Woolworths, Kmart and Coles slammed by furious shopper over self-checkout technology

An irate shopper has exploded at supermarket staff for trying to check her receipt on her way out after forcing her to use a self-checkout machine.

The shopper wrote an open letter to the popular Facebook group ‘Meanwhile in Australia’ to complain that she and several customers were forced to stop at a supermarket exit to have their receipts inspected.

She said a female employee would stop any customer who had used a self-checkout machine and queue them up to have their receipts checked.

The furious shopper skipped the line and left, before venting her anger on social media.

Customers from across Australia came together to support the woman, sharing stories of their own struggles with self-checkout services and why more and more major stores expect customers to do their own packaging.

Meanwhile, photos from a Kmart on Thursday showed an employee forcing several customers to stop on his way out while checking their receipts.

In their viral diatribe, the angry shopper questioned the lack of human cashiers in stores across Australia.

‘Dear Kmart, Coles, Woolworths etc etc and all other shops that have self checkout. You are now almost exclusively self-checkout.

“You can either entrust me with the self-checkout or put your cashiers back in their place as they used to be.

“I’m not interested in proving that I did your work for you. If you want me to be a cashier with no education, that’s your problem, not mine.

“Don’t check me for a position you no longer want to take.”

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

“Since late 2015, we have started introducing self-service registers in our stores as part of our commitment to giving customers access to a more efficient service, especially during peak periods.

“Conversion of our manned tills to self-service helps to speed up transactions, but we will always have a Kmart team member available to support customers in completing transactions if they wish.

‘Like many retailers, it is also a condition of access to all our stores that customers, if requested, show any bags and receipts for checking before leaving the store.

“We look forward to continuing to serve all of our customers in the many different ways they enjoy shopping.”

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

One wrote: ‘I hate them and refused to use them the longest, but it’s gotten to the point where sometimes there’s no manned till open that you have to use them. Then there are the errors and waiting for someone to fix it.

“Bring back manned cash registers. Or at least more open to those who can’t or don’t want to use them. Keep people working and help those who are unable to physically use or perhaps understand the stupid things.”

Another said: ‘Self-service stresses me out. Half the time I put the item in the pocket area and it doesn’t calculate.

“The other annoyance is no space to pack your trolley. And I feel rushed because it’s always a huge lineup. I’ll stick with having a human, thanks.’

A third says: ‘I only use self-checkouts when no other registers are open. I hate them with a passion – every time I use one, something always goes wrong with the machine and has to be unlocked by an employee.”

While a fourth added: ‘Yes! Give me a discount for checking out my own items/groceries.

“I don’t work for these companies, so I shouldn’t have to work to buy goods.”

A Woolworths spokesperson told the Daily Mail Australia: ‘We are focused on providing our customers with multiple ways to shop with us, given their ever-changing needs.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, many customers chose safer and easier ways to complete their store, including self-service checkouts.

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

“We’ve seen a strong turnout of customers using Direct to Boot and home delivery, while others decided to streamline their shopping experience through the use of Scan&Go and self-service.”

A source stressed that Coles has no policy of checking a customer’s receipt when they leave the self-checkout area.

Checking receipts isn’t the only method supermarkets use to check self-checkout customers.

Last month, Woolies shoppers threatened to boycott the supermarket after it introduced camera technology to self-checks.

Woolworths said the devices “record you and the transaction and detect when items are not scanned correctly.”

It is testing new camera technology in some stores to “reduce mis-scans and improve speed for customers at checkout.”

The technology uses overhead cameras and artificial intelligence to detect when items are not being scanned correctly.

“If an incorrect scan occurs, the affected product will be highlighted in a short video and customers will be given the option to scan it again,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

However, some customers say that the new technology makes them feel like thieves.

Coles has also introduced surveillance cameras and high-tech scanning systems that can detect product details down to the type of apple a shopper weighs.

The supermarket loses an estimated $891 million a year from theft and Woolworths loses up to $1 billion a year, the Global Retail Theft Barometer previously reported.

It was also revealed in August that cost-of-living pressures are causing Aussies to thieve at self-service cash registers at supermarkets.

The survey found that 3.8 million people or one in five Australians admitted to having stolen items.

That figure included nine percent of shoppers who stole through the cashier’s checkouts and 10 percent who lied about what they scanned.