British Expatriate Network

So, some of our grocery stores have installed any-size-order u-scan lanes. Excellent. I'm so much more efficient than those dorks on the tills. Unfortunately, no-one else round here is. When they've finally got the cashier to clear the error message because they're leaning on the scales, and to help them look up the code for bananas, and to scan their zillion coupons, and they've mastered inserting the bills the right way, they still have to pack their damn groceries. they have no idea how to bag their own groceries. (And why should they? They've never had to.)

So here's my brilliant idea... instead of getting frustrated standing around watching the person in front of you navigate the scanner then conquer the bags, why not bag it for them as they scan and while you wait? Brilliant, no? Win-win and all that. Faster shopping and less boredom.

Ohhh Nooo. on the couple of occassions I have offered to bag for the person in front of me, I've been given the "did you just beam down from mars" look and the "the dead body in my shopping is the reason i chose to scan and bag my own order" look. WTF?

Come on people , you know it makes sense. Doesn't it? What do you think? how should we go about getting this protocol instigated at the inception of these systems? Inquiring minds want to checkout faster!

At our local Stop and Shop, we have those but it is rare anyone actually uses them for a big shop. And the shop assistant that hangs around the u-scan checkouts help pack for people especially when the scanner stops due to too much shopping on the belt roll

It also does not make it easy for large shopping because there is nowehre to put your shopping before scanning. You have to take a piece of shopping out of the trolley and then scan so it makes it very slow.

Now the Walmart u-scan is great. The belt is before the scanner so you can load up your stuff from the trolley, move your trolley down to the scanner and start scanning, bagging and loading trolley really quickly. The bags are right next to the scanner so you literally scan and bag. It's great and quick. Someone really thought properly about this one and realised what makes scan and bag more efficient.

Now all we need is for Taget to get a u-scan. They are so slow evil

Best of all, IKEA has u-scan now!! With a gun, so you don't have to lift a huge wardrobe box to scan it over the reader wink

On the other side of this, does anyone feel the pressure of the people behind you staring daggers as your bag of potatoes won't scan after running it over the scanner for the fifth time? :P

I think if someone offered to bag my groceries, it would be a pretty good indication that they were trying to shoo me along.

Michelle and I have a pretty good system where one scans and the other bags. I like them because you don't have to engage in the dumb small talk with the cashier. Has anyone had the cashier that comments about every grocery item you have? :x

I don't scan. I am more than happy to let $8 an hour serfs bag my groceries and try and make inane conversation.