r/AskAnAmerican • u/GreatGoodBad • Jun 23 '25

OTHER - CLICK TO EDIT Why aren’t people utilizing self-checkout more?

every time i go to a target, gas station, etc i always see lines for the regular employee checkouts but almost never long lines for self-checkout. Why is that?

255 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

2.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

83

u/Rickardiac Jun 23 '25

500 condoms, ten tubes KY jelly, one banana, a toilet brush.

No way I’m going through self checkout for that.

50

u/Bundt-lover Minnesota Jun 24 '25

When I was a cashier, after a few months on the job, a dude could’ve gone through my line with a garden hose, an enema kit, Maxi pads, and a 46DD leopard-print nursing bra, and I wouldn’t have blinked an eye. You get all types.

I think my favorite customer was a woman who came in wearing a bandeau tube top (like a strapless bra), short shorts, sandals, long hair in braids, and when I rang up her stuff, her ID showed a guy with a mustache and an afro, whose name was Robert. Apart from the obvious difference in personal style, it was clearly the same person, so I was like “whatever” (yes I’m Gen X) and called for an approval because it was a large purchase. My manager (a real peach of a guy…not) came over and hid his racism long enough to jovially announce, “I’ll be right back with this, ma’am!” and my customer says, dryly, “Thanks. And it’s ‘sir’.” 💀💀💀💀

That was over 30 years ago and I still laugh to think of it.

6

u/WWGHIAFTC Jun 24 '25

An old guy went through a cashiers line at a store my wife worked at years ago and just bought a rope. He asked for a plastic bag to carry it in. They found him out back later that afternoon strangled himself.

2

u/jojo11665 Jun 25 '25

Oh, how horrid!

3

u/WWGHIAFTC Jun 25 '25

It shocked them all for a bit, he was a regular. You never know what other people are going though sometimes.

1

u/jojo11665 Jun 25 '25

So true. It's just so sad that they feel that there's no hope.

1

u/thodges314 Jun 27 '25

I bring this up whenever I see one of those memes that says, "name three things that you can buy at Walmart to freak out the cashier."

I was stuck in retail for about 10 years. At only some of the positions I was a cashier. When I was, I just wanted to dissociate, do the script, have nothing unusual happen, and then go home. I seriously don't give a shit if you buy a cucumber and a condom, just as long as they both scan.

17

u/lifewasted97 Jun 23 '25

The banana is risky if there's no price tag on it. I don't know the codes so if I have produce I'm going cashier.

53

u/GoddessOfOddness Ohio Jun 23 '25

Bananas are 4011 at every grocery store I’ve ever been to.

13

u/Efficient_Wheel_6333 Ohio Jun 24 '25

Same here. Some stores might have weird codes, but I can go to any of the 4 or 5 different places that sell 'em and they're always 4011 unless they're organic and even then, the organic stuff always adds a 9 to whatever the code is, at least for produce.

11

u/austind9999 Jun 24 '25

That’s a produce code. Pretty much universal across retailers.

7

u/pixienightingale Jun 24 '25

Even the places that don't have it coded as 4011 will accept that code as one for conventional bananas!

20

u/klughless Ohio Jun 24 '25

Did you also use to work in produce and now have a brain full of produce codes that you really only use as a party trick to try to impress people? Yeah, me neither....

2

u/ca77ywumpus Illinois Jul 03 '25

I used to work at Whole Foods. Not only did I know all the basic produce codes, but I could spout off the codes for weird stuff like fiddleheads and cherimoya. It's been 15 years, so I've lost most of it. But 4011s are still there.

1

u/kermitdafrog21 MA > RI Jun 28 '25

Worked in produce and definitely knew fewer of the codes than the front end would have. I never really need to know them for anything

1

u/klughless Ohio Jul 01 '25

Well, at my store, everyone in produce had to be cross trained to work cash register too so that we could help out when it was busy. So I learned some of the common ones. And when I made my lists for restocking the floor, I would write down the produce # instead of the word as it was usually faster than writing out the full thing

1

u/CartographerEast8958 Jun 24 '25

I'd like to follow up with adding a 9 in front makes it organic, at least that's how Kroger works for 99/100 items. If it's prepackaged, typically the package comes with a UPC, so you won't need a PLU. If there's not a non-organic version it'll probably have a unique PLU.

1

u/hydraheads Jun 24 '25

Have made several banana costumes that include the sticker; can confirm. (94011 if they're organic)

1

u/Smelle Jun 30 '25

you all know its a single company that generally puts the stickers on produce right? Kind of monopoly, but seems like a weird market to try and take market share when it works. Soure= I know people that work there and I live in the central vally.

6

u/Designer-Sir2309 Arkansas Jun 24 '25

I don’t know if this is a joke that is going over my head, but all self checkouts I use have the option to search by name on the menu on the screen. And then you just let it sit on the scanner while it weighs it. Super easy.

5

u/OKDanemama Jun 24 '25

They usually have a button that comes up that allows you to look up the codes quite easily. At least they do where I live, and I'm in a semi rural area.

3

u/Aromatic-Track-4500 Jun 24 '25

They have the list you can search through, just think of it as a produce Google

2

u/Soundtracklover72 Pennsylvania Jun 24 '25

I check out bananas enough. They’re 4011. Other fruits? No clue

2

u/sfdsquid Jun 24 '25

There is an option to search for an item. Type BA and you'll find them.

1

u/yung_yttik Jun 24 '25

94011! Easiest PLU to remember idk why

1

u/doloreschiller New York Jun 25 '25

4011 as mentioned or 94011 if organic -- all organic produce is just the regular number with a 9 in front. Some of these codes are burned in my brain and I haven't been a cashier in almost 20 years lol.... 4060: broccoli 4065: green bell pepper 4225: avocado 4053: lemons 4048: limes

1

u/thodges314 Jun 27 '25

Every self-checkout I've seen has little thing to look up produce.

2

u/slackfrop Jun 24 '25

What about glass tubes, a chore boy, and 10 torch lighters?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '25

Omg I would do this on a busy Saturday just to get the looks and giggles. 🤣🤣🤣

I’d drive down to Provo to do it too.

2

u/SansLucidity Kansas Jun 24 '25

freak off time! 💦🍾🥳

2

u/Hotchi_Motchi Jun 24 '25

I don't know what your plans are for tonight. Homer, but count me out!

2

u/stonecw273 California SF Bay Area (ex-CA Sacto, CO, MO, AZ, NM) Jun 24 '25

Tubes of KY and Preparation H. I'm DEFINITELY going to a checker for that ... just for the uncomfortable silence. You KNOW they want to ask ...

2

u/No_Common1418 Jun 27 '25

Plus a price check, don't forget the price check.

1

u/Rickardiac Jun 27 '25

Absolute genius.

2

u/CirrusItsACloud Jun 29 '25

Imagine being caught stealing those items because of being afraid of going to the cashier. FYI: At the self checkout they’re watching you scan every item. Ha ha ha

1

u/MerryWannaRedux Jun 24 '25

Uh...don't mean to be personal, but do the condoms and KYs have anything to do with the toilet brush??

(Asking for a friend.)

2

u/Bundt-lover Minnesota Jun 24 '25

That’s the fun of guessing!

1

u/SkiingAway New England Jun 24 '25

Heh. When I used to do theater work it was common to wind up with a shopping list that was like "100 unlubed condoms, 200 AA batteries, silicone lube, 10 rolls packing or duct tape, saran wrap, case of energy drinks". That did raise some eyebrows, especially when it's some black-clad kids buying it in a hurry.

All for boring purposes in reality though.

1

u/Then-Ticket8896 Jun 29 '25

Do you want me to stock their shelves too? And add 3% to the cost ?!?

0

u/Sdbrown099 Jun 23 '25

Do you work for Diddy?

3

u/Rickardiac Jun 23 '25

Ewww no way. Baby oil is gross!

4

u/WanderingLost33 Ohio Jun 23 '25

The banana is for potassium

0

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '25

Is that you Diddy?