegated to a small drop of essential tech, because Amazon can offer it cheaper next day and they're frustrating for a store to deal with as you get more returns/queries and they disseaper through internal theft.