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Sainsburys - MJB (11th Aug 2024 - 12:26:15) AI tills coming to Sainsburys next month. What fun!

Re: Sainsburys - PR (11th Aug 2024 - 12:53:05) From where does your information come ? See - thegrocer.co.uk/sainsburys/sainsburys-adding-ai-to-checkouts-as-part-of-next-generation-till-upgrade

Re: Sainsburys - Joe (11th Aug 2024 - 13:43:16) It is only for the tills where you serve yourself already to help cut down on theft.

Re: Sainsburys - Sam (11th Aug 2024 - 15:25:54) AI has already plateaued, whilst some individuals and orgs are doing very well out of its adoption many have wasted millions on it for a lesser return. Turns out is likely going to settle in the future as an almost nothing blip being sold as the next big thing.. whilst it’s still on target to be big it’s not all that. Best to remain interested in it, learn to use it etc but not bet your house on it, half the stuff claiming to use AI has no AI at all! It will be like the i before iPhone then that i appeared before everything, soon people will be clamouring for the AI toothbrush, the AI plant pot, the AI pillow etc, hype is a requirement of most businesses to survive

Re: Sainsburys - er (11th Aug 2024 - 20:03:55) It's jobs that will go Sam.

Re: Sainsburys - Jim (11th Aug 2024 - 21:55:32) er - what jobs will go? All the AI does is recognise a banana is a banana so you don't have to waste time searching for banana on the screen.

Re: Sainsburys - PR (12th Aug 2024 - 09:29:35) If you read the thread posted by the editor I believe at the end it says 'Sainsbury's will keep at least one manned checkout open in all branches' ~ I can't check this as it now wants me to subscribe to re read it. I think that pretty much equates to job cuts.

Re: Sainsburys - Editor (12th Aug 2024 - 09:35:27) Interesting to see that another supermarket, Booths, has decided to reverse the move to self checkouts. I wonder how long it will take for others to follow. See bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-67373472 "Supermarket chain Booths is axing almost all self-service tills in its stores in what it says is a response to customer demand. All but two of the 28 stores run by the company, which trades in northern England, will have staffed checkouts."

Re: Sainsburys - Gr (12th Aug 2024 - 09:39:02) We can but hope sainsburys will follow

Re: Sainsburys - Truth (12th Aug 2024 - 10:21:49) Not sure why people are saying new tills will mean less staff? Anytime I've been in, the majority of tills are not staffed ...

Re: Sainsburys - PR (12th Aug 2024 - 10:31:36) I don't think Sainsbury's have thought this through, other than in terms of profit by making savings on staff. This proposal brings no benefit to the some elderly people who find automation difficult to deal with, and also enjoy interaction with the staff. This used to come under the heading 'Service' For some in our community shopping is an important part of social interaction, especially those who live alone. Additionally, there used to be a 'Quiet Hour' when those with hearing problems such as Tinnitus, PTSD, and other problems when you could shop without the endless and somewhat pointless recorded announcements, and other intrusive noises. This seems to have been abandoned. There are others, including myself, who have Dyscalculia for whom it will make shopping problematic. Sainsbury's should learn that One Size does NOT fit all.

Re: Sainsburys - Jim (12th Aug 2024 - 17:26:50) Replacing manned checkouts might mean few staff are needed but that is not what is being proposed, which is to make the existing self-service checkouts easier and faster to use.

Re: Sainsburys - Sam (12th Aug 2024 - 17:52:28) Nobody talking about the levels of theft occurring at the self checkout that is driving this idea? Theft alone adds £380 to each of our annual shopping bill, yet we are mostly pointing the finger at Sainburys here ! There are many amongst us that are taking five finger discounts at our local supermarket and it’s us that end up paying for it.

Re: Sainsburys - AF (12th Aug 2024 - 20:53:11) I just hope they keep some cash tills. I want to use CASH. That's notes and coins for the cashless people.

Re: Sainsburys - Cash Free Society (12th Aug 2024 - 21:58:15) AF, It's time to go cashless, keep up with the times. It's no longer 2004, contactless exists.

Re: Sainsburys - AF (13th Aug 2024 - 07:08:31) Mr Cashless You are so so so wrong. We should always be able to pay with cash. I have the cards as well and use them but I will never leave my house without some cash and use it most days. I find the sign at shops no cash or contactless only offensive. You and your contactless brigade are part of the reasons all the banks closed down. What happens if the computer systems fail or are hacked, then you'll be crying out for a bit of cash

Re: Sainsburys - Pete (13th Aug 2024 - 08:10:24) AF- I love it on the rare occasion we agree with each other. We will miss it when its gone.

Re: Sainsburys - Cash Free Society (13th Aug 2024 - 08:50:39) AF, What you’re saying is absolutely absurd. For reference I haven’t stepped foot in a bank in over 10 years because there’s online banking that allows you to do everything instantly. I don’t use cash because a cash less society is the way forward, it’s securer for you and definitely safer for businesses so they don’t have to keep cash on site a very valid reason why you’ll see card only signs. As for you finding it offensive well that’s just absurd. What happened to supporting local business, if that business is card only do we no longer support it? If that business hires local people do we stop supporting it if it’s card only?

Re: Sainsburys - Joe (13th Aug 2024 - 10:03:29) The reasons small shops now say cash only is indeed it is safer, there is no employee time spent bagging up coins or notes no time spent queueing at banks waiting to pay in coins and notes and then getting charged for the privilege of depositing cash. Sure there are card machine charges but it makes accounting easier and you do not have to worry that anyone is going to query the change etc or give you fraudulent notes etc. Time is precious these days.

Re: Sainsburys - D (13th Aug 2024 - 11:24:42) Didn't something go wrong a couple of weeks ago where shops were unable to accept cards? Cash only? I rest my case.

Re: Sainsburys - Truth (13th Aug 2024 - 11:41:44) Part of the reason for a push to cashless society is security - it makes it harder for criminals to pay for things if their money is obtained illegally. That's probably a good thing. It also allows the Govt and Police to track electronic money transfers of all sorts and use it as evidence in e.g. HMRC cases. Whether we prefer to use cash is becoming irrelevant - Govt wants control and information, so we will be pushed towards cashless whether we want it or not.

Re: Sainsburys - AF (13th Aug 2024 - 19:32:08) Well I think other people have made my points for me. In Liphook there are no shops that are completely cashless which is a good thing and there are in fact some that only take cash. In addition I know of several people in Liphook cleaners, gardeners and window cleaners who only take cash. So to support local business you need cash. As for the banks closing Mr Cashless proved my point saying he hasn't gone into a bank in ten years because of this cashless society he wants, it's because of people like him they all closed. And lastly as another poster says I don't want govt and others to track all my purchases.

Re: Sainsburys - geoff (14th Aug 2024 - 08:30:32) Try paying by card next time you visit a Turkish barber and let me know how you get on.

Re: Sainsburys - Joe (14th Aug 2024 - 09:43:12) I think the less said about Turkish Barbers the better.

Re: Sainsburys - Salty (17th Aug 2024 - 15:59:32) Food for thought - no pun intended It will never ever work .... telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/08/16/self-checkouts-went-too-far-admits-morrisons-boss

Re: Sainsburys - D (18th Aug 2024 - 19:17:01) A cashless society would eradicate the anomaly of some self employed being paid in cash and not declaring it. I wonder how many millions are lost to the treasury every year by this. Given how the government know exactly how much I've earned over the past forty years in P.A.Y.E. I'm not really bothered about them knowing how many packets of Hobnobs I get through a week.

Re: Sainsburys - PR (21st Aug 2024 - 15:31:20) Peak shopping time today, three checkouts open, large queues, and apparently store ground staff being are now being time monitored for other activities such as customer assistance. Probably be ankle tagged shortly. It's gone to hell in a handcart, or probably more accurately, the handcart can go to hell. In conversation with other queuing shoppers no-one is in favour of the proposed revisions. Looking forward to the September changeover .... ??

Re: Sainsburys - Daisy (27th Aug 2024 - 16:57:52) I use smart shop all the time. It saves me packing and unpacking my shopping. Sometimes you have a re scan of a few items or a full rescan for the whole of your shop. But not that often unless you have done something wrong. You can also see what you are spending and if you want to pay cash You can still go to a till and scan the QR code on the front of the till screen. There is no point moaning on here if you don't want to use the smart shop or self scan. These decisions are normally made from head office so e mail or contact them. Not fair to have a go at the staff either, which I witnessed today.

Re: Sainsburys - Lorac (12th Sep 2024 - 10:09:36) Since we have had on line banking, shopping and card only transactions there has been a huge increase in online fraud which banks and government seem reluctant to admit to or to rectify. Many of us have fallen prey, unwittingly, to online fraudsters who globally have amassed an incredible amount of riches, and no accountability accorded to any of them; they are invisible. Cash however is visible, harder to steal and a bag-snatching thief would need to run like hell to avoid capture. We need both card and cash; cash is welcomed by the older generation, familiar methods are reassuring to them, while the younger more computer- able enjoy the instant features of online transactions. In the future, though, we might find ourselves communicating only with our computers, i phones etc and see or meet hardly any living soul.

Re: Sainsburys - Phelim (12th Sep 2024 - 16:18:28) Mr Cashless and his ilk needs to go on holiday to Dublin and a lot of non-UK destinations. From taxis to restaurants you will find that they avoid cards and are generally cash only. Why? Because the card charges are so high they are the equivalent of one or two extra members of staff. It could simply be that the self-service tills exist as much as the less staff covers the charges (bank as well as MasterCard/Visa) for those who are "cashless".

Re: Sainsburys - Cash Free Society (13th Sep 2024 - 07:33:00) Phelim, I assume you’re referring to me. For context, this year alone I’ve traveled extensively to places like Iceland, Norway, Spain, France, Italy, Aruba, and more. In all of those destinations, I’ve never encountered any issues using cashless payments—it’s been quite seamless. I use an international bank account that allows me to exchange currencies at the current rate, making cashless transactions even more convenient for me. In terms of merchant fees, providers like Barclays, Squareup, and SumUp charge around 1.6% to 1.75%. While fees do add up, they’re highly unlikely to equate to the cost of two additional staff members, especially when compared to minimum or living wages..

Re: Sainsburys - Darren (13th Sep 2024 - 13:02:02) I've never understood retailers insistence on cash because of the card fees? Surely the card fee is just another business expense and you factor that into your pricing, no different to any other expense. With the added benefit that your profit margin goes up for anyone who chooses to pay in cash. Am I missing something?

Re: Sainsburys - Pete (16th Sep 2024 - 15:50:30) Darren- The bit you're missing is that small retailers have to cut their margins so tight to compete with the larger ones, partly due to us all wanting everything as cheap as poss, that the card fees can make all the difference.

Re: Sainsburys - Joe (16th Sep 2024 - 17:21:44) I disagree Dave because all the cash that has to be paid into the bank by hand has to be counted and the business customer is charged for that so it probably works out a similar charge. Plus there is the worry of keeping the cash on the premises which could get stolen.

Re: Sainsburys - Editor (16th Sep 2024 - 19:18:10) Good point Joe. It appears that Lloyds Bank (as an example) charge £1.50 for every £100 over the counter. So 1.5% is lost and the time (and risk) of taking the cash to an open bank (if you can find one). Credit card charges are generally around 2% or lower depending on volumes. Having no cash on the premises could also reduce insurance premiums. So going cashless makes good business sense, financially. Unless they are skimming a bit each day.

Re: Sainsburys - Dave (16th Sep 2024 - 20:39:48) Great to finally see that Sainsbury’s is going to expand their Liphook store. They are planning on expanding the floor area by a further 50%, unfortunately they can’t go any bigger due to the land restrictions. This will be great for the community with more employment and produce for everyone!

Re: Sainsburys - AF (16th Sep 2024 - 20:41:33) Joe You are only partially right. Although there may well be a charge to pay money into the bank you don't have to pay ALL of it into the bank. You could pay your suppliers by cash and your workers with cash and you could pay yourself with cash. Of course big business can't do this, but the small single traders can and probably do.

Re: Sainsburys - All about the money (17th Sep 2024 - 11:57:59) Crazy to see all but 3 or 4 manned tills left in Sainsburys almost overnight. What about the local jobs?

Re: Sainsburys - PR (17th Sep 2024 - 12:57:07) Back to my posting of the 12th of August - no body was particularly interested then. Enjoy the new set up ........

Re: Sainsburys - Rob (17th Sep 2024 - 18:54:56) I was the 1 who told you all about premier shop in liphoook. I have a new 1 for you,the petrol station will be going unmanned as well,not yet,but it is

Re: Sainsburys - Albert (18th Sep 2024 - 00:40:55) I think you are all missing the point, it is not jobs that are going, but human jobs. We will still need people to fix the machines, for now. Like we will still need doctors and train drivers, but only because it will make us feel safer, in fact a misplaced security, already AI could diagnose and refer you much more accurately and even machines could carry out much more precision operations with perhaps a human drone operator to reassure people, but we crave our own of course, it's natural, comfort in saying 'hello' and being said 'hello' back by people who look like us, utter prejudice, machines are superior and can learn to say 'good morning and even recognise us and remember our names better than the majority of disinterested bored workers, machines don't get bored or start thinking about the weekend binge by midday Friday! I'll embrace the future and can't wait to live amongst drones and AI and I'll even happily apply for a one way job opportunity on Musk's Martian mines, if the pay is good enough and the robots will have me, welcome to today, one step nearer tomorrow, here in Liphook, now it begins with Sainsburys!

Re: Sainsburys - Truth (18th Sep 2024 - 10:38:39) How did the people complaining here deal with the first Chip and Pin, or the first barcode, or online shopping? It's progress. The majority of consumers want speed, accuracy and convenience. One of the reasons for needing new AI-integrated tills is also to address the amount of shoplifting (up 30% in the UK in the last 12 months) and card fraud (up 53% since 2022). Perhaps if people stopped stealing and robbing we could go back to 'mom and pop' corner stores.

Re: Sainsburys - Joe (18th Sep 2024 - 11:44:44) At least with the small corner shops there was less shoplifting - everything was behind the counters and had to be requested no self service or self checkouts and there was also the option of free home deliveries by a boy on a pushbike because there were no fridges and everything was bought in small amounts. No over purchasing because there were no fridges, so nothing was thrown away. If milk went off mother made scones.

Re: Sainsburys - Albert (18th Sep 2024 - 15:19:50) There are real risks v benefits going forward with mass robotic/AI replacement. The war in Eastern Europe will rapidly speed up the acceptance of drones and robots and AI becoming normalised, it's in war that our biggest advances in tech and the acceptance of it occur, today we see the destructive power of wave after wave of drones in mass killing of humans, but after the war the people won't forget how useful an ally they were, how much more efficient they made us, in short things will change as much in the next few years as mechanisation and women's equality and the motor car and air travel etc changed Europe after WWII. Little jobs will go but we will have more leisure time and will interact with AI and see them as friends, it's how society adapts on a human level that will determine it's success or dystopia, men sitting around feeling obsolete will need benefits and housing or they will turn evermore to crime, drugs and ultimately unrest and more reactionary wars, the situation will need careful managing by those in charge, be it humans, AI or both.

Re: Sainsburys - paul (18th Sep 2024 - 15:38:18) Hi I am told by staff there is going to be a new Argos, where the coffee shop used to be in-store. Just in-time for Christmas shopping coming-up...yippee!

Re: Sainsburys - Truth (20th Sep 2024 - 11:41:19) Albert, I love how you went from some new tills in Sainsburys to a dystopian future for humanity in just 3 paragraphs!

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