But the worst self checkout experience by far is McDonalds. Why does it take ~100 taps on the screen to order three items? Whoever designed that UX should be working the cash register, not designing UX's.
Edit: just successfully used tap to pay at Chipotle, so I guess they finally fixed that.
Their order web page is the only one that refuses to operate with ad-block turned on.
Their app is a mess of broken functionality.
And their error paths are uniformly obtuse. E.g. "Unable to accept payment, please pay for your order in store" actually meaning "We were unable to transmit your order to the store, so you should just go through and create a new order when you walk in."
Seriously, fuck Chipotle's UX team.
(I may also still be salty about their inability to remember to put cheese in a cheese quesadilla)
Is there such a thing as a cheese-free quesadilla? I thought a quesadilla was precisely a cheese sandwich, but made with tortillas instead of bread.
Such existential questions occupy my nightly ponderings and soul searching.
Wait, what? Did they just hand you a tortilla by itself...?
Has this happened more than once?
That's like ordering a hamburger and them giving you a bun...
I think Chipotle secretly hates making quesadillas, and so makes it as hard as possible to order them. (They're now "online order only")
And apparently, does not train their people how to make them.
Sadly, when they used to make them from scratch on the tortilla steamer, they were one of my favorite things on the menu.
Not defending the kiosks, but at least you can use the app instead which is 1) straightforward, 2) earns points and gives you coupons, and 3) you can order a few minutes before you get there, so your food is already waiting for you once you arrive.
Apps are no good for those at the bottom of the system though - if you don't have a phone or data or a debit card, then apps are hard.
I had a phase of trying the self checkouts when they were new, a few decades ago or so. They were so clunky, linear, and demanded that you conform to their slow timing that I stopped (despite the free stuff from the dance of it trying to roll back the conveyor belt and asking you to re-scan an item, after the item had already left the belt)
These days I'll use a self checkout maybe once or twice a year, if I'm unfortunately at a store during a peak hour with really long lines, or if I have one or two items and it actually seems beneficial to do so. They have improved slightly, but still suffer from obtusely taking your effort for granted rather than working with you. Most of the time I'd rather wait a few predictable minutes in line than deal with the hassles of using self checkout, like the non-negligible chance I'll have to wait for a worker anyway.
Also I know the legal environment is different in the UK, but people choosing to stop and have their bags/receipts inspected on the way out store is a peeve of mine. Especially when they build up a crowd that blocks the exit. Just exercise the smallest bit of self actualization, say "no thanks" and keep walking. (exception for clubs like Costco where they could theoretically screw with your membership)
I’ve used McDonald’s self checkout in Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and Germany, and although they aren’t deserving of any awards they’re functional.