The Duc Pond

Is there ever a good reason to NOT have all of a store’s self-checkout lanes open? I can’t tell you how many times I go to a supermarket to just get a few things (sometimes just one item) and only one self-checkout lane and a few normal lanes are open. There are lines at all of them. If I could just use one of the three self-checkout machines that are unavailable, I could be done in less than a minute! Instead I have to stand in line for 10 or 15 times as long!

I don’t understand why they’re not all utilized. Everyone’s a winner. The store doesn’t have to hire more people and customers can get out of the store more quickly. Props to Home Depot. I’ve never seen a self-checkout lane turned off. I once bought a hammer in under 45 seconds.

Don’t get me wrong. If I have a shopping cart full of groceries it’s obviously better to have a human check me out while I bag or chill. But if it’s just a gallon of milk or a can of cashews, I’d rather do it myself.