I steal on purpose. Fuck self checkout, just more corporate greed.

Have a handful for the incels and weirdos who are too scared to face down an intimidating cashier, but leave us normal folks out of it.

Bagging groceries is a lot of kids' first job, but now I have to do it and they dont get a chance for a low-pressure first job.

I will never understand those who are afraid to face down a cashier. Is it REALLY that bad?

So many people complain about how modern society is isolating, but then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves.

You can get a 5 Finger discount if you're good at it.

Edit: Oh no! Don't rip off the huge megacorp! Think of the C-suite execs and shareholders!

You have cashiers that wish to chat?!

The cashiers at the store across the street (that has no self check out) will talk your freakin' ear off. There could be 1 person ahead of you with a single item and it takes 'em 15 minutes to get checked out.

In Europe it's becoming popular to have scanners at the store entrance that you can take and scan your products as you go. Sometimes you can also do it with a phone app instead. Then, at the self-checkout, you just scan one code instead and pay right away. I love this system because it's quicker and you get to avoid the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly.

Twenty???

Speaking as someone who worked cash as a teenager/young adult, no we don't want to fucking talk to you. I was there because I liked money and that was a reliable way to make minimum wage. That's it. I didn't have a passion for scanning items and asking for payment. I had tuition to pay and debt racking up. I wasn't there to chat with you, or improve the customer experience. I was there to get paid and I can tell you that most if not all of the other cashier's were in the same boat.

I've recently experienced that magic box at a sports equipment store! I was amazed by how it just works.

The self checkout prints a receipt with a bar code on it and you have to scan it to leave the store.

Yes, as you shoild, but it's hard to not.

I feel like i should steal less at actual cashiers because labor reasobs.

the anxiety of packing your bags too slowly

Haha, spotted the German. This isn't really a thing elsewhere, not to that extent.

yeah. they took for-fucking-ever but like after five minutes it became entertaining and the whole line got in on it. you ever seen someone pick up a can to scan it, look at it, then put it back in their cart? but still buy the whole cart?

then go running to do stuff where they further isolate themselves

Mmm yeah, cos it's such quality time interacting with the cashier. Like, you're not totally wrong about the problem, isolation does make us even less able to handle interaction, but making people bag groceries for a living is not the way to solve that problem. Anyway, it's not fair to force your desire to have a conversation on someone who is trapped working somewhere.

I know some stores mix self scanning and self checkout, usually they're in the same exit area, or even at the same terminal

I think they do more checks in the beginning, or if you missed to scan something as the system probably sees you as more or a "risc". I can understand your frustration though

if they didn't have self checkout, they'd need more checkout people

They would certainly need more checkout people, but speaking from grocery cashier experience they wouldn’t necessarily have them. I remember my manager’s indifference as I was the only one to show up on Thanksgiving and there were literally 30 people in my line.

People get more sociable the closer you get to the equator. This is reflected in the distance from which people talk to you. So in the southern USA people are very chatty and will talk about pretty much anything while basically sitting on your lap, but in Norway you'll pretty much just shout across the fjord at someone to tell them their house is on fire if you're in a talkative mood. Talking to cashier's doesn't happen anyway.

Am I afraid to face down a cashier? No.

Is it REALLY that bad? No.

Can I make awkward small talk with a stranger? Yes.

Do I want to make awkward small talk with a stranger? No.

Am I relieved that I’m not forced to interact with a stranger and can continue to have to my own inner thoughts and not have to spend time rehearsing in my head what to say if they ask me how I am because I feel weirdly compelled to answer it honestly instead of simply saying “fine” like most do? Absolutely.

The discount you get at the self checkout is the 5 fingered discount.

Speak for yourself