I've not had that yet. I ask in Lawtons if I need to show ID to make sure I get the 20% discount for over 55s and they tell me No.

I'm only 53. I look older, I admit.

You know, for quite some time when I've been doing my shopping at Waitrose they ask "would you like some help packing" and I've been assuming they're just trying to provide superior customer service. But it dawned on me this week, that they might be assuming I'm in the age bracket where I could use a hand. How very dare they! Hopefully I am just imagining things.

Safeway always asks me if I need help out, and being only 37 I can't imagine its because of looks, so I assume they ask anyone as part of their process.

In Britain checkout staff are usually a bit miserable or robotic.

And sitting down. My 16 year old son has noticed that difference between UK supermarket checkout staff and Canadian ones (he has a part time job at the checkout at a supermarket).

Indeed. That's why I have little sympathy that they are bring replaced by self scan tills.

I have one tortoise that charges around like a mad thing and one that I have to wake up to feed, so one is like my husband and one is like me lol

Did those gadgets I read about once ever catch on? Something about scanning as you go around the store rather than at the end? I caguely recall seeing them in a Sainsbury or Safeway at Bude.

They used to have the handheld ones in Waitrose, don't know if they still do

They do. They're very common in France as well. (Although I've never bothered with one.... I'm still getting used to self check out.

Or maybe phenomenological, detached in deep existential reflection?

No, I think Shard probably had it right.

They do and they are an improved version of the handhelds they offered a couple of years ago. I've only recently started reusing them as the queues were getting horrendous. It now amazes me that so few other customers avail themselves of this timesaver (although I can understand in the cases of new immigrants, such as Novo).

Stores here can't seem to make their mind up, Safeway used to have self check out, now they don't.

Interesting how some chains find the self check outs good, others had them and got rid of them.


New trend is to not take cash at self check out, so the stores have to have some human cashiers, not everyone has credit or debit.