Maybe 1/3 of our SCO attendant's job is telling people to hit the card button (or just doing it for them). Is it some legal/liability thing or just stupid Kroger software not recognizing the card is in the machine? Do other stores do the same thing?
It's simply a limitation of the software/hardware. The Uscan is basically an automated register that shares the same system with all the other registers on the floor. As far as I know, at least in my store, we all use the same pinpad throughout the whole store. Our Liquor store uses the same pinpad, the pharmacy, the floral department.
So think of the Uscan as a virtual register that has a robot cashier pushing all the buttons. Some buttons the AI will push itself, other buttons the AI is programmed to only allow the attentant to push, and some, the customer can push. Case in point... the infamous Card button. Also, the Total button on a regular manned register is the same function as the "Pay Now" button on the Uscan, meaning it executes the same commands on the order.
It is technically possible for the Kroger tech geeks to program the Uscan software to press the Card button on the virtual register automatically, but that would be a really bad idea for several reasons.
So to answer your question, in order for the Uscans to automatically detect if a card has been inserted, I believe they would have to buy completely new pinpads and upgrade the Uscan software to interact with it.
The upgrade is in the work, but what happens when someone inserts the Card, but wanted to pay with some cash first..or has a coupon? So if you insert the credit card, is the system basically going to process the CC when "Pay Now" is hit? What about BOGO's or other discounts that do not come off..but because the CC was inserted the payment has been processed?
While this might be a nice upgrade, it might just cause more issues.....
Is it just a software upgrade, or are they going to buy new pinpads? Our store boldly advertises they accept the local university cards, but we have to use a separate card device to process them. Customers keep wondering why they can't just do it on the pinpad itself.
-- Edited by Mr Frontenac on Friday 13th of September 2019 10:49:23 PM
Maybe 1/3 of our SCO attendant's job is telling people to hit the card button (or just doing it for them). Is it some legal/liability thing or just stupid Kroger software not recognizing the card is in the machine? Do other stores do the same thing?
Why can't you just wait until you actually ring up your order before inserting your card? I mean if you were paying with cash, you wouldn't try to put your money in before you scanned your order now would you?
Maybe 1/3 of our SCO attendant's job is telling people to hit the card button (or just doing it for them). Is it some legal/liability thing or just stupid Kroger software not recognizing the card is in the machine? Do other stores do the same thing?
Why can't you just wait until you actually ring up your order before inserting your card? I mean if you were paying with cash, you wouldn't try to put your money in before you scanned your order now would you?
I'm talking about after you ring up your order. So it's like this...
1) Customer rings items up.
2) They press Pay Now.
3) They insert their card, input PIN/cash back options/etc if asked.
4) They still have to press "Card" before the card payment processes.
The upgrade is in the work, but what happens when someone inserts the Card, but wanted to pay with some cash first..or has a coupon? So if you insert the credit card, is the system basically going to process the CC when "Pay Now" is hit? What about BOGO's or other discounts that do not come off..but because the CC was inserted the payment has been processed?
That makes sense actually, I never thought of the coupons issue...
Ha. There are some customers who don't even press Pay Now. Oh, why isn't it taking my cash? Pay Now. Hmm, the order is still on my screen, but I've inserted my card and its processing, that means I've paid and I'm good to go. But oh wait, they never even pressed Pay Now...
You ever notice how on a register, the customers always take their receipt? But on a Uscan, even if the order was like $60, $100, they never take their receipt. Well a few do, but they're rare. That still fascinates me even after all these many months of doing Uscan.
So in addition to pressing the Card button for them, Pressing the Pay Now button for them, throwing away their receipts and coupons they didn't take as they left, picking up and straightening the mess of the plastic bags they left, wiping the scanner scale of the gunk that builds up, ohhh and cleaning up the broken bottles of wine that fall cause the customer thinks ALL their items have to be on the bagging area and they can never ever ever ever evur take 'em out at any time, oh and I almost forgot, having to cash out orders from the Uscans that have their cash disabled...
Yeah, in addition to all that, the Uscan customers are children, they make a mess, you clean it up, and wait for the next mess.
My favorite new "mess" as of recently has been the software upgrades (since that ****ty song that plays when paying) that have had the Uscan just randomly CLOSE on a customer while they're in the middle of their order. Gotta solve that by transfering their order to the attendant station and finish paying there or suspend and have 'em finish on another Uscan.
See, the Uscan is a child that will always make a mess. It will never stop doing it. It's in it's nature to do so. The question is... are you at peace with that?
Walmart's and Winco's SCO machines figure out that I want to pay with my card when I insert my card. It's a shame Kroger's can't.
If a customer wants to split payment or use coupons, they probably should do that before inserting their card. Some customers won't get it, but dealing with that a couple times a month would sure beat pressing the card button for customers every thirty seconds.
Walmart's and Winco's SCO machines figure out that I want to pay with my card when I insert my card. It's a shame Kroger's can't.
If a customer wants to split payment or use coupons, they probably should do that before inserting their card. Some customers won't get it, but dealing with that a couple times a month would sure beat pressing the card button for customers every thirty seconds.
I wouldnt want to be yelled at and told to "ring all my stuff up again" because they forgot to use their cash or coupon. This has happened to me at a regular lane and the customer was not happy, customers already complain the machine takes their cash too fast when they insert the cash. I wish the pin pad could communicate with the machine but not if its gonna cause a ton of headaches because customers actually dont have it together when they should(really they should be prepared and know exactly how they want to pay before they press thar Pay Now button)
While this might be a nice upgrade, it might just cause more issues.....
Is it just a software upgrade, or are they going to buy new pinpads? Our store boldly advertises they accept the local university cards, but we have to use a separate card device to process them. Customers keep wondering why they can't just do it on the pinpad itself.
-- Edited by Mr Frontenac on Friday 13th of September 2019 10:49:23 PM
The Registers, SCO or Pinpads can be programmed to do anything the company wants them to do. No replacement needed, the SCO program would just need to be coded to "auto select" the button when the pinpad is "waiting". It surprises me the University card needs a an additional machine, I thought it was a bank debit card or used to be (I know which location you work at). With any change to technology, the company isn't going to do anything "one offs", that might tie up IT assets and be a .00000001% percentage of customers.
While this might be a nice upgrade, it might just cause more issues.....
Is it just a software upgrade, or are they going to buy new pinpads? Our store boldly advertises they accept the local university cards, but we have to use a separate card device to process them. Customers keep wondering why they can't just do it on the pinpad itself.
-- Edited by Mr Frontenac on Friday 13th of September 2019 10:49:23 PM
The Registers, SCO or Pinpads can be programmed to do anything the company wants them to do. No replacement needed, the SCO program would just need to be coded to "auto select" the button when the pinpad is "waiting". It surprises me the University card needs a an additional machine, I thought it was a bank debit card or used to be (I know which location you work at). With any change to technology, the company isn't going to do anything "one offs", that might tie up IT assets and be a .00000001% percentage of customers.
Oh god our university card is literally a separate machine hooked up to the university via DIAL-UP. Yeah, high tech wizardry at work there...
The upgrade is in the work, but what happens when someone inserts the Card, but wanted to pay with some cash first..or has a coupon? So if you insert the credit card, is the system basically going to process the CC when "Pay Now" is hit? What about BOGO's or other discounts that do not come off..but because the CC was inserted the payment has been processed?
At our store before everything is cashed out all coupons and if BOGO'S are available you scan your Kroger Card to apply it. We even had a sign but customers got offeneded on that sign because they felt it was calling them stupid for doing things incorrectly. Well......
Anyways, all they do I'm guessing, is insert the cash first then slip in the credit or debit card for thr balance. That's what I've seen our customers do.
