Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

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Alpha8472
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Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by Alpha8472 »

Sprouts is adding NCR Self Checkouts. I saw 6 of them being prepared at one store today.

I have found that this chain had a good supply of cashiers and baggers.

Perhaps they are becoming frugal now.
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Re: Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

I find it interesting how many stores install the terrible NCR Self Checkouts. In a store like Sprouts with a lot of PLU entry produce, this system is the most frustrating thing.

I don't have a bad time with the NCR Self Checkouts at Wal Mart or Rite Aid- since there is no PLU entry going on there.
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Re: Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by rwsandiego »

They have had self-checkouts in a couple of their Phoenix stores since early this year (possibly longer - I rarely shop there). They work OK, but as @storewanderer mentioned entering a PLU code is a hassle.

I wonder whether (and if so how many) we will see in their new smaller-footprint stores. These will be modeled after their San Diego stores (mostly former Henry's/Boney's) which have a lot of stuff crammed into small spaces.
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Re: Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by veteran+ »

storewanderer wrote: June 8th, 2021, 10:55 pm I find it interesting how many stores install the terrible NCR Self Checkouts. In a store like Sprouts with a lot of PLU entry produce, this system is the most frustrating thing.

I don't have a bad time with the NCR Self Checkouts at Wal Mart or Rite Aid- since there is no PLU entry going on there.
Ugh!

Those machines are the worse! They seem to be in a constant state of being repaired!

Side note: the interior hardware have so many sharp edges that cut your hands up.
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Re: Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by Alpha8472 »

I was talking to an NCR repairman and he mentioned that a coworker was terminated for purposely sabotaging the self checkout machines at a store. The repair people depend on machine malfunctions for work. If you do a mediocre repair, it is difficult to detect. However, they investigated her and there was an unusual pattern that implied sabotage. He didn't want to go into details, but it was pretty obvious if the machines are constantly breaking down.

Retail chains should go with Toshiba, which seems to be a more reliable brand. I have rarely ever seen a Toshiba machine that was out of order.

At my workplace, one of our NCR cash registers broke down and the technician looked at it for a few minutes and decided that it needed to be totally replaced. He did not even open up the machine. A few months later the second machine broke down and he said the same thing again.

His company must make tons of money for a total replacement.
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Re: Sprouts Adding Self Checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: June 9th, 2021, 11:43 am I was talking to an NCR repairman and he mentioned that a coworker was terminated for purposely sabotaging the self checkout machines at a store. The repair people depend on machine malfunctions for work. If you do a mediocre repair, it is difficult to detect. However, they investigated her and there was an unusual pattern that implied sabotage. He didn't want to go into details, but it was pretty obvious if the machines are constantly breaking down.

Retail chains should go with Toshiba, which seems to be a more reliable brand. I have rarely ever seen a Toshiba machine that was out of order.

At my workplace, one of our NCR cash registers broke down and the technician looked at it for a few minutes and decided that it needed to be totally replaced. He did not even open up the machine. A few months later the second machine broke down and he said the same thing again.

His company must make tons of money for a total replacement.
There is a Smiths in Reno on Lemmon Drive that opened around 2002 or so. It still has 4 of the original U-Scan machines it opened with. They later added 4 more self checkouts, then 6 more self checkouts. As is typical for Kroger there are a variety of different pieces of self checkout hardware in the store. Those four original units still work and rarely break. It was only recently they replaced the scanners on those which were old PSCs. The touch screens are not as sensitive as I think they should be but the machines still work...

The first generation NCR machines that Kmart got and then Albertsons then got around the same time barely made it to about 2010 before they simply went ka-put.

I guess as long as NCR keeps selling machines... Whole Foods recently installed NCR machines as well. I would have expected something more of Amazon. Usual awful interface. Last time I was buying some produce there I kept touching the picture of it and it would tell me to weigh item then it gave an "item cannot be sold" alert and required assistance. The employee tried it a couple times and it did the same thing- finally gave up and threw the bag of produce into the bagging area and said that one is on us since it won't let me charge you.
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