Coles responds to customer's viral complaint about self-serve checkout tactic
The supermarket has shared with Yahoo News what shoppers can do at their self-serve hybrid checkouts.
Coles self-service checkouts where customers scan their own groceries from an unmanned conveyor belt are becoming more common across the country, but many shoppers feel they're paying more for less service.
One woman shared how unimpressed she was after a Coles staff member allegedly "got her in trouble" for scanning her groceries "wrong".
The Western Australian shopper said she left her six items in the trolley and used the hand-held scanner instead of unloading them onto the conveyor belt and scanning before placing back into her trolley, but was told such a method was "not allowed".
"The Coles staff member standing there told me I must place all items on the conveyor belt. I said 'nah this way is easier than getting them out and putting them back'," the disgruntled shopper explained. "[The employee] said it's not allowed because then 'we can't watch you properly'."
The Perth customer had argued that having such a small amount of items meant it made no sense to remove them from her trolley and reasoned that since Coles can check receipts they'd be able to see if she was stealing, no matter how she used the scanners. "They want us to scan our own stuff but also want to tell me how to do it? Yeah, nah Coles," she said.
After sharing the gripe online on Monday, the post attracted more than 1,440 comments, with many critical of the apparent directive and bemoaning an increase in security measures being rolled out at Coles' self-serve checkout areas. However the company has since told Yahoo News Australia the way people scan their groceries in this instance is completely up to "personal preference".
Do you have a story about your local supermarket? Contact reporter Laura Koefoed at laura.koefoed@yahooinc.com
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After all the speculation online, Coles did not endorse the actions of the apparently overzealous worker, saying customers were free to scan their items any way they liked.
"Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to use self-checkouts — it all comes down to personal preference," a spokesperson said.
"Our dedicated team are always eager to help our customers, and they endeavour to offer tips and tricks to make the process as easy as possible".
Coles explained that some of the self-service checkouts now have hand-held scanners which are designed to make it easier to scan heavy items. "But customers are more than welcome to use this for all their shopping if they prefer!" the spokesperson confirmed.
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