# An open letter to the grocery store idjets **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826 "2003-01-10T21:55:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/21 "2003-01-11T12:19:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monica \* > \*\*… And I’m getting better at speaking Spanish, so I always click the button that makes it talk in Spanish. I’m so often easily amused. 🙂 \*\* What a great idea! My grandson, who is 4, loves using these machines. He’s learned it much faster than I had… Knows to hit the PRODUCE button, find the code, but he’s especially good at finding the bar code, scanning, touching the yellow pad, and handing to me to put in the bag. So. Once he totally gets it down, I’m going to surprise him by using Spanish. Whee! ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/22 "2003-01-11T12:38:14Z")
If you don’t like them, don’t use them - you have the choice. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/23 "2003-01-11T12:57:30Z")
um, no kiddiing amarone- aren’t people allowed to gripe any more about anything? The point is (I’ll use small words now): The machines often do not work as expected. We wish they did. The end. If you don’t want to read people complaining about things, you came to the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/24 "2003-01-11T18:24:42Z")
I always use them. I can’t stand the other lines. They are quicker, I get in there, get my stuff and go. Oh and they’re great for those of us that tend to get panic attacks in those situations. I started to use them in 1997-98 and was thankful when all the stores of King Soopers adopted them. Before the local King Soopers was constructed, I had to deal with Safeway that has a horrible set up at their checkouts and their prices are too high and a wimpy selection of products. \< King Soopers is a division of Kroger \> ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/25 "2003-01-11T19:36:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I\_Dig\_Bad\_Boys \* > \*\*It’s 2001:Spacy Odessey happening and we don’t even realize it. Soon our world will be controlled by a giant robot named Hal…or something.☹ > \*\* You do realize that 2001 and HAL had absolutely nothing to do with running the world or mechanization, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/26 "2003-01-11T19:38:30Z")
Um…no. I guess I"ll have to go back and watch that movie again. IDBB ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/27 "2003-01-11T20:17:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I\_Dig\_Bad\_Boys \* > \*\*Um…no. I guess I"ll have to go back and watch that movie again. > IDBB \*\* Ah, there’s the problem. Read the book instead. It makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/28 "2003-01-11T20:20:47Z")
Dammit, **SpazCat** , I was going to make a crack about how auto-checkers mean we get to fly manned missions to Jupiter and make contact with alien civilizations . . . And you had to spoil it by being all informative. Anyway, I love the self check-outs. Through some miraculous misreading of the “How to Make the Customers Miserable” manual, it’s actually the stores that always have long, slow lines that have installed them in our town. The key to Getting Along with the Machine is to _ignore everything it tells you._ It is a stupid machine, programmed to deal with half-deaf, half-blind, and all-stupid customer. If you are none of these things, you don’t have to listen to it. “PLEASE SCAN THE ITEM AND PLACE IT IN THE BAG.” Uh, duh, anybody knows that. So ignore it. It’ll repeate it frequently, but it means nothing. It’s just saying that for people who get confused halfway through the cart. Scan item, place in bag. Scan item, place in bag. Scan item, place in bag. Sc–oh, wait, _shit_, I forgot what I’m supposed to be doing! Oh, no! What do I do now? “PLEASE SCAN THE ITEM AND PLACE IT IN THE BAG.” Oh, yeah, _that’s_. Scan item, place in bag . . . “PLEASE WAIT FOR CASHIER ASSISTANCE.” Fuck that. Scan the next item. It always works. Assistance for what? I don’t need no steenkin’ assistance! If it balks, simply address it in a firm tone: “Stupid machine. You exist to serve me! Cease your complaining and do as you are told!” (This has the added benefit of repelling any potential ‘cashier assistance’.) Works fine for me. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/29 "2003-01-11T20:23:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zette \* > \*\*um, no kiddiing amarone- aren’t people allowed to gripe any more about anything? The point is (I’ll use small words now): > > The machines often do not work as expected. We wish they did. The end. > > If you don’t want to read people complaining about things, you came to the wrong place. \*\* My point is that supermarkets offer both self-checkout and operator checkout. As can be seen from the posts in this thread, many people like the self-checkout. As the supermarket is giving you the choice of two methods of checking out, why rant about the one you don’t like? Use the other one. Why should the supermarket “get rid of them”, to quote your OP, when many people like them and you are not being forced to use them. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/30 "2003-01-11T20:25:35Z")
I’ve got the answer to everybody’s problems: Shoplifting! ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/31 "2003-01-11T20:28:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Podkayne \* > \*\*Dammit, **SpazCat** , I was going to make a crack about how auto-checkers mean we get to fly manned missions to Jupiter and make contact with alien civilizations . . . And you had to spoil it by being all informative. > > \*\* That’s what I’m here for! 😃 The only problem I have with the self-checkers is when I buy a skein of embroidery floss at Wallyworld and I self-scan it, the bag sensor doesn’t sense that it’s in the bag because those things weigh less than a feather. So I have to slam my hand on the bag sensor pad for it to register. But that’s the only problem I have with them. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/32 "2003-01-11T20:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpazCat \* > \*\*The only problem I have with the self-checkers is when I buy a skein of embroidery floss at Wallyworld and I self-scan it, the bag sensor doesn’t sense that it’s in the bag because those things weigh less than a feather. So I have to slam my hand on the bag sensor pad for it to register. But that’s the only problem I have with them. \*\* Does slamming your hand really work? Some of the self-checkout units, e.g. U-Scan at Kroger, are supposed to weigh the item to check that it matches the weight it has on file for that item. ---
**Author:** ![Sivalensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Sivalensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sivalensis)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/33 "2003-01-11T20:38:30Z")
I’ve never had a problem with them at all. They’re much faster than the other lines. The problem comes when people abuse it…it’s 15 items or less, so basically that means, of course you’re not going to have enough space on the weights in the bags IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN THAT! If you stay under the 10 or 15 items, it’s pretty hard (unless you’re buying all kitty litter or dog food or such) to not have enough room. If you don’t think you’ll have enough room, use the regular lines. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/34 "2003-01-11T20:54:06Z")
I’ve never even heard of these things before. How do they make sure you’ve actually scanned the items you’re piling up in your grocery bags? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/35 "2003-01-11T21:01:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*I’ve never even heard of these things before. How do they make sure you’ve actually scanned the items you’re piling up in your grocery bags? \*\* As mentioned a couple of posts up, they at least check that the item you have put in the bag weighs the same as the item you have just scanned. They also have video cameras. See [Optimal Robotics](http://www.optimal-robotics.com) , who produces the U-Scan used at Kroger. ACM self-checkout from [PSI](http://www.ps-inc.com/acm.html) checks both the weight and dimensions. ---
**Author:** ![Willow\_fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@Willow\_fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willow_fire)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/36 "2003-01-11T23:08:45Z")
Heres my 2 cents… If I am paying Kroger prices I expect someone to scan and bag for me…hell even lug the crap to the car once in a while. If I’m willing to bag it myself, let alone scan it myself, than I will go to a discount store like Aldi’s or Save-a-lot where you get much cheeper prices (and cheeper food in some cases) but there I don’t mind doing the work myself. If they want people to use the self-scaners than give a discount for doing so. I will now step off my soap-box 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/37 "2003-01-11T23:43:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarone \* > \*\*Does slamming your hand really work? Some of the self-checkout units, e.g. U-Scan at Kroger, are supposed to weigh the item to check that it matches the weight it has on file for that item. \*\* It always worked for me. I think the Wallyworld sensors had to feel something solid hitting it before it would register. A skein of floss is very very very very very very very very very very very light. It would take several hundred of them to make a pound. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/38 "2003-01-11T23:50:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpazCat \* > \*\*It always worked for me. I think the Wallyworld sensors had to feel something solid hitting it before it would register. A skein of floss is very very very very very very very very very very very light. It would take several hundred of them to make a pound. \*\* I guess as long as you take your hand off, it can then measure the weight (next to nothing). It just needs the hit to know that something has been placed in the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/39 "2003-01-12T04:28:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amarone \* > \*\*My point is that supermarkets offer both self-checkout and operator checkout. As can be seen from the posts in this thread, many people like the self-checkout. As the supermarket is giving you the choice of two methods of checking out, why rant about the one you don’t like? Use the other one. Why should the supermarket “get rid of them”, to quote your OP, when many people like them and you are not being forced to use them. \*\* Actually, what the OP said was “_Either fix them so they aren’t so hard to use_ or get rid of them altogether.” The machines in some stores apparently don’t work the way they are supposed to, hence the rant. It’s not about using a machine they don’t want to use, it’s about attempting to use a machine that’s supposed to make life more convenient that instead makes it more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826/40 "2003-01-12T06:58:27Z")
Well Geo, thanks- you’ve restored my faith in the reading comprehension skills of fellow boardmembers. Why people bother to post without reading the thread is beyond me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-open-letter-to-the-grocery-store-idjets/147826.md?page=3)