A Coles customer has revealed how she was reprimanded by staff at her local store for the unorthodox way she scanned her groceries at the self-serve checkout.
Sharing on Reddit, the shopper revealed how she was “told off” for using the hand-held scanning gun to process her small amount of groceries while they were still in the trolley — instead of loading them onto the conveyor belt first.
She claims the Coles worker said customers were “not allowed” to scan groceries this way as staff “can’t watch you properly”.
For more Lifestyle related news and videos check out Lifestyle >>
In her post, the shopper said she was frustrated by the experiencing – saying that if customers are being asked to scan their own groceries, they should be allowed to do it in their own way.
“Went to Coles this arvo, had six things in a big trolley,” she said. “Used a self checkout but the kind with a conveyer belt.
“So usually with those you unload the trolley onto the belt, park trolley at the end, scan items and put them back in the trolley.
“But because I only had six items I just picked up the hand scanning gun and beeped everything in the trolley without putting them on the belt.
“The Coles staff member standing there told me I’m not allowed to do that and must place all items on the conveyer belt.
“I said nah this way is easier than getting them out and putting them back, and because I only had a small number of items it was easy to make sure I got everything. Obviously I would use the conveyer belt if I had more stuff.
“She said it’s not allowed because then we can’t watch you properly. That sounds like a Coles problem to me?
“If they think I’m going to steal something then check my receipt when I’m finished? But they assume people are stealing before they even scan their stuff.
“I know it’s not the staff members fault they don’t make the rules so I wasn’t rude or anything but far out.
“They want us to scan our own stuff but also want to tell me how to do it? Yeah, nah Coles.”
In the comments, she added: “I just paid while I was being told off.”
‘Tell them to fire you!’
The shopper’s experience sparked a huge reaction on Reddit.
Many joked about how the rise of self serve checkouts and lead to shoppers becoming “unpaid staff”.
“Tell them to fire you then,” said one.
Another added: “Or threaten to quit! They’d be f***ed then!”
A third wrote: “Before you do that … make sure you got your Christmas water bottle!”
One more responded: “If you want my items on the belt I want a pay rise.”
Another said: “Fine! Demote me to customer then!”
Despite the Coles worker’s comments, a spokesperson for the supermarket has told 7NEWS.com.au that there is “no right or wrong way” to scan your groceries.
“Self-service checkouts are a great option for customers because they offer convenience and efficiency when shopping in our stores,” the spokesperson said.
“We know that customers like being able to select the best option for them to check out based on the items they wish to purchase, how they like to pack their bags and the time they have available. “Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to use self-checkouts – it all comes down to personal preference. “Our dedicated team are always eager to help our customers, and they endeavour to offer tips and tricks to make the process as easy as possible. “On some of our self-service checkouts we now have hand-held scanners which are designed to make it easier to scan bulky/heavy items – but customers are more than welcome to use this for all their shopping if they prefer! “At Coles we are always looking for ways to provide great service to our customers and help them get through the checkouts quickly and efficiently.”