# Empty-eyed meat cows at the self scanner **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846 "2004-03-23T04:03:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/41 "2004-03-24T17:06:53Z")
I used to work as a supermarket cashier, so self-scanners are a boon for me. But, God help us, why is it that the people who like to “try out the scanner for the first time” decide to do it with a month’s worth of groceries? I’ll often see a retiree here with a huge cart-full of stuff, taking a minute apiece trying to scan each item. The one thing I really don’t like at my place, though, is that they shut down all the self-scan stations at 8 PM! That’s about the only time I ever want to go shopping there! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/42 "2004-03-24T18:38:59Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Just for the record, the best self scan machines I’ve seen are at Stop and Shop. Instead of a strip, scale or bags, you place your scanned item on a belt that goes past a sensor to a holding area. I’ve had very few items get returned to me for re-scanning. Giant Food, Stop and Shop’s DC area cousin, has 'em too. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/43 "2004-03-24T19:05:00Z")
I have never seen one of these so-called ‘self-checkouts.’ I was thanking my lucky stars that I have not yet had the pleasure of dealing with this particular breed of the slack-jawed herd that surrounds us all. I was having feelings of glorious patriotism: maybe we in Canada are free from this lunacy? But according to **Crayons** , apparently these machines have crossed the border. Which stores have them? Just Loblaws? [hijack]I heard that the original Mr Loblaw’s first name was Bob. So now whenever I always hear the name of the store as Bobloblahs. heh, heh[/hijack] I haven’t been to one in a while; now I will make a point of avoiding them. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I think they should use celebrity voices to tell you what to do. Definitely ! James Earl Jones. For sure. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/44 "2004-03-24T19:10:50Z")
I have never seen one of these so-called ‘self-checkouts.’ I was thanking my lucky stars that I have not yet had the pleasure of dealing with this particular breed of the slack-jawed herd that surrounds us all. I was having feelings of glorious patriotism: maybe we in Canada are free from this lunacy? But according to **Crayons** , apparently these machines have crossed the border. Which stores have them? Just Loblaws? [hijack]I heard that the original Mr Loblaw’s first name was Bob. So now whenever I always hear the name of the store as Bobloblahs. heh, heh[/hijack] I haven’t been to one in a while; now I will make a point of avoiding them. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I think they should use celebrity voices to tell you what to do. Definitely ! James Earl Jones. For sure. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/45 "2004-03-24T19:11:55Z")
Ak ! That’s the first double post I’ve seen since the changeover ! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/46 "2004-03-24T19:29:13Z")
I’m starting to fear for the health of my fellow Dopers. If you’re regularly going through the express lane, you obviously aren’t eating enough! “Eat, Papa, eat! No one wants a skinny Santa!” ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/47 "2004-03-24T19:49:53Z")
Oh, we go shopping once a month for the Major Food Purchase and use the cashier for that. I’ve thought about doing it myself, but I figure it wouldn’t be fair to make the people running in for a thing or two wait while I fumble with my Huge Cart O’ Stuff. And Darth Vader telling me how to work the checkout? “Ok! I’ll put the item in the bag, just don’t do that choking shit!” ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/48 "2004-03-24T20:04:10Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m starting to fear for the health of my fellow Dopers. If you’re regularly going through the express lane, you obviously aren’t eating enough! Don’t worry about me, **jsgoddess** , I’m quite healthy ;). I live alone so I make sure I plan my trips to the supermarket so I _can_ go through the express self check out. Which means I generally go once a week. I could buy more at one time and go less, but then I’d have to deal with more people, so it’s a trade off for me. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/49 "2004-03-24T20:38:16Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > I live alone so I make sure I plan my trips to the supermarket so I _can_ go through the express self check out. Which means I generally go once a week. I could buy more at one time and go less, but then I’d have to deal with more people, so it’s a trade off for me. You can buy enough food for a week in _one_ trip through the express lane?!? :eek: That’s 2 1/7 items a day! I’ve eaten 2 1/7 items by the time I get out of the parking lot. [suspicious] You’re not counting 53 6-packs of beer as one item, are you? [/suspicious] ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/50 "2004-03-24T20:52:01Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > You can buy enough food for a week in _one_ trip through the express lane?!? :eek: That’s 2 1/7 items a day! I’ve eaten 2 1/7 items by the time I get out of the parking lot. [suspicious] You’re not counting 53 6-packs of beer as one item, are you? [/suspicious] No, I wouldn’t do that. I think my self check is 15 items. If I go to the “nicer” Fry’s they have two self-checks. One of the 15 & under and one if you have more items than that (they have a lazy susan of empty grocery sacks). But say it’s the 15 item one ('cause I’m usually too lazy to go to the “nicer” Fry’s): 12 pack of soda or water, a couple bags of salad, 5 frozen dinners (for lunch and lazy nights), a pack of ground beef (or chicken), bag of pasta/rice, and the remaining 5 items are whatever I may need that trip that ran out during the week (cat food/litter, toilet paper, salad dressing, cans of whatever, spices). ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/51 "2004-03-24T21:01:24Z")
> [@Mauvaise](#): > > But say it’s the 15 item one ('cause I’m usually too lazy to go to the “nicer” Fry’s): 12 pack of soda or water, a couple bags of salad, 5 frozen dinners (for lunch and lazy nights), a pack of ground beef (or chicken), bag of pasta/rice, and the remaining 5 items are whatever I may need that trip that ran out during the week (cat food/litter, toilet paper, salad dressing, cans of whatever, spices). I didn’t think it through; I hadn’t thought that you could be buying pre-assembled food. I’m still impressed - that’s an awful lot of shopping you don’t have to do - but I couldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846/52 "2004-03-24T21:02:00Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I’m starting to fear for the health of my fellow Dopers. If you’re regularly going through the express lane, you obviously aren’t eating enough! Clarification: These are not “express lanes”. They are self-checkouts. The ones at Loblaws can take up to six full bags of groceries. The only thing that makes them faster is the fact that some people are too afraid to try them, thus the lines can be shorter. The Loblaws on the Queens Quay has enough savvy people who know how to use 'em that the self-checkout lines are just as long. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-eyed-meat-cows-at-the-self-scanner/235846.md?page=2)