To Self-Checkout or Not To Self-Checkout

We stopped at Meijer to pick up three prescriptions for Gary and to check on one for me. Because mine would be ready in an hour, we tackled the short shopping list for groceries and a few other items.

As we meandered through the store, we picked up some shampoo, a birthday card, some essential oils to help with sleep, and a few items for making Stuffed Pepper Soup and other things we needed.

Then.

Time to check out.

Only four lanes were open. Lanes which had a cashier who would ring up the items and bag them too.

Three people were checking out in front of us.  All four lanes were full of shoppers with overflowing carts.   While we were standing there waiting, we noticed several shoppers with baskets or carrying a small number of items who were stopping, checking out the lines, sighing, then moving to the next line... and the next line...and the next line....

By the time we were finished and heading toward the door, it was well past the hour needed to fill the prescription.

Oh...but self-checkout lanes were open.  Why not use one of them?

I boycott self-checkout lanes for several reasons.

One is that checking out items and bagging them is not my job.  If I wanted to work at Meijer as a checker, I would have applied for a job there.   Now granted, maybe the hourly rate is not that much, but if someone is eager to work, then the self-checkout lane is taking a job away from that person. 

Reason two is that every time we have been in a hurry and have only a couple items to purchase and decide to go through the self-checkout because the lines are very long otherwise, something goes wrong and assistance is needed.  If the checker is coming to help us anyway, then why not let that person do the entire checkout process for us?

The third reason is similar to reason #2.  Each time I have used the self-checkout if reason #2 doesn't happen, then the machine is telling me to bag the item or not bag the item or can't read the barcode or some other issue.  It is frustrating, I don't have enough hands to do it all, and I feel clutzy when trying to manuver the items, the cart, the bags, my purse, and my debit card. It is much less stressful to stand in the line and let the cashier do his/her job!

Finally, if I am doing the tasks of the cashier, then I should receive a discount on my purchases to compensate me for my work.  As far as I know, none of the stores with a self-checkout that I visit have offered such a discount.

There you go!  My thoughts on the issue.  When I posted something similar on FB today when we were standing in line behind three other people, one of the comments was that she used self-checkout because her time was more valuable and she didn't want to waste it standing in line for a long period of time.  My time is valuable too, but I don't think I need to do the job that someone else should be paid to do.

And it should be noted---a manager was standing behind the check out lanes with an iPad or tablet and watching the lines and their movement.  He didn't open any others though!