My roommate and I needed to buy mousetraps for our apartment, so off we went to Home Depot. We selected the desired trap and went to check out. The lines were long, so we decided to use the self-checkout. First you have to choose a language on the touch-screen. This makes sense, because otherwise how will you understand the instructions? Then you start scanning items. Rather than allow the user to scan items at his own pace, the kiosk assumes someone who has never seen a check-out process before, and very slowly explains each step as it arises.
Kiosk: "Scan your first item."
Diane: *BOOP, wait for item to register*
Kiosk: "Place item in bagging area."
Diane: *bagged*
Kiosk: "Scan another item, or pay now?"
Diane: *pay now*
Kiosk: "Select method of payment."
Diane: *selects, waits*
Kiosk: "Please swipe your card now."
Diane: *swipes card, enters relevant information, waits*
Kiosk: "PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT. PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT. PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT."
The scanning of each item took at least three times as long as it would have had I gone to a real, live cashier. If I had wanted to buy an oversized item, I would have had to wait for a cashier to be free, come over to the kiosk, and enter in certain information about the item. At that point, why not just go to a register like normal? I was scared to pay with cash because the cash-taking interface looks like the kind used in vending machines. What if the kiosk eats my money? Again, I would have had to wait for a cashier. It was too much of a potential hassle to bother with. And then the machine had the gall to yell at me to take my receipt. Overall, I found the experience to be annoying, tedious, and a waste of my time, without even the hope of having a fun conversation with a cashier.
-Diane Panagiotopoulos
Kiosk: "Scan your first item."
Diane: *BOOP, wait for item to register*
Kiosk: "Place item in bagging area."
Diane: *bagged*
Kiosk: "Scan another item, or pay now?"
Diane: *pay now*
Kiosk: "Select method of payment."
Diane: *selects, waits*
Kiosk: "Please swipe your card now."
Diane: *swipes card, enters relevant information, waits*
Kiosk: "PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT. PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT. PLEASE TAKE YOUR RECEIPT."
The scanning of each item took at least three times as long as it would have had I gone to a real, live cashier. If I had wanted to buy an oversized item, I would have had to wait for a cashier to be free, come over to the kiosk, and enter in certain information about the item. At that point, why not just go to a register like normal? I was scared to pay with cash because the cash-taking interface looks like the kind used in vending machines. What if the kiosk eats my money? Again, I would have had to wait for a cashier. It was too much of a potential hassle to bother with. And then the machine had the gall to yell at me to take my receipt. Overall, I found the experience to be annoying, tedious, and a waste of my time, without even the hope of having a fun conversation with a cashier.
-Diane Panagiotopoulos
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