Kmart shoppers complain about staff asking to check receipts

Kmart shoppers have complained about staff checking receipts of customers who use the self checkout, claiming they should be trusted to be honest.

A shopper has taken aim at Kmart over its vigilance in checking the receipts of customers leaving the store after using self-serve checkouts.

The woman took issue with the retailer placing an employee at the exit to check receipts of customers who used the self checkouts.

She claimed on her most recent visit, she “skipped the line” that formed in front of a woman checking receipts because she “didn’t choose to participate in that nonsense”.

“So I just skipped the exit line and left. I heard her saying ‘Ma’am’ as I kept walking and raised the receipt above my head, leaving the store,” she wrote in a post to Facebook.

She argued retailers should either trust customers to be honest at the self checkout or reinstate staffed checkouts.

“You can either trust me to do self checkout, or you can put your cashiers back in place like it used to be. I’m not interested in proving that I did your job for you,” she wrote.

“You want me to be a cashier with no training then that’s your problem not mine. Don’t audit me for a position you refuse to employ any longer.”

In less than 24 hours, her post had attracted comments from almost 6000 people, many agreeing with the original poster.

“I agree. Why should I use a self checkout. I am not getting the items any cheaper. Bring back that little thing called service,” one comment read.

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A shopper has taken aim at Kmart over its vigilance in checking the receipts.

“I hate self checkouts. If I wanted a job doing that, I would have applied for one ages ago. I refuse to use them as it encourages job losses for others,” another comment, which was liked hundreds of times, said.

“Totally agree. I refuse to use self checkout. I ask the person on the self checkout to put my items through for me. I don’t work there. I don’t get a discount for self-service,” someone else wrote.

Others raised concerns about not having enough space at the self checkouts to place all their items, while some felt removing staffed registers would disadvantage young people starting out in the workplace.

Similar sentiment was highlighted in a recent TikTok video that claimed carrot sales had gone through the roof “since we’ve all become checkout operators”.

@stevesammartino Are you completely honest at the self service checkout in the Supermarket? #retail#retailhack#selfservice#checkout#coles#woolworths#prices#discount#stealing#costcutting#robots#staff#wages#technology#business#retailstrategy#motivation#secret#ideas#innovation#costcutting#fyp#foryou#foryoupage#supermarkets#carrots♬ original sound - Steve Sammartino

“The reason carrot sales went up by so much is that people would say that they’re buying carrots instead of expensive things like mangoes to save a bit of money,” the man behind the video said.

“Coles and Woolworths, they know this, and they don’t care because they’d much rather have you do the work than to pay staff to do it for you.”

Some however felt such harsh rejection of self checkouts was unjustified.

“I don’t understand all this indignation with self checkouts, especially Woolies and Coles. They still have large teams of staff members, unlike Aldi shops which often have only one person on deck,” one wrote in a comment on the Kmart post.

“Working on a checkout is tedious drudgery, just one of many repetitive jobs that automation has been making superfluous. Companies are struggling to find staff at the moment, so there’s plenty of other more meaningful jobs available.”

Someone else said they preferred self checkouts but didn’t like being closely monitored by staff.

“More than once I’ve had to tell them to back up cause I can literally feel their breath on my neck. They won’t pay for someone to operate a checkout but they will pay for someone to stand there and stare at people all day,” they wrote.

Staffed checkouts still available

A Woolworths spokesperson said staffed checkouts were still available for customers who preferred not to use the self checkouts.

“We’re focused on providing our customers with multiple ways to shop with us, given their ever-changing needs,” they told news.com.au.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many customers opted for safer and more convenient ways to complete their shop which include self-service checkouts.

“However, if customers prefer to be served by a team member, that option is always available via our service desk or other manned checkouts.

“We’ve seen a big uptake in customers using direct to boot and home delivery, while others decided to streamline their in-store experience through the use of Scan&Go and self-service.”

Kmart responds to complaints

A Kmart spokesperson said bag checks were a condition of entry regardless of how customers made their purchase.

“At Kmart, we strive to deliver an enjoyable and convenient shopping experience to all our customers whether they choose to shop with us in-store or online,” they told news.com.au.

“Like many retailers it is a condition of entry across all our stores that if requested, customers present any bags and receipt for checking before leaving the store. This is standard procedure that occurs regardless of how a customer makes their purchase, whether it be from our service desk, self-service checkouts or if they have been assisted by a team member.

“Since late 2015, we began introducing self-service registers to our stores based on customer feedback, as part of our commitment to customers in allowing them to access a more efficient service, especially during peak trading periods. The conversion of our manned registers to self-serve helps to aid the speed and convenience of transactions, but we will always have a “Kmart team member available to support customers putting through transactions if they would like. We look forward to continuing to service all our customers in the many different ways they like to shop.”