In addition to the elaborate rules regarding bagging, scanning, and payment, there is a certain etiquette involved in using a grocery store's self-checkout stations. So, at Jewel just now, I was a little concerned that I might be cutting in front of two confused-looking older gentlemen who stood staring at the young woman across from the station I was headed toward. Just as I decided that I was in the right, the woman turned to the two men, visibly skeeved. In what, for accuracy's sake, I'll describe as a Germanic accent, one of the men explained, "we are tourists, so we are staring. Not at you, but at the machine."
I swear. That is what he said.
She still seemed weirded out, but she humored them as I looked on, amused. "Do you pay with a credit card? Where does it go?" She nodded and pointed, and went about her business. The tourists moved on to me. Now, I was using the self checkout for 3 reasons: I was only buying one item, the lines at this particular Jewel are notoriously long and slow, and I love robots, which I consider the self-checkout machine essentially to be. Noticing the cash in my hand, the gentlemen asked me if I could pay that way. I live to explain things, so I showed them the cash slot, and where the change comes out. Then it got serious. One of the men said, "a lot of people are going to be out of work." I don't like that kind of Debbie Downer talk ruining my robot time, so I posed a counter argument in the form of further explanation. The machines were pretty finicky, so many people don't like to use them (my dad, for example, HATES them). They are also less personal which people without my robot affinity find unpleasant. And no matter what, there are so many things that need attending to with the machines that someone has to be staffed to watch the stations all day long. Because of this, stations are often closed at smaller stores (live CVS) because only one person is on duty, and they need to be ringing rather than helping people use the machines.
I don't know if they bought it. But if they're really interested in boosting the American economy, maybe they, and other overseas visitors, would be interested in buying tickets to the self-checkout lanes at other grocery stores and pharmacies, or even to other American marvels like PIN pads at McDonalds or those ATMs that an read what your checks say. There are thousands of locations nationwide. You just have to figure out where to stick the money in.
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