Target Self-Checkout

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TW-Upstate NY
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Target Self-Checkout

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

My local Target (Amsterdam, NY) finally got self-checkout within the last couple months but I hadn't used it until this morning. After I had scanned and bagged my items and before I had a chance to pay, an attendant said she had to complete the transaction because I was using cash. Is that the norm for Target self-checkout? The only time I can ever recall something similar was at an A+P in NJ almost 20 years ago where you scanned your items and brought your receipt to an attendant where you paid. This morning, I gave her my money and she opened a cash drawer right at the scanner just like a conventional register. I can see a system like this causing lots of delays during busy shopping times; it's one thing using it early on a weekday morning vs. nights and weekends. If It was an older system maybe I could understand but these are brand new so I'd presume it would be of the latest vintage.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by Brian Lutz »

Most self checkouts I've seen have a bill acceptor and coin slots to handle cash, with mechanisms to dispense change. Basically, the equipment is similar to what you would find in a vending machine. On one hand it's good to have the option to use cash for a small purchase, but I'm guessing the vast majority of customers are using cards anyway (although that could change in an area with an older demographic.)

One other thing I've observed is that a number of the Walmart stores here will designate some of their self checkouts as card only, removing the option to pay with cash entirely at those stations. I assume this is done mostly because it reduces the amount of maintenance and money handling required. I don't know what other stores' cashier podiums look like, but I believe the Kroger ones have standard cash drawers so if you're paying in cash you could presumably pay the attendant rather than feeding the money into the machine.

As for efficiency, I'm almost inclined to think Target's approach isn't so bad. if you can pay by feeding only one or two bills into the machine it's probably faster, but anything beyond that can probably be handled by a cashier more quickly. And from an operational standpoint it's probably much easier to manage a single till drawer than to load/unload coin and bill acceptors on several different stations.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by BillyGr »

Ours not that far away (Albany area, including East Greenbush) are set up as standard self checkout like Brian describes, so no idea why yours is different.

The only time I've seen stores do that is when the self check machines aren't working (like out of change or similar), but then when you get to that point it would tell you to hand cash to the cashier (or if it's the acceptor not reading right, they will put something over it to say the same thing), but those are only temporary situations, while what you describe sound permanent.

Hmm...
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by Alpha8472 »

Are these the self checkout machines that Target made themselves? Those are not the NCR ones with the automated money accepting slots.

NCR self checkout machine bill acceptors are notorious for breaking down and not working, so Target created their own self checkout machines for some stores.

I believe that NCR purposely makes their equipment break down easily so that they can charge for NCR technicians to make expensive in person repair jobs. It is a scam by these types of companies. That is how they make their money.

Also another flaw is the credit card reader pen that breaks easily and requires an in person repair job charge.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: March 21st, 2019, 2:46 pm Are these the self checkout machines that Target made themselves? Those are not the NCR ones with the automated money accepting slots.

NCR self checkout machine bill acceptors are notorious for breaking down and not working, so Target created their own self checkout machines for some stores.

I believe that NCR purposely makes their equipment break down easily so that they can charge for NCR technicians to make expensive in person repair jobs. It is a scam by these types of companies. That is how they make their money.

Also another flaw is the credit card reader pen that breaks easily and requires an in person repair job charge.
This is very interesting. The NCR bill accepting units are awful and jam up all the time. In general the NCR self checkout equipment is pretty awful. The latest software they have installed (currently at Save Mart and Wal Mart) is lousy, slow, often non-responsive. Their old software is particularly poor at Raleys where machines are often broken, slow, and just flat out work poorly; what is most odd about that is Raleys uses NCR POS systems so you'd think the NCR POS Systems would interface well with the NCR Self Checkout. I sort of understand at places like Wal Mart who run IBM systems on NCR self checkouts that it will be... a bit buggy.

I had noticed recently Target seemed to ditch the NCR Self Checkout Software for its own software and it is much more responsive than it used to be.

Wal Mart has some very interesting NCR Self Checkouts in one store here. They are tiny units. They do not accept any weighable produce or cash. The scanner is a small 3x5 glass piece right under the screen and then under that is one plastic bag rack. Beyond that there is just a screen and printer. There is no "counter" space for items, just the plastic bag rack to put items after you scan them. These seem like a good potential model for small grocery stores with limited space.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by Super S »

All Target self-checkouts I have ever seen accept cash.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by TW-Upstate NY »

There are 4 of these and thinking about it more I now remember that when I was walking into the store I saw a customer at another one with an attendant doing the same thing and there was a cash drawer there as well so apparently each one has its own drawer.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by storewanderer »

I do wonder a little bit about safety with this. Typically the cash drawer is placed in a way that a customer cannot reach it. I guess in this case the customer can step aside over in front of the bagging area while the cashier interacts with the screen and the cash drawer, but I still wonder.

Also I guess there will be a required interaction with this cash drawer if a debit card user requests cash back, unless they have disabled that function on the self checkout.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by bryceleinan »

storewanderer wrote: March 21st, 2019, 10:57 pm
Alpha8472 wrote: March 21st, 2019, 2:46 pm Are these the self checkout machines that Target made themselves? Those are not the NCR ones with the automated money accepting slots.

NCR self checkout machine bill acceptors are notorious for breaking down and not working, so Target created their own self checkout machines for some stores.

I believe that NCR purposely makes their equipment break down easily so that they can charge for NCR technicians to make expensive in person repair jobs. It is a scam by these types of companies. That is how they make their money.

Also another flaw is the credit card reader pen that breaks easily and requires an in person repair job charge.
This is very interesting. The NCR bill accepting units are awful and jam up all the time. In general the NCR self checkout equipment is pretty awful. The latest software they have installed (currently at Save Mart and Wal Mart) is lousy, slow, often non-responsive. Their old software is particularly poor at Raleys where machines are often broken, slow, and just flat out work poorly; what is most odd about that is Raleys uses NCR POS systems so you'd think the NCR POS Systems would interface well with the NCR Self Checkout. I sort of understand at places like Wal Mart who run IBM systems on NCR self checkouts that it will be... a bit buggy.

I had noticed recently Target seemed to ditch the NCR Self Checkout Software for its own software and it is much more responsive than it used to be.

Wal Mart has some very interesting NCR Self Checkouts in one store here. They are tiny units. They do not accept any weighable produce or cash. The scanner is a small 3x5 glass piece right under the screen and then under that is one plastic bag rack. Beyond that there is just a screen and printer. There is no "counter" space for items, just the plastic bag rack to put items after you scan them. These seem like a good potential model for small grocery stores with limited space.
You must be referencing the Damonte Ranch store (#3277) with the small registers...those are a bit interesting.
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Re: Target Self-Checkout

Post by storewanderer »

bryceleinan wrote: July 11th, 2019, 10:37 pm
storewanderer wrote: March 21st, 2019, 10:57 pm
Alpha8472 wrote: March 21st, 2019, 2:46 pm Are these the self checkout machines that Target made themselves? Those are not the NCR ones with the automated money accepting slots.

NCR self checkout machine bill acceptors are notorious for breaking down and not working, so Target created their own self checkout machines for some stores.

I believe that NCR purposely makes their equipment break down easily so that they can charge for NCR technicians to make expensive in person repair jobs. It is a scam by these types of companies. That is how they make their money.

Also another flaw is the credit card reader pen that breaks easily and requires an in person repair job charge.
This is very interesting. The NCR bill accepting units are awful and jam up all the time. In general the NCR self checkout equipment is pretty awful. The latest software they have installed (currently at Save Mart and Wal Mart) is lousy, slow, often non-responsive. Their old software is particularly poor at Raleys where machines are often broken, slow, and just flat out work poorly; what is most odd about that is Raleys uses NCR POS systems so you'd think the NCR POS Systems would interface well with the NCR Self Checkout. I sort of understand at places like Wal Mart who run IBM systems on NCR self checkouts that it will be... a bit buggy.

I had noticed recently Target seemed to ditch the NCR Self Checkout Software for its own software and it is much more responsive than it used to be.

Wal Mart has some very interesting NCR Self Checkouts in one store here. They are tiny units. They do not accept any weighable produce or cash. The scanner is a small 3x5 glass piece right under the screen and then under that is one plastic bag rack. Beyond that there is just a screen and printer. There is no "counter" space for items, just the plastic bag rack to put items after you scan them. These seem like a good potential model for small grocery stores with limited space.
You must be referencing the Damonte Ranch store (#3277) with the small registers...those are a bit interesting.
The store I've seen the small NCRs at is South Carson City. They have a few on both ends of the store. They seem to be out of order quite a bit... tried using one last weekend; scanned item and it went to some sort of busy/gray screen then I noticed they had plastic "Lane Closed" signs on top of every unit and the clerk said they had been down all day trying to get updates... I don't recall seeing them at the Damonte Ranch one but may have missed them.

This is the unit: https://www.zdnet.com/article/nrf-micro ... vice-tech/
Ironic the sales pitch says the unit would not be ideal for Wal Mart, yet that is where it is...
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