nataliedee.com Story of my life sometimes . . .

Biggest complaint I have about the darned things is that a lot of people that line up for them have no business doing so.  They should be reserved for express type purchases.  No cigarettes.  No checks.  Simple transactions that should be quick so that there's a real benefit to using them and only a short wait for them.

Instead, in the grocery stores in my area that have them, they reserve 1 out of 4 lanes for express purposes, don't light the sign enough to clearly note that, and invariably have someone get in the line trying to write a check, trying to purchase cigarettes or some other item that requires intervention by a cashier, etc.

Not to mention the times that the cash slot on the darned things is broken and won't accept bills, or the times that the belt jams, the confirmation scanners don't see the item properly because it was placed too far or not far enough down the belt, etc.

And finally the times that "mommy" has taken little joey or little janey to the store and the little one grabs items that haven't completely passed through the confirmation scanner and confuse the system completely.  Had that happen the other day with a woman in front of me and totally saw that going to hell in a handbasket.  I shifted lanes just in time to have the person in front of me try to pay with a crisp new $10 bill that the machine wouldn't accept.  He had to wait for the cashier to go get change for him (so they'd have old bills to try).

Service my arse.  Like you said, the stores using these things should be paying us back for doing their work, but fat chance.  All part of why I try to avoid those stores like the plague and shop where I know they employ real live cashiers.

That's why I usually shop at the local grocers, and not the big chain. But I had to run my errands really quick and the prices are a bit lower at the big chain, with my "Hi, I'm Big Brother" card.

The grocery store we used to shop at had terrible U-Scans. It was so bad it made us not want to buy produce from there. Another thing that irritated us was after you scanned an item you had to immediate put it in the bag and make sure it registered as being in the bag. If not the machine won't let you continue.

They opened a new store and the U-Scanners are so good. I have had no problems with them at all. There are so nice when you're in a hurry, especially when you see the lines with real cashiers are all long.

Now saying all that I still prefer a real cashier. Especially that cashier that works on ... oh oh I better be quiet. Rose might read this.

You'd better tell me. I'll just put Rose on my blacklist for a day or two, and you can say whatever you want.

I'm like terpfan.  I actually love U-Scan, and immediately have a lower opinion of a store that doesn't have that option. 

But some of the people who try to use it just need to stop.  I think they need some sort of U-Scan privilege test to determine whether or not you are allowed to use it.

I go to Dan's. At Dan's, they have a bevy of beautiful (jailbait seventeen-year-old) cashiers just waiting to help me out.

So, so much quicker than the U-Scan at Smith's across the street. And much, much more enjoyable.

We don't have this technology in Australia yet. I'm all for it, provided it works properly. Otherwise, they're going to end up with a lot of broken scanning machines and some very pissed off customers.

We don't have it where i am either. We still barter rabbit pelts or buffalo bones and stuff like that for our necessities anyway...