At Least I Didn't Have To Wear A Name Tag...

When I go to the grocery store, I do on occasion use the self service lanes. If I only have one or two items, I find it's usually faster than waiting in the express lane, especially if you know what you're doing.

But the other day I went to my local Albertson's.

Apparently, the chain has been testing a new way to shop, called Shop 'N Scan. You get a scanning gun at the entrance and use it to scan your purchases as you go through the store. When you're done, you go to the self checkout line and upload the total from the scanner. You then pay as normal. The store has someone at a help desk if you get stuck.

Being a fan of new tech, I decided to give it a try. I liked that I could organize my stuff the way I wanted to, and I could make sure an item wouldn't scan differently at the checkout.

Checkout was painless and took less than two minutes, since all the stuff was bagged and scanned.

As I was walking out of the store, I slowly realized that I had done the work of at least two or three people, and I wasn't getting anything in return. I'm torn on whether or not I'll do it again. The part of me that hates interacting with the outside world is pretty cool with it , while the part that's desperate for any and all human contact isn't too keen.

Take Care,

Mike G.