Costco Australia: The one common feature Costco Australia intentionally left out of their self-checkouts | Supermarket Sleuths

Costco Australia has rolled out self-checkouts across its warehouses, with one glaring omission.

None of them self-checkouts appear to have handheld scanners that customers can use for large and heavy items.

This is the case in my area Costco warehouse in Marsden Park in Sydney, where only the self-checkout supervisor has a handheld scanner.

On a recent visit we had some large and heavy items in our trolley and I was about to ask the supervisor for help, but she had already spotted us and was on her way, with her handheld scanner ready to go.

I asked her if handheld scanners had ever been installed at the self-checkouts and she said that as far as she knew, they had not.

She also didn’t know if there were plans to place them in the future, and she didn’t know why there weren’t already.

There is a lot of speculation as to why Costco has not installed handheld scanners

READ MORE: 90c pantry is missing from the supermarket shelves

READ MORE: Australia’s best frozen supermarket dessert has been crowned

READ MORE: Arnott’s Axes favorite biscuit for a new taste

One possible reason is to reduce the chance of theft of large and heavy items placed in carts, although customers’ receipts are usually checked upon exit.

Another reason given is that handheld scanner technology is very sensitive and can easily lead to errors, such as scanning the same item twice.

Costco Australia has been contacted for comment.

I would love handheld scanners at Costco’s self-checkout counters so I never have to lift heavy items out of the cart to scan them, which can be awkward and difficult, and the self-checkout lines at my local checkout can get quite busy.

In my opinion, it would make for a much faster self-checkout experience if they did.

The manned checkouts have a fairly good process for large and heavy items. You simply unload all your lighter items and leave the large and heavy items in the trolley.

Then, per Costco procedure, the trolley is wheeled along the right side of the cash register by an employee, and the cashier turns around and scans them.

Coles and Woolworths have their own procedures for bulk and heavy items at their self-checkout areas.

The Coles, Woolworths and Aldi self-checkouts that I have used have handheld scanners that can be used for large and heavy items.

A Coles spokesperson previously told nine.com.au: “At Coles we are always looking for ways to improve the shopping experience and deliver exceptional service to the millions of customers we serve every week.

“Our team members are encouraged to assist customers whenever possible, especially when handling bulky or heavy items at the checkout.

“Scanning these items first eliminates unnecessary lifting and prevents lighter items from being crushed later in the process.

“It’s a simple step that makes a big difference in ensuring a smoother, more efficient payment experience.”

But more recent technology I’ve experienced at my local Coles detects large and heavy items in my shopping cart as I approach the checkout, and simply asks me to confirm the purchase.

This has happened most often when I bought a 24 pack of 600ml water bottles.

It’s called “skip scan” technology and it’s pretty clever.

Who knows what Costco Australia has in store when it comes to technology upgrades at their self-checkouts?

Over the past year, my local Costco has upgraded several tech features, including installing digital membership card scanners at the entrance and replacing physical checks with staffers.

This new technology allows supervisors to identify membership issues and, if necessary, refer customers to the membership desk to resolve them.

Costco customers can also install the store app and set up a digital membership card instead of a physical card.

A visit to the Members Desk for verification is also required for this.

FOLLOW US HERE ON WHATSAPP: Stay updated with the latest celebrity news, lifestyle and opinions through our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and no one can see your private data.