Kroger is getting rid of the computer and the Ipad from Uscan soon. Supposedly, employees will have to use integrated cashier for things like clearing alcohol and scanning coupons. This makes things harder because we won't be able to multi-task anymore. Has anybody heard anything else about this?
One of the stores near the one I work at already changed to this. I don't know much about it personally, just that customers have told me the attendants have to go up to the screen to do anything on it.
Well... I guess the wait time at self scan just got longer for customers. Good going, Kroger... nice to see the company's stupid moves aren't just limited to actions that impact employees.
Yeah, our store's had it for a month or so. The main computer was replaced with an additional pay station with its own card terminal (it doesn't really control any of the other robots). You can use it to check customers out but it's mainly for if they have checks, want to buy postage stamps or Kroger gift cards or something of the like, you'd have to transfer their order from their robot to that pay station and they finish and pay there. The pad is still there but you're not supposed to take it off the charger except to scan large items. All the self checkout people were warned that if we're seen with it in our hands while we're trying to multitask that we'd be written up (it's apparently that serious).
Also, make sure you remember deodorant because you'll be up close and personal with customers all day long. Any time they need ANYTHING you have to come over, scan your integrated barcode, and a menu pops up that lets you type in their birthday or whatever. But you better type in their birthday quickly because they voice announces the numbers you type in really loudly if you aren't quick enough, and people get understandably offended to have their birthday announced to the whole store. Also they see what date you put in so you can't just glance at their ID and then make one up. Also the voice tries to be polite and helpful but talks way too much and comes off as extremely aggressive and bossy.
The new hardware/software they're running it through is complete dog****. Today alone I reset three different robots because they froze while customers were checking out, and three of our 6 receipt printers stopped working so I had to manually reprint receipts all day. I haven't had a shift at SCO since the change where a robot doesn't freeze or has some major issue at least once.
I honestly wish they'd go back to the old way. And I bet if enough customers complain like they have been at our store they just might.
Are you guys referring to the touch screen ones only with seperate pinpad or am I thinking of something different. At ours we use the touch screen with pinpad, no mobile or pda like device to my knowledge.
Thanks for the head-ups! I think I'm going to ask them to take me off u-scan permanently. This sounds like a huge headache coming. I won't be able to multi task with the new change, and plenty of people will be stealing because I now I can't watch all of these registers.
As a shopper, I hate the new u-scans. Whenever I have several items, especially whenever I have several 2-liter bottles, I like to double bag them and put them on the shelf above the bag carousel. This keeps them from falling over. Every time I do that now, I get the you must scan every item before placing it in the bag message or please place the item back in the bag. Then at the end when I go to pay it says, "Please wait for customer assistance." One of these days when that happens again I'm just going to walk off and leave everything there.
Even on bad days, Kroger U-Scans are a hundred times better than Walmart ones. Every single time i use a walmart one, it complains about the weight of an item, and they don't even have the space above to put items like Kroger does so if you have more than like 1 bag full of items, it practically forces you to wait in their long-ass lines.
It's going so well corporate put a month hold on rolling out to more stores because of freezing issues, issues with WIC and so on.
You basically have to run around and be in every customer's space. You can't multitask, you can't fix "problems" at a glance you must physically go to that robot. We've got six and we're a high theft store. We all know it'll be a clusterf*ck. They don't fuss about weight or stuff being bagged then removed like the old system.
We're wondering how you keep an eye on orders with 94 items if you have to turn your back to scan into a robot to help every customer with simple things? I went to a training store and the person there thinks it puts more accountability on the attendant so it'll be easier to get fired if you have a walk off or make a mistake. They used to like working uscan and now it makes them irritable. It was clearly designed by someone obsessed with staying in the box because the attendants walk back and forth like they're guards on the prowl. Attendants have no overview of what's going on and customers just get "help is on the way" messages.
Customer's don't go to uscan to engage, just get in and get out. The only thing is seems to improve is the issue with some gift card scammers by making them use the pay station to cash out.
