First of all, I really appreciate the person at the cash register doing the scanning so I can quickly fill my bag. I actually like being helped by a human being.
When doing the self-checkout I feel that I'm being taken advantage of. It's not that because I do self-checkout that I get a discount or anything.
It is worse: you get to play in a lottery. And If you “win” you get a free inspection of your freshly packed bag of groceries. You are treated like an untrustworthy POS. And then you have to fill your bag again with the items taken out because you could be a nasty thief.
There is no way you can prevent the check because you can only pay once you have been deemed not a thief.
The benefit for the grocerystore is obvious. The self-checkout “police person” is guarding 6-12+ self-checkout stations, it's much more efficient for them.
I say fuck efficiency, it's not the end-goal of our lives. Because the most efficient world is one without people, only machines.
The only thing that would change my mind is if the cashiers find their work terrible and would rather see it automated. I don't want other people suffer for my convenience.
So you do you feel about this, any experiences you can share?
/end-of-old-man-yelling-at-crowd