The first time I ever encountered self-checkout was, amazingly, nearly twenty years ago in a supermarket in Scotland. My immediate reaction was that the idea would have difficulty in the States because of shrinkage. U. S. stores have fixed that by having sales clerks who are notionally watchful for walk-outs but who also render the whole point sort of moot.
Self-checkout is perfect for me. I’m a daily shopper, rarely if ever buy more than a handful of items at a time, and really, really understand how to use POS terminals (I was integrating them into store operations at one point in my career—I know almost too much about them).
My beloved Happy Foods, where I do most of my shopping, does not have self-checkout. It has young, cute, pleasant, cheery young cashiers who, since they see me every day, know who I am, in some cases addressing me by name.
I gave up on self checkout a long time ago. It would not register many of the items I would “place in the bag”. I would re-cart the items and use the cashier. At Home Depot or Lowes, the items are heavy enough to register, and I will use them occasionally.
I’ve had mixed-results with self check out. Plus, as a busy Dad I am usually at the store with kids in tow and I’m often getting enough food to feed five for a week.