Good point, Pat. What a mess in this economy - businesses have to economize to survive (though I doubt WalMart does!), and have to cut employees.More joblessness, then more businesses can't sell because of that, and round we go.

Here, even the local library has had to cut its hours, putting yet more employees in financial jeapordy. So many are laid off and desperate.

I wrote a post above about dentists, and have to say the same about the Big Stores like WalMart. What happened to social conscience and contrbuting to help all our citizens (and the world)? Wrong values, wrong actions.

 Yes!!! I completely agree. If you're going to save money and take it away from others you should at least give a minmal perctent of savings to show good merit. That makes me not want to shop where they offer this option. Probably the new thing for every super market in the future, sad to say.

There is not rebate for scanning and bagging, but it is much quicker, which benefits me.

I never scan my own groceries, if I wanted to do that I would get a job in the grocery store. It takes jobs away  too and how much do they pay these cashiers min wage, I think the companies can afford that.

I agree wholeheartedly - if I'm going to do checker work, then I ought to get a discount.  Plus as you said, these stores are saving by having less employees. 

I understand your point, but if you use the self check out, you can take your time and make sure the prices they charge you are correct and can bag them where you want them to go in the kitchen.  For example, a bag for each area:  things in the fridge, things in the freezer, breads, canned foods, cereals, etc.  By doing it yourself, you can catch mistakes right away and know that what you are paying is what you should be paying.

Just a quick reply, I havent read all the posts yet. But wanted to say the IGA Foodliner we go to has the same policy. They insist on taking things to the car no matter how little. That store is in Boyd, Texas, very small town. My town is even smaller, Rhome. We dont have a store, or even a traffic light :)

DH and I moved out here to get away from Dallas in 2007 and love it. However, there is one fellow who tends to toss the bags in the trunk a bit roughly. After a couple times of him doing that I let him bring the items to the car.. if we try to refuse he says "store policy", and when we got to the trunk I told him to place the items in there gently, that was my policy :) 

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I've had a chance to read all the posts now. Personally I hate using the self-check because of the hassle. Continued beeps and waiting for someone to appear to correct and get things going again. Seems as soon as I start to build up a little speed, wham, another beep.  This is VERY annoying to me if I have frozen food items sitting there thawing while I wait on one person who is usually manning all the lines at once. I will only go that route if the other lines are very long.

Still, in spite of this I couldnt help but wonder if this is how people felt when the first self-serve gas station pumps came along.. and then later the first entire stations that were self-serve. My mother has told me there used to be a man or a couple of men check the oil etc when he pumped the gas. Self-serve stations cost him his job.. but then, eventually enough time passed and the next generation saw that as the norm. Time marches on, I just wish the automation would slow down.

 

 

 Personally I like the scanners. I like the annomnimity. I like not having to deal with dissaproving glances when I buy healthy foods that not everyone thinks is healthy or use 50 coupons and end up only paying a couple bucks for a weeks worth of groceries. KWIM? 

The argument used here against them could just as easily be applied to all the teenagers stealing jobs from family heads that need the money to pay their bills or older ones that want to stay independent just a bit longer. 

 

rolo:

small town also has a FULL service gas station with gas the same price as the self serve--they wash every window,

oh, those were the days my friend. I would love for that to still be here.   There is a Foodland store in a town near us that still has carry-out.  They will also carry a gallon of milk to your car if need be.  but......the prices are so steep that i only shop there in an emergency for one or two things and i usually carry it out myself unless they insist.   i do not like the self-scanners at wal-mart.  my son has shown me several times how to use them,   but i prefer a real person for check-out.

I feel it does "pay" to use the self scanners.  Most every time I do, I find some sale/coupon/offer/price on the shelf that does not scan properly.  By taking the time to scan my own, I can get these corrected without holding up the people in my lane (around here, our self-scans are a one-line-for-many-check-stand set up).

If I allow the checker to scan, I often doen't get to see prices as they ring up.  Then I have to go to customer service, if I notice before I leave the store, and get the difference. 

I don't like unemployment, but I don't value the service they provide enough to use it most of the time.  And I think that gets to the heart of this discussion.  In tough times, people are more careful about the choices they make with their money. And it doesn't mean service people will all disappear.  While I may not value a grocery checker, I do value fresh produce grown with few to no pesticides.  So I belong to a CSA.  I value a good auto mechanic (fix my car instead of replace it).  I do value a good carpenter (install mouldings in my house much faster and better than we could, leaving us free to work at things we know). 

I feel that as this downturn wears on, and more people become unemployed, workers will have to take a long, hard look at their skills, their potential skills and what people value.  I think there will always be the (more expensive) grocery store that has carry out and checkers in areas where people value that and are willing to pay for it.  But workers and consumers alike need to realize that service has a price.  Choosing not to pay for a service doesn't make you a bad person who likes unemployment.