Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Self(ish) Checkout

Can anyone tell me what the self checkout line at the grocery store is for? I mean, I know it's purpose, it just seems like now one else does. Mine impression has always been that one should use the self checkout when all the normal lines are long and all you have is 5 or 6 items with easily visible bar codes. Otherwise you go through a normal line. Is that crazy of me? I don't think so.

The other day I was at the Safeway, I need to make two purchases. I grabbed those two items and headed to self checkout. Seems like a pretty simple transaction right? Well there are for scanners in this section of the store. On this particular day one was broken, one was occupied by a young woman who clearly grasped the concept, and the other two were being used two total douche bags. The first was an older woman overflowing with groceries. Including at least 30 cans of cat food. How selfish an inconsiderate is that? Why would this woman possibly think she would be faster or more efficient than the 5-8 people whose job it is to scan and bag your massive cart of groceries? The other guy was even worse. He didn't have nearly as many things as the old woman but the only thing he had was fruit and vegetables. You know, as in items lacking a scan able bar code and therefore must be weighed and searched for on a menu to find the appropriate price. The type of menu that one would memorize had they say, worked there on a daily basis looking up fruits and vegetables on daily basis while helping others. I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that a cashier would have finished checking these two out at least 10 times faster than they could. Instead they have to be assholes and try and do it themselves. Do they have some sort of phobia and talking to strangers? Are they embarrassed other their groceries and don't want other people handling them? Are they germaphobes? Because of them the normally fast self checkout line ended up 7 or 8 people deep, all of whom had an appropriate amount of products for the line, and all of whom were able to check out on the one available computer before these idiots finished.

It's little things like that that really drive me crazy. It's kind of hard to have hope for the future of America when so many people are so stupid.

6 comments:

Wendy said...

the bf and I have the same argument when we go...I side with you, I think he just likes bagging.

I bet those same people with the full carts were also those kids that wanted to push all the buttons on the elevator and screwed who ever go to next into stopping on every floor.

Unknown said...

I am sure they were trying to sneak a few things by the scanner.....that's what I do with my Mach 3 razors......j/k, but I have thought about it

Los said...

I agree fully with this - the self-checkout should be for 10 items tops (and 5 or less is the most acceptable).

Also, i hate the people in the drive-thrus who (A) order for a family of 12, or (B) don't know what they want.

Paige Jennifer said...

Ditto and ditto. Although I'm usually the jackass who puts the item in a bag and then has the thing not sense it and then I have it out with the machine, getting it to stop accusing me of stealing a ninety-nine cent yogurt.

GM-Carson said...

Takes me 5 tries to scan fresh produce.

Brian said...

i disagree. i understand that you may choose not to use the self checkout becuase of produce (with no bar code) or because you have a few items, but that is not the point. there are express lines (with limited # of items) and there are self checkout lines for people who want to do it themselves. i dont blame them for taking a long time, they are entitled to do what they want. you cant assume that everyone makes decisions based on the same reasons that you do.

further, the idea of self checkout is not based on time savings for customers, it is about cost savings for the store to not have to pay labor for clerks.

express lanes are for customers with few items.