Supermarket automatic payment system rejects notes and takes twice as long to check out

A member of the public wondered if the automatic payment system at a supermarket cashier counter was more efficient when it takes twice as long to clear a transaction due to technical issues.

After purchasing some groceries at Ang Mo Supermarket and experiencing delays at the check-out counter, a member of Facebook page Complaint Singapore sparked an online thread highlighting an inefficient system in place.

The shopper noted that the supermarket had a “neither here nor there” cashier system, with human-manned stations but with automatic payment machines.

“The result? The payment system keeps rejecting the dollar notes, the cashier has to come over to the customer side to help insert notes, and each customer takes twice as long to clear,” said the shopper.

Netizens agreed that automation does not always mean increased efficiency. “A lot of times, automation only makes our life more difficult. Often we are stranded, with no human assistance to overwrite things, and we lost our jobs,” said Facebook user Jackie Tan.

Another netizen noted that automation still needing manpower to assist was not efficient.

Facebook user Ah Ray also went through a similar situation at the supermarket chain’s Sembawang outlet.

“Ya, the system are half manual resulting in very cumbersome. Why go into such an unfriendly system and put off your shoppers.”

Meanwhile, others noted it was time to go cashless. “Time to use cashless payment, or you’ll be displaced by the system in no time. Close to majority of the people now are having problems with not being able to use cashless, not having problems with using cash,” Facebook user JereMe Lim pointed out. /TISG

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