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

Meh. I’m usually happy to just scan my own shit and bounce. Even a $500 Costco trip. I usually shop with earbuds in, so it’s just me and some tunes anyway. I just switch off my brain, follow my list, and go.

Also, trust myself better.

I have some soft bread, I at least know I won't put something heavy on it.

I have some items that are fragile, I can keep track of them packing and keep them separate.

I won't end up single-bagging a bunch of stuff that could be bagged together (e.g. if they scanned some window cleaner, they bag it separate, not knowing that some dishwasher detergent is coming that it could be packed with).

Got some product with a markdown barcode? I can be sure the discounted barcode gets scanned not the full price one.

To the extent possible, I can also just skip bagging most of the time. If I have some very small things sure I might use a bag, but mostly I just scan and put in cart.

Completely agree with you, I never buy huge amounts when I shop (single guy), big orders are better with human cashier.

There are also zero places around me where there is only self checkout. Having zero cashiers is terrible. There’s always going to be large orders, elderly or disabled people that might not easily use self checkout.

I haven't seen a self-checkout in any store that weighs the bags in quite a few years in my area.

But absolutely they got machine vision looking. Once I got flagged for potential theft because I put the box to the far side of the scanning area before scanning. It flagged me as trying to steal it after I had scanned it with the scanner gun, and I got to see the video 'evidence' of my theft, including grabbing the scanner gun and starting to move toward the box.

We have lost most of the stores where a clerk will collect your items for you

Actually, pretty much the opposite, they are making a comeback in the form of curbside ordering. Walking through a grocery store or walmart nowadays there's a large number of staff picking items from the shelf.

It's been crazy to see people going nuts about having to scan their own items at the same time the bigger pain in the ass of picking the items is now being offered at no additional charge.

I don't trust them with produce, but pretty much everything else it's highly convenient for me. I'm certainly happy for the apps to tell me which aisle a food is in, but then I have to hunt anyway. It's certainly not faster for me to walk around versus just picking up the ready to go ordered stuff.

You should change place then??

Wait, is this a thing? What's wrong with you people?

It's not that bad, it's just more bad than self check.

Personally I hate waiting in line, I can feel the life leaving my body. I self check for speed.

Apparently line impatience is an ADHD thing, but regardless of where it comes from I appreciate being able to do it myself instead of waiting.

I am definitely not an outgoing or social person, but a big "Thank You" to all those pro-self-checkout folks ITT for making me feel like a social butterfly. I'm gonna brag and annouce I can say, "Hi." and "Thanks" to a cashier like a goddamn boss.

That is if the cashier isn't even more socially awkward/angry at their boss than I am and refuses to talk at all.

Woot! I'm gonna run for office!

Reporter: "Sturger, how are your policies going to improve life for the average voter?"
Me: "Get these goddamn cameras and microphones out of my fucking face. Thanks."

Camera pans as I push my shopping cart out the door like a pro.

Stores near me first put in self checkouts around a decade ago and still have the original, problematic machines. It's the newer stores or ones recently renovated that have upgraded, but that is rare.