Columnist Muriel Stevens: Automated checkouts imperfect

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | 8:22 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Her dining column appears Friday. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

It's called progress and perhaps it is, but if you've not yet encountered Scot Self-Check-out Terminals, you haven't shopped lately at a Kmart. These self-service checkout stands went into service Aug. 4.

I first heard about them from a reader who voiced a number of concerns. She was worried that fewer cashiers would be needed, and she had experienced a delay the first time she used the machine. There were only two cashiers on duty and the lines were long.

With only a few items to check out she decided to give the self-service stands a try and was stymied when the person in front experienced a glitch that required employee assistance. Now trapped in line, she had no choice but to wait.

I visited two Kmarts to check out this new self-service for myself. In both stores I witnessed problems, so I called the store on Sunset and Sandhill roads -- one of the stores where I had shopped -- and spoke to Operations Manager Dixie Sandoval.

I asked, "How is this program being accepted by consumers?"

"Since the program began, 30 percent of our customers have used it, and as far as I know, there have been no complaints," Sandoval said. "The self-service stands are designed for the person with just a few items who wants to check out in a hurry."

When I discussed one of the glitches I had witnessed -- when a person put in a $100 bill and the machine malfunctioned -- Sandoval was not aware it had happened. There is a customer service rep who is supposed to be at the stands, but at both stores the person had to be summoned. Not much time saved if this continues to happen.

Each store I visited had a number of regular checkout stands, but only two cashiers, so those in a hurry were almost required to use the new system. I would probably use it, as Sandoval recommended, if I had only a few items. I don't like bagging my own stuff.

No doubt the glitches will be addressed as soon as enough people complain.

And there will be no cutbacks of personnel. As Sandoval said, "This new system wasn't designed to do that." That's good news for the cashiers I spoke to who had expressed concern about job security.

Locked out!: It would seem like a simple thing to have a key made, but gone are the days when every place that made keys stocked all kinds of blanks. When I realized I'd lost every house and deadbolt key but one set, I knew it was time to restock. Just recently I left the one set I had inside my home. It required a locksmith and $72 to open the door. My locks are dependable Schlage. I wanted Schlage keys.

I knew I could find them at A-Able or Liberty locksmith, but I pass by a Home Depot and a Sears when going home. What could be easier? As it turned out, going to A-Able or Liberty. Neither Home Depot nor Sears carried the door blank or the quality deadbolt blank that I wanted.

And after trips to four stores I gave up trying to find the simple brass shelf supports I need. I'll wait until my next trip to a city with an old-fashioned hardware store.