Thread: English/Spanish deathtrap at the self-checkout

I was shopping at Home Depot the other day. They have these nifty little self-checkout lanes for people like me who enjoy being confused by supposedly simple computer programs. Aside from the fact that I always have to ask for cashier assistance when using one of these things, I usually use them because I enjoy the fantasy of making it through checkout without having to deal with one of these imbeciles. The worst problem I usually run into is the bag holder that weighs your already scanned items and refuses to allow you to go further until it senses the correct weight. Unfortunately, there is not always enough room on the bag scale thingy to place all of my items. Argh!

Anyways, I was using this genius device when it prompted me to select English or Spanish. I looked around to make sure I was still in America, and it appeared as though I was. I attempted to select English, but the little demon machine decided that I really meant to push the button for Spanish. About 2 minutes later the helpful cashier finished her conversation with one of the stockers and was able to interpret for me. I was luckily able to finish my checkout and even pay in U.S. dollars rather than pesos.

Dear Home Depot,

Please add a CTRL+ALT+DEL or at least an escape button from your Spanish language deathtrap machines at the self-checkout. Your English-speaking customers would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

BTM

BTM,

Same thing happened to me, in Miami the week before I moved! Yay!

It was a grocery store, maching stuck on spanish. So, even though I understood it, I got the store manager to 'fix' it.

I was shopping at Home Depot the other day

I wouldn't give them one red cent of my money! I haven't been in Home Desperate in almost a year.

I agree Virginiamama on the home depot and also I do not use those stupid machines in any stores as I always have to ask for help. I would rather deal with the idiot on the checkout line than that.

I am so glad that you have started a thread that I've been meaning to in the last couple weeks...

Capital Expressway Home Depot San Jose

You literally have to place your finger not on but above the English button and just barely touch the top edge in order to get English...go any lower even though still way out of range...BAM you get Spanish.

Seriously, you can have your finger square on the English button with no deviations or other dragging digits and BAM - you get Spanish.

My suspicion is that the manager there has decided to enable the sensor module portion of the application to default to Spanish instead of English should it detect a "fuzzy" selection.

I am repeatedly in the management's face there...

One time after continuosly encountering poor inventory maintenance and a nuisance of a door monitor sensor, poor self-checkout equipment maintenance - I got in management's face right in front of dozens of customers and said the following:

"For operating a Home Depot with poor standards in a dominantly minority area - that being the only real difference compared to the other better run stores - YOU ARE A RACIST!"

I'm pretty sure I pissed him off...

I constantly offer to examine their self-checkout server for them and explain to them why it lags - of course they don't like my offer.

And I love to intercept a dissapointed customer talking with a service rep and explain to the rep how exactly they $%^&*( up the customers order or shipment.

In a nutshell - I go there only when I have too - and beleive me - 9 out of 10 times I end up giving someone a hard time.

The English/Spanish traps is just the latest irritant...

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Originally Posted by mrrabbit

You literally have to place your finger not on but above the English button and just barely touch the top edge in order to get English...go any lower even though still way out of range...BAM you get Spanish.

Seriously, you can have your finger square on the English button with no deviations or other dragging digits and BAM - you get Spanish.

Perhaps it's their subtle way of trying to get us to learn Spanish. lol Honestly, I do not mind learning the language at all. It would benefit me greatly. However, I should not be obligated to communicate in Spanish while checking out at a store in AMERICA.

We cannot expect immigrants to the U.S. to learn English if we keep providing them everything they need in their native language. Why don't people understand this simple concept??

On the bright side, I can at least fight my way through a Spanish speaking automated device. If the language was Chinese, I'd be up a creek without a paddle.

I've done more cashiering than I'd like to admit and I hate those machines! Don't even bother with bread or chips or even a small box of paperclips......they are useless. God forbid you remove your bag in order to fill up the next one either! It blows circuits! Haven't had it go to Spanish on me yet though......then I would be screaming.

Originally Posted by badthingsman

Originally Posted by mrrabbit

You literally have to place your finger not on but above the English button and just barely touch the top edge in order to get English...go any lower even though still way out of range...BAM you get Spanish.

Seriously, you can have your finger square on the English button with no deviations or other dragging digits and BAM - you get Spanish.

Perhaps it's their subtle way of trying to get us to learn Spanish. lol Honestly, I do not mind learning the language at all. It would benefit me greatly. However, I should not be obligated to communicate in Spanish while checking out at a store in AMERICA.

We cannot expect immigrants to the U.S. to learn English if we keep providing them everything they need in their native language. Why don't people understand this simple concept??

On the bright side, I can at least fight my way through a Spanish speaking automated device. If the language was Chinese, I'd be up a creek without a paddle.

Ooooh! A conspiracy...

...it sure as hell felt that way and as an IT Engineer I had a pretty good feeling as to how...

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Maybe the machine just gets Spanish pushed so much it's used to it.