Coles, Woolworths and Kmart move outrages Aussies: ‘Your problem’

An Australian shopper has declared he’s fed up with using self-serve checkouts at supermarkets and department stores because he’s ‘not interested’ in doing the job of a cashier. 

A post penned by one frustrated shopper went viral after she complained staff were trying to check her receipt after she used a self-serve checkout, has resurfaced this week.

Thee said a female worker stopped every customer who had used a self-checkout machine and made them line-up to have their receipts looked at. 

The furious shopper skipped the line and left, arguing if the store didn’t trust them to scan her items honestly, then they should bring back manned cashiers.

‘Dear Kmart, Coles, Woolworths etc etc and all other stores that have self checkout. You are almost exclusively self-checkout now,’ the post read.

‘You can either trust me to do self-checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be. 

‘I’m not interested in proving that I did your job for you. You want me to be a cashier with no training then that’s your problem not mine. 

‘You do not pay me to scan my own shopping. You don’t give me staff discount for working for you.’

The angry rant, which also said stores should bring back manned checkouts to create more job opportunities for young and old workers, has been doing the rounds on social media, with many resharing the post and saying they agree.

‘Yes I work at Bunnings and dislike them there to and I feel it is just creating more dishonesty,’ one person wrote.

Pictured: A worker checking customer receipts in a Kmart store

‘I have ALL my items delivered now,’ said another.

Supermarkets like Woolworths, Coles and Aldi all offer self-serve along with assisted checkouts, as do stores like Kmart.

A Kmart spokesperson earlier told Daily Mail Australia: ‘At Kmart, we strive to deliver an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience to all our customers whether they choose to shop with us in-store or online. 

‘Since late 2015, we began introducing self-service registers to our stores as part of our commitment to customers in allowing them to access a more efficient service, especially during peak trading periods.

‘The conversion of our manned registers to self-serve helps to aid the speed of transactions, but we will always have a Kmart team member available to support customers putting through transactions if they would like. 

‘Like many retailers it is also a condition of entry across all our stores that if requested, customers present any bags and receipt for checking before leaving the store.

‘We look forward to continuing to service all our customers in the many different ways they like to shop.’

However, Aussies expressed their support for the angry shopper online. 

One wrote: ‘I hate them and refused to use them for the longest time, but it’s gotten so there’s sometimes no staffed checkout open that you have to use them. Then there’s the errors and waiting for someone to fix it.

‘Bring back staffed checkouts. Or at least more open for those that can’t or don’t want to use them. Keep people in work and help those not able to physically use or perhaps understand using the stupid things.’

Another said: ‘Self service stresses me out. Half the time I place item in bagging area and it doesn’t compute. 

Furious shoppers online claimed they are being forced to use self-checkouts before being stopped and having their receipts scanned

‘The other annoyance is no space to pack your trolley. And I I feel rushed because it’s always a huge line up. I’ll stick to having a human serve me thanks.’

A Woolworths spokesperson previously said: ‘We’re focused on providing our customers with multiple ways to shop with us, given their ever-changing needs.

‘Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many customers opted for safer and more convenient ways to complete their shop which include self service checkouts.

‘However, if customers prefer to be served by a team member that option is always available via our service desk or other manned checkouts.

‘We’ve seen a big uptake in customers using Direct to Boot and home delivery, while others decided to streamline their in-store experience through the use of Scan&Go and self-service.’

A source insisted that Coles does not have a policy of checking the receipt of a customer when they leave the self-checkout area.