I am so tired of the uscan systems at the store that I work at, they need a huge update on everything. They breakdown almost every hour I have to worry the hell out of my front end manager about receipts, change, and cashback. The screens freeze up alot and that irritates me. The cash comes out at the bottom so customers often leave there money and I feel bad if they don't get it back when no one returns it. To top it off, we have these stupid cigarette cases on the #1 express check lane and I have turn my back for a min and all hell breaks loose.
Moreover, we have to stand in the middle and there's not much space (3 or 4 feet). At times and mostly when it's super busy the customers' children tend to play, run, and/or roll over on the floor. The uscan systems are by the front door and people walk in and out where I stand. I can barely move around to help customers because people coming from everywhere. I also don't like standing in the middle because I can't really see behind me and one day there was a man standing directly behind me for 30 mins watching.
Do you have to stand in the middle of SC at your store ? ( corporate said we had too.) Any updates at your store ?
I'm probably the only person at my store who loves 100% doing Uscan. And we have 4 Uscan banks at our store (6 x 4 = 18 robots plus 3 at the bistro).
The top issues that plague our Uscans:
- always out of cash. ether because the floor supervisors don't feel like putting money in them, are too busy to put money in them, or there isn't money to put in them. always leads to disabling cash payments.
- cash/coin dispensor jams. managers have to put in order to have them fixed, which could take a couple days. disable cash payments.
- handheld is always disconnected from the server, either cause the wifi signal is too weak or I dunno.
- the robots sometimes freeze up, even during mid transaction. always ends up transfering the order to the attendant station to take care of it.
- receipt printer gets jammed, so have to unjam it when customer complains they didn't get their receipts.
It's almost kinda comical how we then have to make these hand written signs out of post-it notes that we affix onto the screens. Me I just put one simple one that says simply "NO CASH." Others have gone to extreme lengths and put three of four signs, up, "No cash Or cash back" "card only." And what I find just absolutely hilarious, is that despite these signs, NOBODY reads them, well, some do, but not everybody. See the other's goal with putting up these signs is so that every customer reads them and understands that the damn machine doesn't take or give cash. It's not enough that the software displays a message "this lane is currently not accepting cash" on the screen after the customer touches the screen to start an order, but there must be PHYSICAL signs that say so.
Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn't put ANY signs up, because there is no point. About half the customers don't read them anyway. They always order cashback, or try to pay in cash, even if the signs are plastered all over the robot. It has actually been quite amusing to me to see just how many customers have done this.
Of course, our Uscans are setup that if a customer orders cashback even if the cash payments are disabled, the machine calls for the attendant and the attendant has to take this cash voucher that prints out and has to give the customer their cash from the attendant station. Now of course, if (when) this happens it usually leads to me having to get the floor supervisor to go into the office and place more cash in the attendant station's till (that's all they can do because they're too busy to put cash in the robots, for some reason...).
The handhelds... yeah, me and this one manager at the store, we're probably the ONLY people who prefer to use the barcode. Everyone else is so heavily dependent on the handheld. I use the barcode 100% of the time.
And you know what? None of this bothers me. Not a single thing about Uscan bothers me. Maybe it's just my attitude or how I view the job, but it's really not bothersome at all.
Now to answer your questions... I've only seen one occasion where a customer forgot to take their cash from the cash dispenser. It rarely happens.
The Uscan attendant must fetch cigarettes for customers. So quite often I have to leave the area to grab a customer's smokes. And when I get back, there's usually some "help is on the way" screens that need to be cleared. There's also an issue where some customers see this as their opportunity to walk out the door without paying. Again, none of that bothers me. It's part of the job.
As for the standing in the middle thing. No, never heard of that. The only thing our new CSM has pushed for is that attendants cannot stand at the attendant station unless they're helping a customer there. And even with that, I still see the other cashiers violating that rule all the time.
I'm probably the only person at my store who loves 100% doing Uscan. And we have 4 Uscan banks at our store (6 x 4 = 18 robots plus 3 at the bistro).
The top issues that plague our Uscans:
- always out of cash. ether because the floor supervisors don't feel like putting money in them, are too busy to put money in them, or there isn't money to put in them. always leads to disabling cash payments.
- cash/coin dispensor jams. managers have to put in order to have them fixed, which could take a couple days. disable cash payments.
- handheld is always disconnected from the server, either cause the wifi signal is too weak or I dunno.
- the robots sometimes freeze up, even during mid transaction. always ends up transfering the order to the attendant station to take care of it.
- receipt printer gets jammed, so have to unjam it when customer complains they didn't get their receipts.
It's almost kinda comical how we then have to make these hand written signs out of post-it notes that we affix onto the screens. Me I just put one simple one that says simply "NO CASH." Others have gone to extreme lengths and put three of four signs, up, "No cash Or cash back" "card only." And what I find just absolutely hilarious, is that despite these signs, NOBODY reads them, well, some do, but not everybody. See the other's goal with putting up these signs is so that every customer reads them and understands that the damn machine doesn't take or give cash. It's not enough that the software displays a message "this lane is currently not accepting cash" on the screen after the customer touches the screen to start an order, but there must be PHYSICAL signs that say so.
Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn't put ANY signs up, because there is no point. About half the customers don't read them anyway. They always order cashback, or try to pay in cash, even if the signs are plastered all over the robot. It has actually been quite amusing to me to see just how many customers have done this.
Of course, our Uscans are setup that if a customer orders cashback even if the cash payments are disabled, the machine calls for the attendant and the attendant has to take this cash voucher that prints out and has to give the customer their cash from the attendant station. Now of course, if (when) this happens it usually leads to me having to get the floor supervisor to go into the office and place more cash in the attendant station's till (that's all they can do because they're too busy to put cash in the robots, for some reason...).
The handhelds... yeah, me and this one manager at the store, we're probably the ONLY people who prefer to use the barcode. Everyone else is so heavily dependent on the handheld. I use the barcode 100% of the time.
And you know what? None of this bothers me. Not a single thing about Uscan bothers me. Maybe it's just my attitude or how I view the job, but it's really not bothersome at all.
Now to answer your questions... I've only seen one occasion where a customer forgot to take their cash from the cash dispenser. It rarely happens.
The Uscan attendant must fetch cigarettes for customers. So quite often I have to leave the area to grab a customer's smokes. And when I get back, there's usually some "help is on the way" screens that need to be cleared. There's also an issue where some customers see this as their opportunity to walk out the door without paying. Again, none of that bothers me. It's part of the job.
As for the standing in the middle thing. No, never heard of that. The only thing our new CSM has pushed for is that attendants cannot stand at the attendant station unless they're helping a customer there. And even with that, I still see the other cashiers violating that rule all the time.
Which KMA are you in? Bistro SCO's are something new to the company! Toshiba or Fujitsu Hardware?
I'm probably the only person at my store who loves 100% doing Uscan. And we have 4 Uscan banks at our store (6 x 4 = 18 robots plus 3 at the bistro).
The top issues that plague our Uscans:
- always out of cash. ether because the floor supervisors don't feel like putting money in them, are too busy to put money in them, or there isn't money to put in them. always leads to disabling cash payments.
- cash/coin dispensor jams. managers have to put in order to have them fixed, which could take a couple days. disable cash payments.
- handheld is always disconnected from the server, either cause the wifi signal is too weak or I dunno.
- the robots sometimes freeze up, even during mid transaction. always ends up transfering the order to the attendant station to take care of it.
- receipt printer gets jammed, so have to unjam it when customer complains they didn't get their receipts.
It's almost kinda comical how we then have to make these hand written signs out of post-it notes that we affix onto the screens. Me I just put one simple one that says simply "NO CASH." Others have gone to extreme lengths and put three of four signs, up, "No cash Or cash back" "card only." And what I find just absolutely hilarious, is that despite these signs, NOBODY reads them, well, some do, but not everybody. See the other's goal with putting up these signs is so that every customer reads them and understands that the damn machine doesn't take or give cash. It's not enough that the software displays a message "this lane is currently not accepting cash" on the screen after the customer touches the screen to start an order, but there must be PHYSICAL signs that say so.
Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn't put ANY signs up, because there is no point. About half the customers don't read them anyway. They always order cashback, or try to pay in cash, even if the signs are plastered all over the robot. It has actually been quite amusing to me to see just how many customers have done this.
Of course, our Uscans are setup that if a customer orders cashback even if the cash payments are disabled, the machine calls for the attendant and the attendant has to take this cash voucher that prints out and has to give the customer their cash from the attendant station. Now of course, if (when) this happens it usually leads to me having to get the floor supervisor to go into the office and place more cash in the attendant station's till (that's all they can do because they're too busy to put cash in the robots, for some reason...).
The handhelds... yeah, me and this one manager at the store, we're probably the ONLY people who prefer to use the barcode. Everyone else is so heavily dependent on the handheld. I use the barcode 100% of the time.
And you know what? None of this bothers me. Not a single thing about Uscan bothers me. Maybe it's just my attitude or how I view the job, but it's really not bothersome at all.
Now to answer your questions... I've only seen one occasion where a customer forgot to take their cash from the cash dispenser. It rarely happens.
The Uscan attendant must fetch cigarettes for customers. So quite often I have to leave the area to grab a customer's smokes. And when I get back, there's usually some "help is on the way" screens that need to be cleared. There's also an issue where some customers see this as their opportunity to walk out the door without paying. Again, none of that bothers me. It's part of the job.
As for the standing in the middle thing. No, never heard of that. The only thing our new CSM has pushed for is that attendants cannot stand at the attendant station unless they're helping a customer there. And even with that, I still see the other cashiers violating that rule all the time.
Same here, I love UScan. Or, at least, I did before this new software and new machines came out. I miss my computer moniter that could watch every single transaction. It made it easy for me to spot thief.
1. Always out of cash? I'm at a "training store", so that doesn't really happen. They usually keep the machines super loaded with cash, so much that it's rare that we actually run out of money. One Saturday I had 3 machines card only, a Saturday night and was running out of money from the attendants station.
2. Coin/Dispenser Jams? These are super annoying, so I get it, but if your management is calling in every tiny dispenser error, they're driving the support team nutty! There are keys to open up the machines, from the top and bottom, you can open it from the top and see the dispenser (especially for coins, cash is in the bottom) and you can use the long wire of a flyswatter, keys, a pen, etc, to unjam coins. It's really simple, i'd suggest trying to learn it because it will help you a TON. And money jams are the same, you open the machine at the bottom, take out the box of the denominations that are stuck, and put up the bill thats scrunched in there. Done.
3. Handheld is always disconnected? This is likely not a coincidence. On these new machines, they absolutely do NOT want you using the handheld at all. Only if you're doing go backs late at night while running UScan, or bagging, and even then it's a visual thing. You are graded on how much you use the handheld and will be reprimanded for using it too much. They leave ours on its charger and not logged in.
4. Robots freezing? Maybe you don't have the latest upgraded software (or maybe you do and that's why they're crashing), but mine used to be SUPER bad until they started releasing updates for it. Scanning certain items would cause the entire lane to crash.. and you have to be super lucky to transfer it in time or the "transaction gets lost" and you have to start all over again.
5. Recepit Printer Jam? I'm not sure I believe you that you love UScan if you're complaining about this.. lol. It's uncontrollable and always happens, and running UScan you should expect to at least put receipt paper back in a few of the machines for a full 8.5 hour work day. Most customers only want the receipt so no one will accuse them of stealing. If I tell them I know they paid and they're fine, they're usually ok with no reprinting the receipt.
6. Signs "CARD ONLY!" Maybe because we're a training store, we aren't allowed to put up ANY signs that aren't from and written by Kroger. Which is ****ing stupid and annoying, so we basically have to stand by the machine that doesn't dispense and warn everyone. (Even though, you're right, the software shows an error message.. but most people don't look at the screen even, they come up, scan their kroger card, and THEN that message goes away after they scan something and won't appear again until they're on the payment screen and "cash" is disabled. It's so annoying. I hate it. So. Much. I used to always put signs up but stupid ass people STILL wouldnt read them. It's the most annoying part about uScan for me.
Cashback? If your supervisors have to go into the office, and then into the safe, to get more money for the attendants station, then your accountants are not doing their job properly. They always need to make sure the machines and attendant station are loaded with money. I've only had one issue almost running out of money, on a Saturday as mentioned above, but my station always has plenty of money. Sounds like your accountants/supervisors are literally just lazy.
Forgetting Cash Back Forgetting to take their cash is a huge problem, and one that can't be fixed. If they're so distracted and don't take their money, that's on them. I've had a customer request to see the tapes and chase down the man who took his cashback and get pissy with us over it. It isn't our fault you didn't take your cash, we didn't distract you and we aren't your babysitters so don't blame me for your dumbass mistake.
People leaving without Payment There is always no excuse for having customers leave with product without calling for a manager. If it's over $10, then I would be worried about it. I don't worry about small stuff, but have had customers steal beer and called the police and my manager. Don't pass this one off as "eh, part of the job" because that will be the quickest way to lose your job or your UScan position if you can't handle the orders. I know in primetime it gets super busy and sometimes we can't help it, but you should always have eyes open and always listen to the machines for the beeps of a payment going through and the audio of the machine saying it didn't accept their payment method. I always go over to the customers if they try twice and it still won't go through. Cause they aren't going to try to take off with you right there.
Standing in the Center ofUScan I'm surprised you have never heard this before... nothing against you, but the district you're in seems ****ty as hell. You are supposed to stand in the middle so you can see and hear every screen, and during primetime you should be at the milk coolers behind UScan inviting customers into UScan. If my UScan is full, I stand where typical people would be waiting in line for the next open machine. District or any upper management would NOT be happy that the UScan attendant isn't following best practicies and definitely say something to your bosses.
I see, I know which store your are @...... You never have a dull moment, your stores stories even beat my stores stories!
Crap... lol. Yeah, always something happening.
Anonymous wrote:
I miss my computer moniter that could watch every single transaction. It made it easy for me to spot thief.
When I first started to do Uscan I cared about the customers that stole. Tried to be more vigilant. But after seeing how I have to fetch customers cigarettes and leave the Uscan unmanned and how there's almost never a security guard posted at the door or some kind of policy that the security guard watch the Uscan while I fetch cigarettes; and after seeing how many times customers just leave when I do that, I've decided to just not care so much of customers that steal.
This isn't my money walking out the door. I once told a co-manager that a customer walked out the door without paying and they put me on register for the rest of my shift pending a write up... But the CSM, luckily, talked to the co-manager (explained how it is impossible for the Uscan attendant to prevent that kind of theft all the the time) and I wasn't written up and was allowed back on Uscan the next day.
Worrying about customers that steal, as I've learned, is Loss Prevention's job, not mine.
