I have experienced at least two serious issues with the Coles self-checkouts, and it behoves readers to be aware of them lest they find a surprise on the final bill.
It is all too easy to accidentally scan an item twice; this then requires the intervention of a supervisor, as there is no way for the shopper to correct their mistake.
As someone with both an electronics and an IT background I do not understand why the machines cannot detect the same barcode being scanned twice in quick succession; in the electronics industry this is known as “switch bounce” and is easily corrected in both hardware and software.
Similarly, it is ridiculously easy to select the wrong menu item for fresh produce, again requiring a supervisor to deign to help.
Why cannot the shopper be trusted to correct their own mistakes?
We’re not children, after all, and unlike the now-ex staff we have not received any training on these devilish devices.
I believe it is reasonable for those shoppers forced to take on the burden of doing the checkout staff’s job for them to receive a discount on the final bill; surely they can afford that from not paying the wages of the staff that they must’ve sacked.
I note that this system has been in operation for well over a fortnight, at various stores; why was there no warning?
Coles’ silence on these issues is deafening, and is paternalistic to say the least; it is a major PR failure.
Email, Jun 5
Dave Horsfall, North Gosford