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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Life in the 12 items or less lane


I remember a few short years ago when the first U-scan check out lanes became popular at grocery stores. It was great; non-technically savvy people were scared of them for a while and it provided a fantastic way for the young and savvy to circumvent the old and meek.

What a difference a few years make.

Every year a larger percentage of checkout lanes are converted to U-scan. Someone however spread the word with the elderly that they too can use the U-scan lanes. Now, whenever I want to use a U-scan lane I inevitably end up behind a person who is one, most, or all of the following.

1. Old
2. buying fruit with no barcode
3. buying vegetables with no barcode
4. Cannot find the numbers on 2 or 3
5. Is paying with change
6. Doesn't speak english
7. Sets something on the scale with their bags
8. Doesn't take their receipt
9. Has 25 items
10. Has to look at 24 sides to find the barcode on a box with 6 sides.

And I know you have seen each and every one of the people described above.

I really hope that technology will advance enough to confuse the people that can't use the u-scan's quickly enough. Until then I might have to go back to the regular check out. Of course the regular checkout lanes are where you get the people who swear that the tag said that the comforter was $29.99 not $30.75. PRICE check!

Maybe I should give up on grocery shopping all together!

1 comments:

Amy said...

I agree with your observations at the u scan check outs. At Meijer now they have a U scan with no a limit checkout. This lane has you scan and send your groceries down the belt and then it collects at the bottom so then when your done you can bag them. This lane is convenient for some but most don't get it yet. After you are done scanning all your items it takes several minutes to bag everything yourself and the checkout lane then looks empty so other shoppers just walk right up and start scanning there items which in turn get sent down the lane and mixed in with all of your items. I think this checkout method really only works if you are shopping in pairs.