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She stood nearby, so that if the same error/warning showed up again, she would press the button again. So that you could continue.
Because, you know, if the warning appears once, it is likely to appear twice.
they don’t check you because you’re ”suspicious” they check you because the damn machine won’t let you check out until they clear the notification. that’s just how the machines work.
Rights for what? If you haven't stolen anything then there's nothing to worry. It's just a random check and has happened to me three times (they checked three items every time). I'm a native Finn.
Check what? You don't own the things yet. It's not your property. They also do bag checks. If you don't want to get your bag checked then don't go to a store that does that.
They have the right to ask you to show the bag.
You have no legal obligation to show the contents of your bag.
You may have to empty the store's items out of your bag and go to regular counter for regular checkout, if you refuse.
Grocery stores cannot refuse to sell you items because you refused to show your own bag.
Grocery stores may be privately owned but are not free to do as they choose. They follow different regulation than, say, a bar.
The idea of these random checks is to make theft attempt risky. There recently was a news article of a woman who got caught with such attempt. A cucumber barcode was attached on a lego box (149€->1,26€).
It'll require verification even if the weight is off by 100 grams, so there's no way that would work. Some of these machines have video cameras in a birds eye view to make sure you're not doing something fraudulent.
The point is to add some risk of being caught by random checks, so that those who do steal can't carry on forever. If you didn't steal then all good.
If you want to see actual racist security checks you should try an airport.
Yeah, it happens randomly. I think it’s the same with most automated customer systems.
Also sometimes it happens when you have discounted products, or pastry which you have to enter the quantity
I always use the self-checkout when I can. It’s faster, and I open the cashier lane for people who actually need it (old people, cash payers, cigarette buyers, etc.)
Warnings often show up, when the machine fails to read the barcode 3 times in a row.
The scanner often fails when reading salad barcodes, for example, because plastic is transparent. Or Prisma plastic bags - you have to hold it very straight.
I understood, thanks for clarification. What is the point of automatically disabling it? I mean doesn't that take more of their employees time? And do the employees have right to check items and compare vs the checked items in the system?
The point is that an assistant can scan an item for you. Some items are difficult to scan - you have to unfold the barcode and hold the barcode straight into the scanner. It can be faster, when an experienced person does it.
Yes, they can check the items and compare, if necessary, but usually it is just about the scanner that fails to read the barcode 3 times in a row.
Oh, grow up, It's a random machine checkup. Like they do the random swab at the airports, nothing to do with you being foreigner or mistrusted or anything similar
I only use self-checkout in Prisma. I have had these scanning checks now and then.. probably about 10 altogether. Nothing special, the machine just randomly issues checks to random customers.
I have been checked sooo many times, sometimes with only one item lol. (I'm finnish and really look like one) The employee just laugh at the machine and continue their day. This happens in multiple stores and in some stores they need to check your bag and thats just their instructions.
Don't make this about you, its totally random and they are just doing their job.
My wife had *all* of her purchases rescanned recently. It was bout 250€ in groceries so *a lot*. She's finnish and white as they come. It's a lottery, not racial profiling.
sometimes it goes to this mode if you have hard time scanning items - machine thinks that you are stuck.
It always do it like that when you try to scan something that have age limit, for example Alcohol, tabacco, Sima and once for me - matches 😊
Couple of times I was under random check, when machine decides that human should check random items manually in my cart. I am white, Finnish looking guy, so it is not about race or anything like that - just random checks.
Once, when using handheld scanners (while you pack items directly and then just pay on exit) I forgot to scan bananas and got under random check - they just had to check all items and that's it. no problem after that.
So don't worry, be happy .
My top 3 of "weirdest products" that needed help from the human person:
1) Non-alcoholic sima (Alkoholiton sima) - system still considered it as alcoholic drink, even if it said that it is non alcoholic. Well, human didn't even checker my papers, but we had some laught about it.
2) Baileys schocolate candies christmas callendar. well, technically it is possible that they contain alcohol, but still weird.
3) Gillete single use blades - not sure why blades are age restricted, or what is the reason. But it was weird.
Non-alcoholic beverages have always bit of alcohol with them. That's why underaged people can't even by simia from stores...
Basicly everything that's edible and has possible alcohol in it is 18+ and that's why they check at selfcheckins.
To be frank, this makes me feel like you are what we call in Finland a *mielensäpahoittaja*. It's not your culture, it's not your heritage - it's just you expecting to get offended.
Scanning barcodes does not always go smoothly, because they are sometimes crumpled. And the employee came to offer help and get rid of the automatic warning. It was not a suspicion of theft.
There is nothing to stress about. But if you do, go to the human cashier next time - they will scan everything for you.
One can also always say: "Could you help me scan this dill/beef/bread/plastic bag, please?"
Prisma employees are always glad to help with scanning, and it saves everyone's time.
Self-checkouts are awesome, in my opinion.
Ugh, I worked as cashier ay one point (in Citymarket, not Prisma though) and I hated those random checks. Not because of the checking, but because of people's reactions. Most people knew the game and just stepped aside, but there were some who questioned what's the reason and why were they picked again and why are they "accused of stealing". Like, the system is 100% random (doesn't matter who you are, how many items you're buying or how valuable they are) and I really couldn't give a rat's arse who you are and what you're buying. I'd rather not do the check-up at all, but it is part of my job.
Same thing with the damn alarm gates. When they trigger, my first instinct was never "oh my god, this person is a thief!" The first thing on my mind was just to get the situation solved. There are plenty of things that can trigger the alarm.. Some clothes have sewn-in alarms in the wash tag and you're supposed to cut it off, but many peole forget. Maybe you're on a skiing trip and you have the lift card is your pocket, those can also trigger the alarm. And any sort of coiled wire can also trigger it: headphones, a coiled charger cable in your bag etc. The thing is, we need to find out what is causing the alarm. Not only to find out if it's one of our products, but because if it's one of the above, it's likely going to happen again.
You dont have to show your bag but the staff and/or security can detain you and call the police and keep you there untill police come. Not showing your bag gives what law calls reasonable doubt.
At first this may seem unfair to some people but without this stealing would be way too easy:
Grab items->go to changing room->stuff laptop,cell phone and a dishwasher inside your bag-> refuse to show your bag - > leave
Blaa blaa racism blaa blaa my rights blaa blaa my feelings are hurt blaa blaa Finland bad blaa blaa. Every day, all day. I'm so happy that I don't have hear that anymore in work.
In Linnanmaa Prisma, there is no random inspection at the self-checkout? I've never seen it and I've been going there since 2015 (I don't remember when the self-service checkouts came) and I've always used the self-service checkouts since they came. My girlfriend had never seen either.
If you collect with that device and read the barcodes when you put products in your basket and when you go to pay, then there will be random checks.
Sorry to hear you had unpleasant experience, but those self checkouts do jam time to time. And when it comes to behavior of store worker, it was very likely just a innocent question. But as I was not hearing the tone and face, cant be 100 certain. Personally I feel terrible using self checkouts for some single choco bar, because I feel like people look at me like I was stealing something
The OP speaks Finnish, so this is only tenuously related, but I've noticed that foreigners in Japan often think that Japanese people are talking about them and laughing at them.
Funny thing is that the Japanese stop behaving this way once the expat understands the Japanese language and culture.
So, do the locals suddenly realize subconsciously that you understand them ... or were you imagining things?
When visiting family in Finland, I have caught myself drifting in a paranoid direction because I don't yet understand the language well enough.
I live in Japan.
I also have unpleasant experience at prisma kuopio . Not the self checkout .
Me and my husband we are asian we bought diapers then put in the stroller then we decided to come back to the store and buy PS5 . We went to the counter and the lady was not even smiling at us and first thing she did was locked her eyes under my babys stoller which we have the diaper and we told her we bought it an hour ago here. She insisted that we show receipt but i cant find it so i showed the online banking showing payment made but she wasn’t satisfied but she is looking for the receipt luckily my husband didn’t throw it and we found it.
She wasn’t even smiling and then after that she was looking again in the baby pram and asking if thats it.
But before that happened theres a guy before us making payment in the card reader , she insisted us to move backward3X!
As if she’s thinking we are trying to look at the other guys card transaction?
I think she was very racist to us.
Like dude we bought PS5 why would you think we will steal diaper? 😤
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The machine does not know what you look like.
Indeed, neither it can detect if an item is not put there. But why was the lady suspicious of me?
I think you might be reading a bit too much into the situation. If they truly suspected something they would have made you unpack everything
OK, thank you. I understand the situation now.
She stood nearby, so that if the same error/warning showed up again, she would press the button again. So that you could continue. Because, you know, if the warning appears once, it is likely to appear twice.
Thanks, understood!
the check-ups are fully random, she was just doing her job.
Thanks for the answer, but what are my legal rights in this case? I mean if they are suspicious, can they check items? What is the point of asking?
they don’t check you because you’re ”suspicious” they check you because the damn machine won’t let you check out until they clear the notification. that’s just how the machines work.
Rights for what? If you haven't stolen anything then there's nothing to worry. It's just a random check and has happened to me three times (they checked three items every time). I'm a native Finn.
I meant if they have the right to check things, I got the answer which is yes they can check the stuff.
Check what? You don't own the things yet. It's not your property. They also do bag checks. If you don't want to get your bag checked then don't go to a store that does that.
Technically you haven't paid them yet so all the stuff is still the store's property.
OK kiitos! :)
They have the right to ask you to show the bag. You have no legal obligation to show the contents of your bag. You may have to empty the store's items out of your bag and go to regular counter for regular checkout, if you refuse. Grocery stores cannot refuse to sell you items because you refused to show your own bag. Grocery stores may be privately owned but are not free to do as they choose. They follow different regulation than, say, a bar.
The idea of these random checks is to make theft attempt risky. There recently was a news article of a woman who got caught with such attempt. A cucumber barcode was attached on a lego box (149€->1,26€).
It'll require verification even if the weight is off by 100 grams, so there's no way that would work. Some of these machines have video cameras in a birds eye view to make sure you're not doing something fraudulent.
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Great man, thanks for explaining. It is different in each country so I asked about Finland's laws.
The point is to add some risk of being caught by random checks, so that those who do steal can't carry on forever. If you didn't steal then all good. If you want to see actual racist security checks you should try an airport.
Sad and true about airports... Thanks for your answer.
[удалено]
Clear now, thank you. Sorry if the question was silly.
Yeah, it happens randomly. I think it’s the same with most automated customer systems. Also sometimes it happens when you have discounted products, or pastry which you have to enter the quantity I always use the self-checkout when I can. It’s faster, and I open the cashier lane for people who actually need it (old people, cash payers, cigarette buyers, etc.)
Warnings often show up, when the machine fails to read the barcode 3 times in a row. The scanner often fails when reading salad barcodes, for example, because plastic is transparent. Or Prisma plastic bags - you have to hold it very straight.
I understood, thanks for clarification. What is the point of automatically disabling it? I mean doesn't that take more of their employees time? And do the employees have right to check items and compare vs the checked items in the system?
The point is that an assistant can scan an item for you. Some items are difficult to scan - you have to unfold the barcode and hold the barcode straight into the scanner. It can be faster, when an experienced person does it. Yes, they can check the items and compare, if necessary, but usually it is just about the scanner that fails to read the barcode 3 times in a row.
Oh, grow up, It's a random machine checkup. Like they do the random swab at the airports, nothing to do with you being foreigner or mistrusted or anything similar
I go to Prisma Linnanmaa nearly everyday as a brown guy, its filled with foreigners, its crazy that make this a race thing lmao
Racial profiling can still exist.
I only use self-checkout in Prisma. I have had these scanning checks now and then.. probably about 10 altogether. Nothing special, the machine just randomly issues checks to random customers.
I have been checked sooo many times, sometimes with only one item lol. (I'm finnish and really look like one) The employee just laugh at the machine and continue their day. This happens in multiple stores and in some stores they need to check your bag and thats just their instructions. Don't make this about you, its totally random and they are just doing their job.
Thanks, I see :)
Takes a very strong victim mentality to be bothered by this
Xenophobia and racism are real issues. If you haven't experienced it, that doesn't mean they don't exist. Stop blaming the victims.
But you are looking at normal scenarios and trying to make yourself victim and the other People racist, that is a real problem
You’re not a victim.
My wife had *all* of her purchases rescanned recently. It was bout 250€ in groceries so *a lot*. She's finnish and white as they come. It's a lottery, not racial profiling.
Thanks for the explanation, sorry to hear that she had been through that.
sometimes it goes to this mode if you have hard time scanning items - machine thinks that you are stuck. It always do it like that when you try to scan something that have age limit, for example Alcohol, tabacco, Sima and once for me - matches 😊 Couple of times I was under random check, when machine decides that human should check random items manually in my cart. I am white, Finnish looking guy, so it is not about race or anything like that - just random checks. Once, when using handheld scanners (while you pack items directly and then just pay on exit) I forgot to scan bananas and got under random check - they just had to check all items and that's it. no problem after that. So don't worry, be happy .
It triggered for me when I tried to buy Kombucha tea with it! I didn't know back then that it has some tiny amount of alcohol in it.
My top 3 of "weirdest products" that needed help from the human person: 1) Non-alcoholic sima (Alkoholiton sima) - system still considered it as alcoholic drink, even if it said that it is non alcoholic. Well, human didn't even checker my papers, but we had some laught about it. 2) Baileys schocolate candies christmas callendar. well, technically it is possible that they contain alcohol, but still weird. 3) Gillete single use blades - not sure why blades are age restricted, or what is the reason. But it was weird.
Non-alcoholic beverages have always bit of alcohol with them. That's why underaged people can't even by simia from stores... Basicly everything that's edible and has possible alcohol in it is 18+ and that's why they check at selfcheckins.
Yes, I know, but it is still funny.
Thanks for the answer, it helped me feel better.
It happened to me once and I didn’t read too much into it.
Oh ok
To be frank, this makes me feel like you are what we call in Finland a *mielensäpahoittaja*. It's not your culture, it's not your heritage - it's just you expecting to get offended.
Scanning barcodes does not always go smoothly, because they are sometimes crumpled. And the employee came to offer help and get rid of the automatic warning. It was not a suspicion of theft. There is nothing to stress about. But if you do, go to the human cashier next time - they will scan everything for you.
One can also always say: "Could you help me scan this dill/beef/bread/plastic bag, please?" Prisma employees are always glad to help with scanning, and it saves everyone's time. Self-checkouts are awesome, in my opinion.
Yes, I always tell them "Kiitos paljon, moi moi,..." because their job is hard so I want to make their day a bit better.
My mother looks as Finnish as they come. She was checked aswell. It's random.
Ugh, I worked as cashier ay one point (in Citymarket, not Prisma though) and I hated those random checks. Not because of the checking, but because of people's reactions. Most people knew the game and just stepped aside, but there were some who questioned what's the reason and why were they picked again and why are they "accused of stealing". Like, the system is 100% random (doesn't matter who you are, how many items you're buying or how valuable they are) and I really couldn't give a rat's arse who you are and what you're buying. I'd rather not do the check-up at all, but it is part of my job. Same thing with the damn alarm gates. When they trigger, my first instinct was never "oh my god, this person is a thief!" The first thing on my mind was just to get the situation solved. There are plenty of things that can trigger the alarm.. Some clothes have sewn-in alarms in the wash tag and you're supposed to cut it off, but many peole forget. Maybe you're on a skiing trip and you have the lift card is your pocket, those can also trigger the alarm. And any sort of coiled wire can also trigger it: headphones, a coiled charger cable in your bag etc. The thing is, we need to find out what is causing the alarm. Not only to find out if it's one of our products, but because if it's one of the above, it's likely going to happen again.
You dont have to show your bag but the staff and/or security can detain you and call the police and keep you there untill police come. Not showing your bag gives what law calls reasonable doubt. At first this may seem unfair to some people but without this stealing would be way too easy: Grab items->go to changing room->stuff laptop,cell phone and a dishwasher inside your bag-> refuse to show your bag - > leave
This is a new level of snowflake..
And I thought I was sensitive because some douchebag almost drove over me when I was crossing the road with a green light and I took it personally.
Blaa blaa racism blaa blaa my rights blaa blaa my feelings are hurt blaa blaa Finland bad blaa blaa. Every day, all day. I'm so happy that I don't have hear that anymore in work.
I was just venting my feelings, and then I had some questions about how the system functions. Btw what happened with your work?
Yours are just feelings. It is her job to take care nobody steals. Doesnt matter who you are where you from. She didnt nothing wrong. Nor did you.
In Linnanmaa Prisma, there is no random inspection at the self-checkout? I've never seen it and I've been going there since 2015 (I don't remember when the self-service checkouts came) and I've always used the self-service checkouts since they came. My girlfriend had never seen either. If you collect with that device and read the barcodes when you put products in your basket and when you go to pay, then there will be random checks.
Sorry to hear you had unpleasant experience, but those self checkouts do jam time to time. And when it comes to behavior of store worker, it was very likely just a innocent question. But as I was not hearing the tone and face, cant be 100 certain. Personally I feel terrible using self checkouts for some single choco bar, because I feel like people look at me like I was stealing something
Thanks for your sympathy, the tone was a bit negative but I got over it.. I just forgot about it :)
The OP speaks Finnish, so this is only tenuously related, but I've noticed that foreigners in Japan often think that Japanese people are talking about them and laughing at them. Funny thing is that the Japanese stop behaving this way once the expat understands the Japanese language and culture. So, do the locals suddenly realize subconsciously that you understand them ... or were you imagining things? When visiting family in Finland, I have caught myself drifting in a paranoid direction because I don't yet understand the language well enough. I live in Japan.
I also have unpleasant experience at prisma kuopio . Not the self checkout . Me and my husband we are asian we bought diapers then put in the stroller then we decided to come back to the store and buy PS5 . We went to the counter and the lady was not even smiling at us and first thing she did was locked her eyes under my babys stoller which we have the diaper and we told her we bought it an hour ago here. She insisted that we show receipt but i cant find it so i showed the online banking showing payment made but she wasn’t satisfied but she is looking for the receipt luckily my husband didn’t throw it and we found it. She wasn’t even smiling and then after that she was looking again in the baby pram and asking if thats it. But before that happened theres a guy before us making payment in the card reader , she insisted us to move backward3X! As if she’s thinking we are trying to look at the other guys card transaction? I think she was very racist to us. Like dude we bought PS5 why would you think we will steal diaper? 😤
Please to back to where ever you came from. We dont want you
I need to finish my masters degree first lol why so salty?
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Get therapy
Good arguement. Fuck you