Self-Check Out of This Store

When you've had enough of automation

A few weeks ago, I was in the Giant, a grocery food chain here in Pennsylvania. I had about a medium shopping cart full. There was one checkout register (with a person) open, and about six of those quickie self-checkout registers open. The thing was, the register with the cashier was literally down the aisle to the other end of the store. I am not exaggerating here, folks.*

MidJourney prompt: a shopping cart in the middle of a parking lot, on black isolated plain --v 5 --s 250

I found out the hard way that those quickie self-checkout registers have a weight limit. Let’s just say that my shopping experience at Giant that day ended with me in a huff, vowing never to return to the store again. To which I have not.

The issue with self-checkout lines is that I have to self check out my own groceries. The computers, probably to deter shoplifters, are insanely annoying. I am convinced that they are all a connected AI consciousness, it tracks all your shopping habits to sell to even more annoying commercial advertising companies, and the AI hates me. Maybe because I don’t buy all the brand name groceries.

You remember Terminator? Yeah, move over John Connor. It’s coming after me first because I buy store brand cereal.

I sent out a huffy tweet, to which I received a couple of replies. All shaming me because grocery story people don’t make enough money.

So I was under the impression that perhaps I was the only person who hated self-checkout registers. Well, lo and behold! Two days later, I receive this little gem in my email news: Wegman’s has decided to discontinue their self-checkout lines. I have since learned … based on my very scientific and unbiased survey of all my friends and acquaintances … that everyone hates those self-checkout lines.

This proves, once again, that you should believe everything you read in a tweet.

* If you are the store manager to that Giant, you should be ashamed of yourself for having only one person-run cash register open at 6:00 p.m., one of the busiest times of the day.

Book Promos

I need to apologize to everyone as I didn’t send out last newsletter.** This is why I kept today’s blurb shorter than usual as I now have to put both weeks in:

Rejected by R.M. Demeester is on the Kindle right now. Meet Echo Paisley, who is about to uncover the secret left behind by her dead ex-fiancé …

Loads of Free Books!

• Free Books Giveaway … pick up a nonfiction read for yourself.

• Halloween Free Reads … it’s that time of year, folks!

• Haunting Season … get some of your spook on.

• Action, Adventure, and Thrills … because you can never have enough. Ever.

** I usually rely on the automated email to tell me when the newsletter needs to be written. Damn automation. Probably cousins with the self-checkout registers.

Happenings

For those of you who really want to know, I now shop at Aldi’s. Coincidentally, my grocery bill went from $1,000 per month to $400 per month. I am now super happy that Giant has self-checkout registers.

I’m watching Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines right now. Be careful where you buy your breakfast.