Thursday 24 September 2020

Self-Service Tills


 
I'm tense these days.  Two months of fighting laptops which have minds of their own, and are still expressing them, are not helped by having to reach Sainsburys at lunchtime.  Many people enjoy wasting a day and a half queueing up at checkouts, I am not one of them.  Many people enjoy the crowds pushing and shoving, all wearing masks of course, while wondering why the shop has changed the layout and moved the one thing you require to a far distant shore. I am not one of them.
Once you have evaded the monstrous mass you find the checkouts, at least those with staff, have a long queue, mostly six feet apart, and with trolleys stuffed to the brim with things they really do not need. A change to 'Own Brand' rather than the expensive brands bought would save some people £30 a shop in my view.  I learned not only that the taste is not much different but 'Shops own brands,' which today go under various names, often contain less unhealthy stuff, and are much cheaper.  
The waiting proletariat looked set for the duration, panic buying for 'Lock Down' has begun, and so I went to the self service checkout.  
These machines, brought in to save the company money on staff costs, are supposed to ensure you can leave quickly, this is a lie!  My experience of Technology recently encourages me to avoid such beasts, today I had to use one.  It did not take long until I was banging my head on the scanner, just like the two men behind me and the woman at the far end.  The one member of staff on call to deal with all these tills stood screaming 'HELP!' at the rear  while waving a white flag, meanwhile the manager, with the help of another fresh member of staff and the security guard popped Valium into customers mouths. 
Eventually we made it up the road.
I noticed one man, one of those behind me, walking somewhat dazed, not as dazed as he will be when he gets home and discovered he has a car waiting at the supermarket car park still.   Another was seen to have half finished his cheap Brandy bottle, bought I suspect, in case he had to use the checkout by hmself.
There were still lines of people, the same ones, at the checkouts as I left.
 


5 comments:

the fly in the web said...

You're a brave man, using one of those...
I tried one once when visiting mother....never again. Poke this, press that - recipe for disaster - and the blasted thing even wanted me to pay for the experience!
They installed them at our local big supermarket...they are still there, but mute and unused as it took the assustance of what seemed like the whole staff of the place to sort out what customers were doing with them. No one, to my knowledge,tried a machete on one but I saw one gentleman aim a high kick like a cossack dancer at one...and connect!

Dave said...

Own brands often have lower salt and sugar content than their brand equivalents.

Self service checkouts are a real pain, have you tried the self scanners, they are better, once you get used to them.

We're in local lockdown and thankfully the panic buying has happened.......yet!

Adullamite said...

Fly, Use a machete on them, good idea, but do we use it on the machine or the staff I wonder?

Dave, No scanners do not appear to be ebtter as far as I can see. Tesco have prepared for panic buying I noticed.

Kay G. said...

My husband never has trouble with the self check out machines but if I am with him, there is a problem EVERY TIME. (I hate them and never use them.)
I think we give off negative vibes and they sense it. Try to love them and see if your luck with them improves. Who knows, it might even work with women. LOL.
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Now, the poor blonde with the crochet face mask with the giant holes. I crocheted several facemasks at the beginning of all this but MINE had enough filters behind them, you wouldn't believe it!! I tried the candle test with mine and they were just like my medical ones. Still, I had to stop using them because I got looks from folks and now, I use the ones that are probably much thinner than the ones I made. These people that won't wear masks are making me mad. I want to say, just stay home!

Adullamite said...

Kay, Send your man over here next time I'm in Tesco!