MANY shoppers have a bone to pick with self-checkout, while Costco members despise the machines due to a specific feature.
Even Costco employees have spoken out on the chain-specific self-checkout annoyance.
Many Costco shoppers have turned to social media to voice their complaints about a specific feature of the company’s self-checkout[/caption]
Although created to improve the customer experience, self-checkout has received a lot of hate from consumers.
Social media is flooded with customer complaints about the kiosks, from long lines to the subsequent lack of human employees.
While most shoppers have a general gripe with the self-service machines, some Costco members have shared a highly specific issue with the warehouse club’s self-checkout kiosks.
They have voiced complaints about how the automated voice from the machines says the word “Costco.”
“Am I the only one who absolutely despises the way the self-checkout says ‘COST CO’?” asked one member in a Reddit post on Sunday.
“I know this is stupid. But every time me and my wife check out and the lady’s voice says ‘Thank you for shopping at COST CO’ it drives us crazy lol. Is it only our location?!”
Costco shoppers were quick to share that they noticed the quirk as well.
“My wife and I always always laugh at it. We each repeat it 2-3 times on our way out. We have developed a strange ritual,” commented one Costco member.
“To me, it’s more like COST……………… [checking to make sure I still have receipt to get out] ….CO,” joked another shopper.
“I always respond ‘You’re Welcome for shopping at Cost Co,’” wrote a third member.
Even a Costco worker chimed in on the conversation and shared their grievances about the automated voice’s pronunciation.
“Employees hate it too,” they commented. “We hear it our whole shift. We hear it in our dreams. We’ll hear it in the afterlife, it’ll be on our tombstone.”
“Our self-checkout machines aren’t actually good at self-checkout,” they added.
KIOSK COMPLAINTS
Redditors shared various other gripes they had with Costco’s self-checkout.
Similar to the machine’s pronunciation of “Costco,” another shopper critiqued how the self-checkout voice announced the price of each item.
“$19………99,” they wrote, mimicking the delayed pronunciation.
Others called out how loud the Costco self-checkout voice was.
“The best is when someone’s card gets declined and it says just as loudly ‘CARD NOT ACCEPTED,’” commented one user.
“Why does it always have to f***** scream at me when I walk past it?” wrote another.
Beyond just the voice of Costco’s kiosks, one of the biggest complaints members noted about self-checkout was the removal of handheld scanners.
Multiple Costco locations have taken away the price scanner guns at self-checkout to deter theft, as several shoppers were caught intentionally not scanning each item in their cart.
Costco’s membership scanners
Costco has unveiled membership scanners at its store entrances.
In August 2024, the retailer released a statement about the scanners on its website.
“Over the coming months, membership scanning devices will be used at the entrance door of your local warehouse,” it wrote.
“Once deployed, prior to entering, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by placing the barcode or QR Code against the scanner.
“Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member for entry.
“If you have any questions or concerns, there will always be an attendant at the door to assist you!
“If your membership is inactive, expired, or you would like to sign up for a new membership, the attendant will ask that you stop by the membership counter prior to entering the warehouse to shop.
“Additionally, if your membership card does not have a photo, please be prepared to show your valid photo ID.
“We encourage you to stop by the membership counter to have a photo taken to have on your card.”
“I just wish they let us have the handheld scanners back. I could bang out a cart in 30 seconds,” said one customer.
“But now, because there’s just one employee helping eight self-checkouts, I either have to wait five minutes to flag them down to scan my dog food, or I have to lift it out of the cart, and then have the machine yell at me to not put it on the scale,” they complained.
One customer agreed that the removal of handheld scanners was “annoying,” forcing them to flag down an employee to scan their heavy items.
Another Costco member blasted the chain’s self-checkout “interruptions,” pledging loyalty to Sam’s Club’s popular feature.
Other shoppers have demanded Costco roll out a tool to eliminate the self-checkout machines – and it’s already used by a rival.
Many Costco shoppers have complained about the chain’s decision to remove its handheld scanners at self-checkout[/caption]
