Comment on OpenAI sees human interaction as a competitor to ChatGPT's super assistant ambitions
Thorry84@feddit.nl 4 weeks agoFor me personally, the self checkout is just a way better solution to the problem. It’s for me much faster and more efficient. It’s also easier for the store itself. The best kind of self checkout for me is where you can scan everything with a hand scanner or app whilst shopping. Then just pay at the self checkout and walk out. That way I just put the stuff in my bag directly, instead of from the shelf into the basket or cart. Then from the cart to the checkout and then from the checkout into my bag. It also spreads out the action of scanning the products, which means avoiding a slow and repetitive task scanning it all in 1 go. I’m also not blocking a checkout whilst scanning. I hate it when stores that offer the hand scanner have people scanning a whole cart full of stuff at the checkout. And then bagging it of course, which blocks a checkout for ages. Just go to the regular checkout if you want to do that, the cashier is faster than you are and you can focus on bagging exclusively.
However the lack of human contact is an issue. I’ve seen a lot of stores that offer self checkout recently make one or two lines available for chatting. It’s just the regular oldskool cashier, but they are relaxed about it and chat with the customer. This means people in a hurry or that don’t need contact right then can go fast through the self checkout. And people who like to chat can use the chatty checkout with a good old human being.
This for me is the best way to apply new tech, all of the benefits for all parties involved and hopefully none of the downsides.
semperverus@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Most stores dont let you take the hand scanner, and it would consume that kiosk the entire time you’re shopping.
Thorry84@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
No, the hand scanners aren’t connected to the kiosks. They are at the entrance, you pick them up, scan all you want to buy. Then at checkout you place the scanner into a kiosk, it knows what you bought and you can checkout as usual. Every once in a while a store employee takes the scanners and puts them into the holders in the entrance. Depending on the size of the store there can be up to a hundred of these scanners available.
Other stores do the same, except your phone is the scanner with an app you can download. It works basically the same way. Most stores that offer the app also offer the hand scanners, which I prefer.
semperverus@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
What I am telling you is that while that sounds like an amazing idea in theory, in practice almost no stores offer it. How can we do that if its not even an option? I have literally never seen it done anywhere here or in any of the other places I’ve traveled to (I’ve been to about 5 different states this year alone).
sykaster@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
Brother I live in western Europe and of the 6 supermarkets in my smallish city, 4 offer the handscanner. It’s incredibly common here, and very convenient.
Thorry84@feddit.nl 4 weeks ago
Ah you are from the US? No then it probably won’t be available. The US is very slow to make changes in retail. You only recently got those digital price tags that update constantly, we’ve had those for 10 years or so. In Europe the hand scanner or app self scan thing is very common.
abeorch@friendica.ginestes.es 4 weeks ago