CT Stop & Shop Self-Scanners are Too Sensitive According to Some

I know the beginning stages of a movement when I see one and we're in on the ground floor.

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A recent question on the Connecticut Reddit page seemed to strike a chord with a whole bunch of people who think Stop & Shop scanners are too sensitive.

A Reddit user that goes by the name "opeidoscopic" posed the question on Sunday (6/19/22), writing: "Did Stop and Shop self-scanners get more sensitive recently?" They added: "During my last few shopping trips the self-scanner has glitched out multiple times and summoned the clerk. It's really obnoxious to be treated like a criminal for breathing on the weight scale wrong when if I really wanted to steal all I'd have to do is walk out with my cart." The responses came in fast and furious, these are some of my favorites:

Tree Eleben: "They're so ridiculously sensitive. Frozen items with some frost or condensation on the box trigger the you didn't scan this alarms. Even the weight of a single reusable bag locks the machine until the attendant verifies its a bag and not stolen merchandise."

Max1035: "Every time… I’m always getting an “unexpected weight in the bagging area” and yet whenever I try to buy something light, like a little bit of ginger, it yells at me and accuses me of not bagging the item. :("

fatherfatpants: "The trick is to go to Big Y instead, where the self-checkouts don't even have scales built into them."

Armsmaster2112: "One time I hot the button that said I'm using my own bag. And it told me there was an unexpected item in the bagging area after i put the bag down. This is after the time before where i put the bag down without hitting the button and it locked down due to unexpected items in the bagging area. Like f--- what do you want from me? It locks up no matter what I do."

fiercelittlemexi: "I do think they’ve become more sensitive! Last trip I took they even had a replay of footage from a camera recording above my scanner. The message popped up and said that I was bagging items that haven’t been scanned yet. I was shook! I had to have an employee come and help me at least 3 times. It’s frustrating and making the check out process longer than it needs to be."

Em_claff: "A clerk at my local store just confirmed this last week! She said they got new software that made the scales much more sensitive."

IndicationOver: "Makes sense people have been stealing."

ilkopo: "I stopped shopping at stop and shop due to their annoying self check out and drive to the big y farther away. Takes so f------ long for the thing to let you scan the next item."

Toucan Panda: "Not to mention how fricken loud they are. I feel like I’m being screamed at by a machine and now everyone knows my business. Edit: spelling."

beanie0911: "Ha, reading the post and replies, I feel less crazy now. I was at S&S two weeks ago and felt like I was being punked. Machine randomly accused me three times of not bagging items and locked up."

00SpaceCownoy00: "As someone who used to work at Stop and Shop, you’re 100% correct. They’re over sensitive, barely scan items, and people with carts with tons of items oblivious to what the self scans are actually for. Thank god I got out of there, go to Shop-Rite is my recommendation."

Jhon778: "I work there and they are the worst they've been in a while. I'm there for 6 hours tomorrow and I'm ready for death."

wakinupdrunk: "It's funny because the oversensitivity is causing two things.

1. Clerks are not checking to see if anyone is actually stealing because it happens so often - if they investigated even half the time the scale caused a warning message no one would ever get through. Instead, they'll waive literally everyone by.

2. I am more inclined to steal shit to spite them and because of 1, I could pretty easily get away with it.

It is the worst designed system I have ever seen. It's a perfect example of designing for logic, not people."

Everyone on Reddit seems to agree these things are too sensitive, now the question becomes what are we going to do about it? I'm going to meditate on this and get back to you, but reach out to me with any suggestions. I'm not a Stop & Shop guy so I cannot speak to these particular issues but I am a self-checkout person and I'd like to share a few things:

• Way too many people that don't know how to use self-checkout are attempting to use it and killing the vibe and speed for the rest of us.
• The store I go to has one person assigned to watch over 4 self-checkout stations and that person is having to work way harder dealing with broken machines and angry customers than your average bear.

Semi-related note: If you are an adult who likes stickers, don't go to the Price Rite on Main Street in Danbury. One day I attempted to buy a football sticker from one of the gumball machines and it didn't vend. I brought this to the attention of the manager on the floor who told me "it's not our problem."

I also got a judgmental gaze for even bringing it up. Look, don't judge me for liking stickers. I may be 43 but I still have air in my lungs and I love fun. It's not my issue that you died inside years before I tried to buy a sticker. Get someone from corporate on the phone, you owe me a dollar.