Yes, "Regerts"
We cannot eliminate cashiers, replace them all with robots, cameras, monitors and butt watchers.
I cannot begin to describe the frustration I feel when forced to use a self-checkout in a store with no other options, such as the choice of a living, breathing, smiling human cashier . It blows my mind that some large, big box stores think it's a good idea to position staffers behind their customers, in some sort of wild (animal-like) chaotic corral filled with people, beeps, bright lights and your faces on monitors everywhere you turn. I'm not ashamed of my backside, but placing paid observers at my back side, when we used to have cashiers face us (while cameras are in my face and God knows where else) seems like a cold, big-brothery, stupid system. A forced system at that. I do grocery shopping as little as possible and prefer the transaction to be smooth and predictable.
I'm all for self checkout! But, it is much different when you go into a store and a cashier's line is unusually long, they’ve called the manager on the intercom and you see literally no one at the self checkouts. Then, you choose to walk over with your small batch of items, as it tends to make sense to use the self checkout.
Today, I walked up to the only checkout area and I had remorse instantly as I failed to remember this store only offered the check out function which would force me to be the cashier, which I hate especially when I have a cart full of groceries. This results in me having to sort my items, only buy what I absolutely need, or I end up abandoning the entire cart in some cases. I know. What a jerk I am. What jerks they are to assume all their patrons want to be cashier, bagger, manager and customer.
Today was the first time I realized I was being watched by a paid staffer, while I snarlee to myself and struggled through the job as unpaid cashier. I used to be a cashier. It wasn’t so bad, however, doing it now without ever being asked to do it … this bothers me.
On days like these, when I screw up and actually make it to the corral of chaos, I wonder if I am the only one who this has made uneasy. I want the choice back.
It turns out, they are renovating and installing two human cashiers, so I suspect I am not the only one. I can only walk away being grateful to others like me who have kindly spoke up to improve cashier and bagger morale.