The Anger Within

Is our economy SO endangered that we can no longer pay people to check out our groceries? Is "self-check" really a service to customers? Because all it accomplishes for me is grocery-store rage. I will drive 30 miles to my former town to buy groceries over going to the store down the street because I can do it in the same amount of time...because 30 miles away, there are PEOPLE there to assist you.

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the BRIGHTEST star when it comes to machines, technology, etc. But I can hold my own. However, the self-check lines in Dillons and Walmart just are not human-friendly. Here's an example of how things go...

I scan an item or two successfully, bagging them.

"Please re-scan previous item."
Um, which one? So I take one of the items out.
"Please do not remove groceries from the bagging area."

I sigh. "Please ask attendant for service."
I press the red button. The people behind me sigh. She presses a button that clears the mess.

I scan a few more items successfully. My daughter leans on the bagging area.
"Unrecognized item in bagging area."
I recognize her, you stupid piece of crap machine. I tell her to stand back.

I scan the next item. "No UPC code. Please look up item."
I grap the menu of UPC codes...it's 28 pages long. I sigh. The people behind me start looking more and more like an angry mob.

You get the idea. Shopping sucks. I leave and go to Maurices. There are no machines there, just people....nice, friendly people who compliment me and make me smile. They deserve my money instead of the grocery store. I can eat the berries of my trees...they haven't killed the dog yet. And they'll keep me fitting into the jeans I just bought.