Meijer-Which checkout is best w/ lots of coupons?

[Jodi1029]

OK, I have spent lots of time getting ready for this week at Meijer. It will be my first time using a lot of coupons.

Which checkout lane do you use when you have a lot of coupons? I'm worried I'll miss something if I go through a checkout w/ a cashier because they go so fast sometimes and I'm worried that it will take forever if I go through a u-scan because everything will beep and they'll be over every 5 seconds.

Which do you find to be better?

[MandiK]

Personally, I avoid the UScan to 2 reasons, one political (as in, those used to be people's jobs instead of machines) and one practical (everything beeps and it takes forever and the "cashier" usually hates me at the end).

I try to pick a regular lane with a male cashier approximately my age or so (because they don't care about stacks of coupons or beeps, they just make it work), or a very friendly faced woman who I don't think is going to get irritated with my coupons. I avoid middle age women cashiers because I have bad luck with them every time.

More info than you needed? Possibly, haha.

[breezy2]

I try to pick a regular lane with a male cashier approximately my age or so (because they don't care about stacks of coupons or beeps, they just make it work), or a very friendly faced woman who I don't think is going to get irritated with my coupons. I avoid middle age women cashiers because I have bad luck with them every time.

Yep I like young men best too. And what is it with middle aged women anyway? This is coming from a middle aged woman!:shrug7:

Wendy

[twochickstwopumpkins]

I always use the Uscan. My coupons don't beep all the time and if I need their help the cashiers are normally very friendly about helping out. I guess I'm just lucky here.
They all know me too so it's not a surprise when I pull out a wad of coupons or run a ton of transactions.

[Melbies]

My gripe with U Scan is that none of my Mealbox coupons work there and if I have several, the cashier will take them back to her stand and scan them there. I can't monitor to make sure she doesn't skip one or tell if it came off correctly without giving myself whiplash. :wink7:

I try to choose a younger cashier or a woman who seems to know her business. I have had bad luck with middle aged or older men cashiers- too impatient to scan everything correctly!

[XUfan]

I go to the same couple of cashiers every time I go to Meijer. Also, there are certain ones that I avoid. I've been known to walk out without buying anything if nobody "good" is working that day. It's not worth the hassle!

That said, I rarely go to the U-Scan at all...but NEVER if I have a bunch of coupons! Besides scanning each item and bagging each item, I normally have to call the cashier over to ring the majority of the coupons. At my store, they seem to only have one girl working all 8 of the U-scans at the same time, so this can take a LONG time!! My time is worth more than that to me!

[twochickstwopumpkins]

My gripe with U Scan is that none of my Mealbox coupons work there and if I have several, the cashier will take them back to her stand and scan them there. I can't monitor to make sure she doesn't skip one or tell if it came off correctly without giving myself whiplash. :wink7:

I try to choose a younger cashier or a woman who seems to know her business. I have had bad luck with middle aged or older men cashiers- too impatient to scan everything correctly!

You can just key them yourself if they don't scan. Same keypad as oyu use for the produce. And the MB coupons will say please wait for attendant while it takes the disc then it will switch to insert your coupon. The cashier doesn't need to do anything.

[Thrifty Bee]

I think there are pros and cons for both. What I like the most about U-scans is that my DH bags for me and we use reusable bags. Very few cashiers seem to have much experience with reusable bags and they often get frustrated. My DH has it down to a science how each thing bags best, and it’s common for us to repeatedly but the same things. Also, because it’s his food he’s more careful of bagging items where they won’t be mashed.

Then there are the coupons; fewer beep at the regular checkout including the mealbox Qs. I’ve also noticed that the mealbox Qs are more likely to come off if they are scanned first, especially if you’re going to use manufacturer Qs also. But when I go to the U-Scan I tend to hold the mealbox and other Qs that I know will need to be pushed trough until the end. Also the U-Scan has the strange coupon to item ratio thing that makes it shut down, and then the attendant comes over and goes through your Qs one by one while other costumers stand and watch. I used to think it was a set number that triggered it but when I buy four items with two coupons it happens so I’m convinced it’s a 40% or 50% ratio thing, at least at my store. It is my experience that cashiers are not as careful to scan every coupon as I am at the U-Scan, so I have a list of coupons that should come off when I use a regular checkout. I know it sounds extreme, but on my grocery list I put the coupon amount beside the product it’s for as well as the barcode number. So when I compare my list to my receipt I can tell not only if all of my Qs came off but which ones didn’t.

Right now though, I think you’re going to experience many problems with coupons no matter which way you choose because of the new system. The cashier I used yesterday said that all BOGOs are being a real pain. I used three Stayfree BOGO that he couldn’t get to enter so after several attempts a manager came over. The credit I needed for each one was $5.49 and the register wouldn’t accept anything over $5.00 so he ended up entering twice for each Q, a $5.00 credit and a $.49 credit.

[nerdy]

I have had problems with coupons in the USCAN. I only use the USCAN if I have a few coupons. Otherwise, I try to go to a line with a cashier. If I have to use the U SCAN, I try to pick one near the cashier so I can get help.

[Jodi1029]

I'm back and it it went really well! I ended up going through a lane with a cashier. I picked a guy in his early twenties and he was really nice. I even asked him to go slow so I could see the coupons coming off and he did, which is saying a lot considering I had maybe 40 coupons or so. He even explained why some beeped and was quite happy for me when he saw the savings. I think he will be the guy I stalk whenever I go to checkout from now on!

After today, I definitely agree that the cashier makes a huge difference. I have had plenty (and yes, usually middle aged women!) that scrutinize everything that beeps to death. I did ask this guy if it would be a pain to go through the uscan with a lot of coupons and he said no, but if something beeped, he usually just comes over and scans all the coupons. With that said, I just figure what's the point of going through the hassle myself when the outcome will probably be them scanning it anyway.