Sensory Hours at Walmart and Stores bringing Cashiers back

Lots and lots of changes going on in the retail sphere.

Walmart is very smart on this one, they finally figured out that their lighting, sounds, and screens are scaring people away and now have created a permanent sensory safe time. I happen to suffer from this, certain lights can trigger migraines for me or make me feel weird.
I must not be the only one as they tried this on a trial basis and it was a huge success and have now made it permanent. I think other stores will follow suit.

I guess the shoplifting has gotten so horrible stores are FINALLY doing something. They are bringing back cashiers, and also hiring actual police. Some stores (Walmart again) even have police stations at the stores. This is a good thing.
Also, I can appreciate a self checkout lane, but you can’t have them all be self checkout. Also these stores are saying too many people are stealing at the self checkout. It got me wondering about something else… is that it? OR…

Here’s the conspiracy. As people self checkout are they more cognizant of prices and when something is wrong? You know how often the price is in the stores favor! I imagine huge store like Walmart or Target those small mistakes could end up being millions and millions of dollars.
Of course I do believe there are people that are giving themselves the five finger discount too, for sure, but how much of that is really happening?

a reply to: JAGStorm

My former SIL suffers from epilepsy and lights are a big trigger for him as well as some 'music'-like heavy metal beats.

Theft at self check is incredibly high. Customers will palm items, openly scan one, then drop the scanned one and the palmed one in the bagging area. We've had a rash of customers pulling discount tags off items and putting them on full price items to scan at SCO. A cashier would catch it. The SCO scanners, not so much.

Another tried and true method is to take a relatively cheap item in a large box, such as a fan, dump the fan out somewhere, then fill the now empty box with a lot of high price smaller items. A bit of tape, also stolen, to seal up the box and good to go. Again, a cashier would catch a box with a lot of rattling around items.

Of course, in our little town, many of them don't even bother with SCO. They take the heaping full cart and run out the fire doors. Happens several times a week.

Looks like Walmart's finally realized that their stores were turning into a real-life episode of 'Stranger Things' with all the flickering lights and eerie sounds.

I'm a little skeptical about their sudden concern for our well-being. I would bet the flickering lights and the sounds were embed with subliminal messages.

To be honest, "permanent sensory safe time" doesn't sound so safe lol.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Really pissed me off the other day.

Went to Walmart. They had one row of like 5 machines open and a long line of customers waiting. There were like 5 other rows. 25+ machines closed.

Ridiculous.


This was middle of the day not late at night.

originally posted by: imitator
Looks like Walmart's finally realized that their stores were turning into a real-life episode of 'Stranger Things' with all the flickering lights and eerie sounds.

I'm a little skeptical about their sudden concern for our well-being. I would bet the flickering lights and the sounds were embed with subliminal messages.

To be honest, "permanent sensory safe time" doesn't sound so safe lol.

YES there are subliminal and psychological influences at all these places.
For sensitive people I don’t think it works. Not to be gross, but a lot of these places make me need to go to the bathroom, which doesn’t fare well for me staying and shopping!

originally posted by: LandofEnchantment

Another tried and true method is to take a relatively cheap item in a large box, such as a fan, dump the fan out somewhere, then fill the now empty box with a lot of high price smaller items. A bit of tape, also stolen, to seal up the box and good to go. Again, a cashier would catch a box with a lot of rattling around items.

First of all, who's running loss prevention?!! Lol. HOW are thieves able to complete that process within the store without getting nailed?? That's nuts.

As to the OP: I NEVER use self checkout because for one thing, I don't work for Walmart, secondly everytime self checkout is used, a flesh and blood checker loses a job.

When I shop, I know exactly what I need to get, where it's at, generally, and I grab my purchases and get out of there as soon as I possibly can. The only thing that holds me up is that I'll PURPOSELY wait in line so that the cashier won't be replaced by a machine.

originally posted by: pianopraze
a reply to: JAGStorm

Really pissed me off the other day.

Went to Walmart. They had one row of like 5 machines open and a long line of customers waiting. There were like 5 other rows. 25+ machines closed.

Ridiculous.


This was middle of the day not late at night.

The self checkout must have been a giant experiment, that is why a lot of these places never fully got rid of the cashier aisles. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next five or so years.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: imitator
Looks like Walmart's finally realized that their stores were turning into a real-life episode of 'Stranger Things' with all the flickering lights and eerie sounds.

I'm a little skeptical about their sudden concern for our well-being. I would bet the flickering lights and the sounds were embed with subliminal messages.

To be honest, "permanent sensory safe time" doesn't sound so safe lol.

Not to be gross, but a lot of these places make me need to go to the bathroom, which doesn’t fare well for me staying and shopping!

Speaking of sensory overload, the Walmart bathrooms are a gateway to hell, chambers of horror...

Does anyone remember K Mart? They went self checkout before Walmart. Then took out the self checkouts. They did not put in more people to check out so the lines were terrible at the end.

Not saying they are going bankrupt but......

OMG, the lights at Walmart! I was in there one day, and those lights triggered one of the worst migraines I ever had. Auras are rare for me, but I had an aura, and then the pain hit. My husband had to drive us home. It was beyond awful. Oh, and I hate their restrooms! I'll seriously hold it and go anywhere but Walmart. I don't like using any public restrooms to begin with, and theirs are the worst.

The Walmarts I usually go to typically have maybe two aisles of human cashiers if one is lucky. Many times, it's one aisle. All the rest are self check. I loathe self checkouts, but the one or two aisles have so damn many people waiting that I just give up and use the self check. I really don't want to spend any more time in Walmart than I have to.

I think stores with self check are losing significant amounts of money. And why should we as customers have to do their job for them? If I use self check, they can pay me!

a reply to: JAGStorm

Self-checkout isn't going anywhere.

And, Walmart doesn't GAF about anything except profits.

Sad but true, and get used to it.

Thankfully I have not step in a Walmart in over a year, my husband loves chinamart.

I find their items cheap, badly made and unattractive, their put together and glue meat is not very appealing.

i just got back from two walmarts. secaucus and garfield nj. both third w0rld illllegal fillled spanish only stores.
want to shop in secaucus nj? better know how to speak mexikan. the workers only speak illlegal there.

as for the self checkout, secaucus created some weird maze like area for self checkout. they still have cashiers. i go whereever the line is shortest.

in garfield, they had maybe 5 cahiers, but they had a TON of self checkouts. more than secacuus.

garfield walmart is so nice tho. way better, way bigger, and way smoother shopping.

secaucus is a true third w0rld country in there.

i had to go, walmart has exclusives on these collectibles, had to go. stinks.

self checkout is better anyways

a reply to: JAGStorm

Its kinda depressing going to Walmart and all you see is the entire front of self checkouts. Mine took out all the regular registers and its all self check out unless you go to the electronics or sporting goods counter, but don't count on anyone being nearby to ring you out at those registers, there's usually not. I dont really see the one I shop at bringing back the regular registers. That would probably be pretty expensive and they just did this "remodel" to remove the remaining normal registers like 6 months ago.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I can't stand Walmart. Haven't shopped in one in years. Any time I used to walk into that place it affected me. It was so negative feeling and heavy. The energy in there is just off. The lights were very annoying so Im glad they will have sensory hours for those who need it.

Glad to see they came to their senses about self check out too. How they ever thought it wouldn't cause theft is beyond me. Our grocery store has self check out and I dont like it. I used it one day because they had ONE cashier and a line but 4 self check outs open. I scanned my groceries then she wanted to see my receipt as I was leaving. I looked at her and said 'no I will not as you just watched me scanned all my groceries,' and I walked out the door. I still shop there and she doesn't say a word to me, which is how I like it.

People are too entitled nowadays so I am not surprised about the theft numbers in self check out lines. I have seen people comment on posts on social media how if they have to check out themselves they are taking items and not paying and will literally tell you how to steal. Insane.

originally posted by: HatesFreshAir
self checkout is better anyways

How so? You like doing free work? You like taking jobs of people?
Are you so busy in life you absolutely have to use self check outs?
Maybe you are young and able and love all the work, some other people aren't.
Some people love self check outs because of occasional freebies.
Whatever it is, we don't like it and never use it for actual big shopping ( I understand having only one item and not wanting to queue).
So only people like you count? Sod the rest?

a reply to: JAGStorm

Who the hell ever liked self-checkouts anyway???!!!

All they ever did was take away jobs and slow things down because people hate the things finding them hard to use for whatever reason happens to be applicable at the time.

The massive increase in shoplifting through i would put more down to the severe increase where the cost of living is concerned as opposed to merely the implementation of self-checkouts alone.

Haven't been to our local Wal Mart in years. It was a real Creep Show and seeing the news it's not getting better. The wife flat refuses so you know it's bad.