I hate those self check outs that have the empty bags hanging above a scale to weigh your stuff after you scanned them to make sure that what you scanned is whats put in the bag, when the thing you are buying has no weight, like needles, and it keep locking up and asking you to "put the item in the bag" over and over. And you're right who is this easier for. I've been a cashier all my working life and I can handle it and move on, but honestly some of these folks act like they just arrived on earth and have never seen self check outs before, but they will stand there and fuck around and cause a back up until someone comes over and does it for them. Rant over LOL

NOTICE: Customer must have I.Q. higher than Large Curd Cottage Cheese in order to use this machine.

BB- When I've run on a 10 item or less checkout and I get a customer with a crapload of stuff it annoys the hell outa me too but we usually have to let it through anyway cause they'll raise a royal bitch-fit if we tell them they have too much and then complain the management who'll make us ring them through anyway. So we just save ourselves the undeserved ass-whoopin. If they ask, on the other hand, I'll tell them it's for small orders only, unless I've got no customers and the day is slow...gives me something to do.

The problem is the checkouts themselves in many cases. They have so many ridiculous features that are presumably meant to prevent theft but really just prevent proper operation. I've worked in a supermarket, I know how to use a register, yet there's always something that freezes up the system when I use it. Either the bag weighing thing freaks out because I have the nerve to use my own bag (my local supermarket doesn't have a 'using my own bag' button) or there's some item that doesn't scan. There's an 'enter UPC' option which I have used on a couple of items that just won't scan but once you enter it you need to wait for an associate to approve it. Best of all, they don't have any monitoring the self-scan registers so if the thing freezes up you have to wait forever until someone deigns to enter the code.

Now you might wonder why I don't just go through the line with the human cashier. Well that takes twice as long. I don't know where the store is finding these morons but my local supermarket has the worst cashiers known to mankind. Most have apparently never eaten a vegetable because they have to ask what every single one is. None of them have a clue how to bag groceries (bread on the bottom, gallon bottles in bags, random bags with one item) and handing them a reusable bag that doesn't have the stores logo on it is likely to make their head pop. Packing a different style of bag means you have to actually engage brain and that's a real issue for at least 80% of their employees. Usually I'll just go to a different market but if I just need to run out for a couple of things I'll brave the insanity

Joe- I've got freakin issues with my wrist AND shoulder that is due to C/O but they don't belive me/won't do anything about it cause (aside from begrudginly following doctor note orders) it's a slowly progressing injury and I can't "prove" that the very first, original cause was due to something there. Well, lesee they're both caused and aggravated by long periods of stress, heavy lifting, and repetitive motion...now where else do I encounter that? Uhh...nowhere. Also it's a injury that has no obvious physical signs (like a 18 inch laceration, 3rd degree burns, or protruding bone shards) so there's some who think I'm outright faking. Yeah, yeah...let's stick a rusty ice pick repeatedly through their joints (cause that's what it feels like) and see how great they feel.

Cubby- I've got the same thing!!! plus tendonitis, plus I'm predispositioned to nerve issues casue I've got NF. They've done Xray, MRI, Electrowave Therapy, Ultrsound, Lift/Strech Therapy, Ice pack, Heat Wrap, 2 or 3 meds (all had side effects that make me zonked and didn't help the actual problem)...going on over a year and a half and it still keeps coming back. Really sucks donit? And dispite all that doctor-stuff they still don't truly belive me...like I'd really go get a $3,000 MRI just for kicks.

I had carpal tunnel while working at the supermarket too. I was also pregnant and it's pretty common to get carpal tunnel while pregnant even without the repetitive strain. Had to wear a wrist brace and one of my bosses came over to ask why I was wearing it. I explained it was carpal tunnel and he cracked up. Apparently having injured employees is very amusing. I got lots of comments from customers too but mostly well meaning inquiries. Even customers get gooey at the side of a big pregnant belly ;-) I think the only time I got negative comments while pregnant was when this sexist old dude (I swear he had a mail order bride, a third of his age and maybe Filipino) told me I should be doing heavy lifting while pregnant. I was lifting a half gallon bottle of juice at the time and my dr said I could lift up to 25lbs.

I despise working self-checkout. It's utterly boring, and I get pissed off at the people that walk right past the machines to me standing at my terminal and expect me to check them out. If they have something difficult to scan, or one tiny-ass thing, I'll usually do it, but most of the time I just say "Oh, this is self-checkout." and point to the machines. You'd be surprised how often they look shocked, like they completely missed the talking machines when they walked past. I've even had morons stand in line right next to the fucking machines expecting me to check them out. I don't like the self checkouts, but they have a purpose, and that's to keep me from having to deal with your ass.

Oh, I can relate to this all to well!

Often I have customers use the self check outs and come up to me (the SCO attendant) and say "These things are terrible, they are taking REAL jobs away!" and I always ask "Well why did you use it then?" and their response..."Well I didn't want to wait in a lineup, Duh!!"

Okay, so either you're going to complain that the SCO is taking away jobs OR you're going to complain that the lineup at the till is too long. Some people can never be satisfied!!