Coles, Woolworths staff react as shoppers roasted over checkout request: 'Traumatised'
Workers from supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths have weighed in on a TikTok that depicts a familiar interaction at store checkouts.
TikToker @louisetayladouglas posted the skit to her channel on Monday, generating 72,800 views within hours.
The video re-enacts an exchange between a supermarket cashier and a customer who refuses to use a self-serve checkout, despite all the manned registers being closed.
“This checkout is actually closed but you’re able to go through the self-serve checkout,” the cashier says to the customer.
“No I refuse to use those, they’re taking over jobs,” retorts the customer.
The staffer offers to find someone to assist the shopper at the self-serve checkout, but this suggestion is met with anger.
“It’s not that I need help hun, it’s that I don’t depend on technology,” the customer says.
From there, a grating back-and-forth takes place, where the customer rants that machines are taking over supermarkets and that she’s saving the cashier’s job.
“Ma’am it is 10pm... This register is closed down, I couldn’t put it through even if I wanted to,” the cashier responds.
The customer retorts that the cashier has the power to open the register and demands that her groceries be put through, stating: “please, I would like to go home.”
“You and me both babe, that’s why I’m counting the register,” the staffer replies.
The customer takes the cashier’s statement as an indication that the till isn’t yet closed. “So it is open,” she says, eliciting an eye-roll from the cashier.
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Woolworths, Coles workers share customer stories in comments
The video has earned hundreds of comments, many of which have been from supermarket employees.
“Story of my life at Coles,” one staffer commented.
“I worked at Woolworths for seven years and this traumatised me,” joked another.
“You would be able to understand how it feels to serve customers like this at my trade desk self checkout at Bunnings,” said a third.
“I get yelled at by customers because I’m a ‘self-serve operator’ and I’m stealing jobs away. We hire more people for self-serve than actual tills,” wrote a fourth.
“God this brings back memories, went through the same thing when I worked at Woolies and my store got self-serve machines,” noted a fifth.
TikTok reacts to hilarious TikTok: 'Can't deal'
Many other TikTokers have commented on the woman’s video with their own views on the skit.
“My social anxiety can’t deal with not using self checkouts,” one TikTok user said.
“Does self checkout eliminate a cashiering position? Yes. Is the job gone entirely? No. Did the budget change? Also no. They can stock/clean now,” added a third.
Meanwhile some viewers took the customer's side, arguing that self-serve checkouts are riddled with problems.
“I dislike how poorly the self service checkouts are designed, it's so slow and unwieldy. Seriously Aldi has it right and it's faster,” commented one person.
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