Matt says he doesn't like the self-service checkouts in grocery stores. I don't like them either. Partly for the reason he states: I miss the human interaction with the clerk. But mostly I found the experience intimidating.

I couldn't figure out how to get the machine to scan my groceries right. And the checkout stand had some nonobvious thing where it was weighing items, so when I rested something I hadn't checked out yet on the bagging platform The Voice told me I was wrong, "please clear the bagging area". The Voice was quite intimidating, loud and forceful, an unfriendly schoolmarm. And all the while I was checking out I was afraid I'd do something wrong and be considered a shoplifter.

It seems like the technology was all about preventing people from stealing items rather than helping them check out. Buying groceries shouldn't be an intimidating experience. I'm sure I could get used to self-service checkout, but I don't want to.

life
  2004-12-11 16:24 Z