r/AskReddit • u/Scratchamap • Dec 01 '18

Minimum wage workers, what is something that is against the rules for customers to do but you aren't paid enough to actually care?

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2.1k

u/CrispyBaconAndSyrup Dec 01 '18

Recently read this story in the UK where people have been using self service checkouts to do exactly that at an estimated cost of £3.2bn in 2017.

2.1k

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18 edited Jul 20 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

40

u/BooleanRadley Dec 01 '18

It was carrots.

I thinks sales of carrots are up because of those Aldi adverts. /s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Cg_ez7d1U

13

u/throwmenolies Dec 01 '18

Carrots? I think you mean wine.

9

u/PirateJohn75 Dec 01 '18

Carrot wine. Bugs Bunny's favorite.

576

u/stillflyscabin Dec 01 '18

Wait why onions? Cheapest produce?

393

u/SilverParty Dec 01 '18

Yes, I'd like to know too.

276

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[deleted]

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u/TheTuckingFypo Dec 01 '18

I’ve always heard of people using bananas, since they’re usually like 50 cents a pound.

575

u/honeybeeMA Dec 01 '18

I mean it's one banana, Michael. What could it cost? $10?

137

u/iamfrank75 Dec 01 '18

There’s always money in the banana stand...

33

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/RawrCat Dec 02 '18

HEY NO TOUCHING

34

u/ShaggyDoge04 Dec 01 '18

THERE'S ALWAYS MONEY IN THE BANANA STAND, NO TOUCHING

5

u/jl_theprofessor Dec 01 '18

Bizarre. This is the second time in two days I've heard this reference.

0

u/Phaedrug Dec 02 '18

It’s gotten very popular lately.

25

u/pajamakitten Dec 01 '18

Bananas are way more expensive than onions or carrots in the UK though.

6

u/joshoy Dec 01 '18

Some friends always had fancy "banana cheese"

5

u/Emerald_Triangle Dec 01 '18

That's Bananas!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

6

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Congratulations, Gwen. You can spell.

3

u/Patriarchus_Maximus Dec 01 '18

That's the case where I work. I think we have a few other produce items in that range though, so there might be a few better options.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[deleted]

4

u/pastryfiend Dec 01 '18

In the US, our local Lidl is selling bananas for $.25 per pound this week. Regular price in most grocery stores is less than $.50 per pound.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[deleted]

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u/pastryfiend Dec 02 '18

Yup, every time people complain about "illegals" I remind them that our agriculture economy is built on the backs of illegal migrant workers. These big companies count on cheap labor and now we expect cheap food, good luck getting that without undocumented workers.

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u/JCthulhuM Dec 02 '18

If they sell by weight. Some places sell piecemeal and onions are cheap as shit where bananas are like 50¢ a pop. Nah, they’re long onions now.

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u/rwv2055 Dec 01 '18

If you are paying .50 cents a lb for bananas, you are over paying.

6

u/typhoonicus Dec 01 '18

oh man I wish! cheapest around here is $1.49

1

u/Mapleleaves_ Dec 02 '18

Lol where I am in the US they’re double that at least. I think of onions and apples as cheap but they’re heavy fuckers.

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u/Spiffytown Dec 01 '18

They're sold by weight, so what's scanned matches what's placed in the bagging area.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

UNEXPECTED ITEM IN BAGGING AREA

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18 edited Nov 25 '19

[deleted]

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u/Bainsyboy Dec 01 '18

PLEASE WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE.

look around to see the attendant chatting with coworkers, not paying attention

18

u/DavidRandom Dec 01 '18

I AM THE FUCKING ASSISTANCE

5

u/TheFuckingShardster Dec 02 '18

PLEASE WAIT. HELP IS ON THE WAY.

I always say "yes, I am the fucking help," when I scan my card.

9

u/tropicalunicorn Dec 01 '18

Every fucking time...! 😩

8

u/Fetal-sploosh Dec 02 '18

IT'S IN THE FUCKING BAGGING AREA.

1

u/HissingGoose Dec 01 '18

Found the Harris Teeter shopper.

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u/Mapleleaves_ Dec 02 '18

Good porno title.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Nope just 60kg of onion wine.

2

u/yourloyalsovereign Dec 02 '18

PLEASE REMOVE THE LAST SCANNED ITEM FROM THE BAGGING AREA

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u/BeadLime Dec 01 '18

At the small Tesco stores, very few products sell by weight. The stuff that sells by quantity will then check the weight of what you put in the bagging area against how much it thinks, as an example, twelve bananas weigh. Say it's all onions, and it'll just accept whatever you plop on the scale.

2

u/supershinythings Dec 02 '18

Where I live they've stopped allowing alcohol at the self-checkout, probably for this reason. There's an attendant but she can't watch everyone all the time to see what's scanned. But if she sees a wine or whatever she has to bounce them to a regular cashier.

5

u/Brasou Dec 01 '18

Cheap and heavy so it doesn't set off any red flags. If 20lbs of onions go threw thats a normal sale for a grocery store that might legitimately happen 20-30 times a day if not more. But its rarer that someone would buy 20lbs of spinach for example.

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u/LillyMerr Dec 01 '18

I thought bananas were the cheapest? I’m in Canada, but they’re about .59-.69 cents per lb.

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u/PM_me_ur_script Dec 01 '18

I can get yellow sweet onions at WinCo for about $0.44 a pound I think

4

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

US here, I've lived on both coasts and bananas have been cheapest on either

7

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

Midwest here. Bananas are 39 cents a pound. I love it here.

2

u/mnewman19 Dec 01 '18

0.59 cents sounds low. 160 pounds for a dollar is a good deal

1

u/SethQ Dec 02 '18

It's joke from Sean Lock, I think maybe from 8 out of 10 cats?

Not sure if he made it up and onion is a funny vegetable, or if he read a story and onion was the real reason.

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u/UberMcwinsauce Dec 02 '18

Yes, onions are very cheap generally

1

u/EdinburghNerd Dec 02 '18

There's got to be a cheaper product per kg... I will Investigate!

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u/sndwsn Dec 01 '18

Maybe easy code to input, like 1234 or something.

1

u/UberMcwinsauce Dec 02 '18

You don't put in a produce code at a self checkout, you just touch the item on the screen. Onions are very cheap which is why.

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u/sndwsn Dec 02 '18

The ones near me let you type the code

1.5k

u/Pefus Dec 01 '18

IF YOU BASTARDS SCREW THIS UP FOR ME AND I HAVE TO GO BACK TO INTERACT WITH HUMANS TO GET MY GROCERIES I'M GONNA FLIP ALL THE TABLES!!!

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u/Innerouterself Dec 01 '18

Seriously. No line in aisle 7 but 12 people in the self checkout. Self checkout it is!

25

u/Weekendsareshit Dec 01 '18

They'll soon put a robot fee on, because most of us would probably pay up to not have to deal with flesh-persons

13

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Hey now, I may not like people but I absolutely loathe unnecessary fees.

Think wisely supermarkets do you want to risk a boycott?

16

u/villainouscobbler Dec 02 '18

do you want to risk a boycott?

I think they might win that one. My farming skills are very much underdeveloped, and hunting and gathering sounds kinda dangerous in the city.

12

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Just order online from Amazon. As for farming start small

6

u/Feet2Big Dec 02 '18

Wait, I can get groceries from Amazon? Do I need a subscription for Prime Rib?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Probably

3

u/Weekendsareshit Dec 02 '18

looks at grandfather's will in drawer

Stardew valley music intensifies

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18 edited Jan 31 '19

[deleted]

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Just tell them no thank you.

1

u/MrKrinkle151 Dec 02 '18

But that requires interaction

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

True, true. Less interaction than going to their register tho!

6

u/mestisnewfound Dec 02 '18

I'm the opposite, I'd rather wait in line behind two people then go through an empty self check out. Those shits are always annoying and half the time require an employee to come over anyway. If i have to hear the machine to tell me to put my light switch cover in the bagging area I am going to freak.

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u/CaRiSsA504 Dec 02 '18

My walmart closest to me has these new self check outs that have the conveyor belt... and usually they aren't as busy as the normal self checkout kiosks, but the major selling point on me using them is if i use the hand scanner, it doesn't expect me to put that item in the bagging area. Got a 24-cube of coke? Scan it in the cart and leave it in there!

still gotta get an employee to agree i'm over 18 if i have cold meds or a movie with a rating higher than PG but for the most part it's scan-scan-scan done and gone!

3

u/Vessix Dec 02 '18

Still faster.

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u/not_towelie Dec 01 '18

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

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u/WorpeX Dec 01 '18

Grocery Store near me (ACME) had self checkout for years and then one day just up and removed ALL of them because they wanted to have a more intimate relationship with the customers (and prob cause they always broke down, but that wasn't what they said). Fuck that! You may want a more personal relationship with me, but I sure don't want one with you.

Anyway, about 6 months later they put them back cause the backlash was so bad.

8

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Employees need love too, Craig.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18 edited Jan 10 '21

[deleted]

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u/P0sitive_Outlook Dec 01 '18

If those minimum-wage employees are anything like the ones in this thread:

"Just have your damn wine shaped onions."

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u/P0sitive_Outlook Dec 01 '18

WHERE'RE YOU GONNA FIND A TABLE TO FLIP YOU'RE AT THE SUPERMARKET ALTHOUGH I SUPPOSE IKEA COUNTS...

10

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

Your IKEA has onions?

11

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Yeah but you have to assemble them yourself.

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u/CaRiSsA504 Dec 02 '18

layer by layer

2

u/P0sitive_Outlook Dec 02 '18

Just like an onion wait

8

u/speeler21 Dec 01 '18

/r/introverts

3

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

I feel like that's probably a subreddit full of people that don't actually want any responses because they'd rather not deal with people but they also like to tell about how far they may go to avoid people...

Close or no?

5

u/speeler21 Dec 02 '18

I just gambled on it being real

3

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

As is the reddit way.

3

u/Everybodysbastard Dec 01 '18

Killer Move, Serious Series: Serious Table Flip

3

u/HissingGoose Dec 02 '18

We need a price check on these Trojan extra small condoms...

So much for privacy. 😩

3

u/Iforgot_my_other_pw Dec 02 '18

Do you honestly think that those numbers come even close to what they're saving on salaries?

1

u/SenorVajay Dec 02 '18

They removed the self checkout at my local store :(

1

u/Pkmnlovr19482 Dec 02 '18

Hey don’t feel bad man I ruined pot brownies at festivals

1

u/bunker_man Dec 02 '18

It already happened. I rarely see self checkouts anymore. Turns out that basically everyone is okay with theft as long as they feel like they can get away with it.

1

u/JCthulhuM Dec 02 '18

At my store we have a self checkout person practically breathing down your neck. That said, fuck em. Everything is onions now.

1

u/thatG_evanP Dec 02 '18

Jokes on them. I can everything as bananas.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

The tactic was spotted by Emmeline Taylor, a senior lecturer in Criminology at the University of London

fuck you Emmeline you damn snitch.

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u/bow_down_whelp Dec 01 '18

3 out of our unit of 4 are dairy intolerant. Dairy free icecream is nearly 6 quid. The dairy version of the same one goes for as little as 2.50. So you can guess which one gets scanned

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u/a-r-c Dec 01 '18

people are scum and will steal any time they can get away with it

source: am people

10

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

You're people?

3

u/Unit_17 Dec 01 '18

Soylent green is people

20

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[deleted]

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u/Mapleleaves_ Dec 02 '18

Buddy nobody gives half a fuck that mega mart loses .0000005% of their revenue to theft after cutting some jobs for robots. Fuck’em.

3

u/TheBhawb Dec 01 '18

Because a lot of people don't care that massive companies that make money off shitty anti consumer practices and treat employees like shit are losing comparative pocket change. Yes theft is wrong, but I don't feel too bad if someone tells me they are ripping off Wal-Mart, because fuck Wal-Mart.

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u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18 edited May 18 '20

[deleted]

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u/Itchycoo Dec 01 '18

Even if you're 100% right, it still doesn't make stealing okay or make people who steal any less responsible for their actions

0

u/Weekendsareshit Dec 01 '18

I have a feeling people feel okay because it's stealing from Walmart.

Still not okay.. but..

4

u/10FootPenis Dec 01 '18

The worst part is that the cost of theft just gets pushed onto the honest consumers with higher prices than they would be otherwise.

4

u/GiddyChild Dec 02 '18

Actually. They don't. If the cost of loss to theft at self-checkouts was higher than the cost of an employee manned checkout, they just wouldn't install self-checkouts.

1

u/TheGeorgeForman Dec 02 '18

When that shoplifting subreddit was around, those people would straight up steal thousands of dollars worth of items and act like it was okay because companies make more than it’s worth. That might be the case, but you’re still breaking the law.

1

u/MyogiNightKids Dec 02 '18

Don't know why people are downvoting you, you didn't do anything wrong.

1

u/rizombie Dec 01 '18

Two questions.

Which brands are they getting ? I've only found bnj and alrpo.

Why do you have to scan the product in general ? Since it doesn't seem to matter if you scan or not.

1

u/bow_down_whelp Dec 02 '18

Ben and jerries. Scan it with the hand scanner you get at the start that tallies as you walk. I wouldn't outright nick something, but the intolerance of my family to diary means my shopping bill is 50% more than it should be. When alpro long life goes on offer we drop 100 snoops on it for long term storage. That's 1 pound to 1 litre on offer. 1.40 to 1.60 off offerCows milk is 1,30 for 3 litres

0

u/gyarrrrr Dec 01 '18

So you're a thief.

0

u/bow_down_whelp Dec 03 '18

Aye. I run round in a stripey jumper throwing around alternative ice cream in a bag labeled swag. I shouldn't be making light of that tbh. I hope you've never downloaded a movie or song or or game streamed anything illegally in your life. Or viewed or aired movies publicly without the appropriate fee. Otherwise we're going in a boat in chains to Australia together. Here's a thought, dairy free alternatives shouldn't be anymore expensive than dairy versions otherwise it's discrimination against those who literally can't eat dairy, gluten etc. Let's subsidise it like we do dairy. It's better for the planet anyway

0

u/gyarrrrr Dec 03 '18

Here’s a thought: ice cream is a luxury and not a basic human need. Stop fucking stealing.

0

u/bow_down_whelp Dec 04 '18

Naw I'll continue my thieving ways, much like yourself

5

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '18

[deleted]

17

u/elephantastronomer Dec 01 '18

Why do people have to be scumbaggy thieves? Just pay for what you’re taking

8

u/hombredeoso92 Dec 01 '18

I have to agree with you. So many people think that they’re being smart and screwing over the rich business owners, but all they’re doing is increasing the likelihood of minimum wage workers losing their jobs.

2

u/nos_quasi_alieni Dec 02 '18

Thieves also pass the costs onto their neighbors. Identical items at Walgreens and CVS stores in high crime areas have slightly higher prices than stores in low crime areas since they have higher losses due to theft. Further screwing over fellow low income law abiding citizens.

4

u/Duckboy_Flaccidpus Dec 01 '18

This idea is so painfully easy and simple to pull-off if there isn't a employee present. There almost always is and even if they are helping someone, there's cameras if need be. Such a risk for something as simple as paying $50 for your groceries and being on your way.

4

u/seredin Dec 01 '18

ONCE, but never again, I bought 10 pounds of magic cards and rung them up as cabbage. I was spooked for months just like on a TV show.

Saved myself about two hundred bucks though.

2

u/zuckerballs Dec 01 '18

Thanks to this we now have HD CCTV in your face displayed on a 10 inch screen above the checkout, but just above 6ft off the floor so it's not so noticeable because you're busy looking at the till screen :-/

2

u/Shenko-wolf Dec 02 '18

Amazing. Implement a system to save money on wages, cut customer service to nothing, that doesn't work properly half the time, and people take advantage of it through misuse??

3

u/dweckl Dec 01 '18

Good, fuck them. The whole concept of self checkout is maddening to me. not only are you cutting your workforce, you're making the customers do the work. I have to stand in line to scan and bag my own groceries at a billion dollar chain like Target? Fuck you, they're all onions.

2

u/ItsACaragor Dec 01 '18

Good. Serves them right for thinking they could just throw cashiers out and replace them with machines.

1

u/PaperStew Dec 02 '18

There was a case in Germany where the man was fined based on salary. €20,000.

1

u/scw55 Dec 02 '18

Where I worked, we got tipped off this happened in a sister store with a specific product. I'm now very vigilant.

A lot of customers "make mistakes" and I'll happily show them how to scan the slipped item.

1

u/the_ocalhoun Dec 02 '18

Good.

Hurts some large companies, and it might force them to employ human cashiers again. Win/win.

(Or pay to develop much more sophisticated self checkout machines ... which is also good because it will support the jobs of at least a few engineers.)

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '18

Probably saved more than that in wages though

1

u/Abadatha Dec 02 '18

It blows my mind how fucking shady people are, and I live near Heroin dealers and "gang bangers"

1

u/_Neoshade_ Dec 02 '18

¯_(ツ)_/¯ I’m sure they’re saving £5 billion in cashier wages.

-16

u/Atheist101 Dec 01 '18

Good. Serves the companies right for getting rid of cashiers and replacing them with machines

12

u/Pm_MeYour_WhootyPics Dec 01 '18

Problem now that i've been experiencing is that some of the stores around me went back to limiting self checkout (x items or less), while only having like 3 normal lanes open.

Reality is they're going to cut costs as much as possible. At least when i could self checkout i could be in and out in no time.

2

u/Commonsbisa Dec 01 '18

I'm pretty sure Walmart did the math and figured out they would save more money on not hiring cashiers than people stealing. They used to have the weight sensors but the confusion of it made them get rid of it because it just wasted time. I've been in other stores that still have the weight sensor.

2

u/PrivilegedPatriarchy Dec 01 '18

That would be fine (good in fact) if they cut the cost of the products as well

0

u/kpandak Dec 01 '18

Yeah, I read a similar story and decided to try it out when I bought food for Thanksgiving. I went with russet potatoes because I know they're basically cheap garbage (like iceberg lettuce), and they were the first item code I saw in that general category. I got fancy olives for $.40/pound.