to be driven almost to the point of violence by self-serve machines in supermarkets?

[quesadilla]

They've been around long enough now that you'd think the manufacturers could have ironed out some of the teething problems. But they just seem to be so pedantic about stuff that really doesn't matter.
Why the frick does it matter if there's an unexpected item in the bagging area? Its not a security risk? Why can't I, once I've scanned the fecker, just put my newspaper and my croissant into my own bag without having to put it the sodding bagging area without the entire thing melting down? Why do I need authorization to buy a single can of lager when I'm old enough to be the grandmother of most of the employees in the shop?
These supermarkets bleat on about a) customer services and b) cutting operating costs. And yet these things make life infinitely more complicated and drive people like me to the point where I have to be restrained from taking a hammer to them.

I really resent the fact that I always end up actually arguing with the fecking machine (even jumped up and down with anger once) which invariably makes me look like a loon

tee - I know, I did say I posted in anger and I don't really blame the people (though I do blame the woman at heathrow because it is rude to assume someone isn't doing their best).

start - oh, yes! I completely agree. The number of times you say 'please say it two digits at a time' and they still rattle off the whole string. Or people who spell things out at breakneck speed.

I've just come back from an academic conference where this kept happening, and the people who were on the information desks kept giving directions orally that involved a huge amount of 'left, then right, then past room 4067, then left, then third right ...'.

It was exhausting and incredibly stressful when you're in a hurry trying to get from A to B.

I love taking a bagful of old change and paying for my shopping in coppers.DH does not carry loose change about so dumps this in a tin we use for this purpose.
If I am short of change I always use the checkout.

yap me to they are inferiaters

LRD - it's funny how different people's brains process things differently, isn't it? I can pretty much only cope with visual things.

But I had the same problem with those flashing images at the airports, and was thinking as I did so that they actually need a lot more mental processing than their designers probably realised. (Something along the lines of "I think this animation is telling me how to put my passport in, I need to match real life up with the animation, I need to orientate my passport with the animation, I need to put it in something that looks like the box shown in the animation, I have to move my passport like the animation, etc etc etc')

Anyway, on the subject of the post, I find that our local M&S tills aren't bad, because they've got enough people on it that you're pretty much guaranteed someone to come over as soon as there's a problem, i.e. immediately

My 6 year old used one without problems earlier today. I really don't see the big deal.

It's been said above but the bagging area weighing thing is an extra anti-theft precaution. It makes sure the thing you are putting into your bag is the thing you scanned based on the weight of the item.

The only thing I hated was the meltdown if you tried to use your own bags as they became an "unexpected item in the bagging area" but most places seem to have fixed that now.

Christ all fucking mighty yanbu.

Also the cashiers in my morrisons are v cheery and helpful. They put my shopping in the car quite often (I was pg with dd2 and now she's in a sling) and like a good chin wag. I love them so I'm not being fobbed off by. Machine!

grendels - yes, it's fascinating! I do understand that some people will find the animations really helpful (of course, that's why they have them, I know).

It is really hard to design a system that works for everyone, but it would help hugely if people bothered to think for more than three seconds about why some people will find it harder than others.

I find it odd - you don't get people saying 'hmm, I just don't get why everyone doesn't use the stairs, all these people in wheelchairs insisting on using the lift, they're just not trying', do you?

I like the satisfying BEEP when i scan my things sucessfully.

I never use them. I am quite a calm person usually but I get self-checkout rage as soon as they start asking me questions.

The only ones I find acceptable are in M ad S. I don't know whether this is because I tend to use them when I only have a few things or because they are better. I think they are better somehow and at any rate they never say "unexpected item in the bagging area" even typing that makes me go FUCK OFF

Victor Meldrew in the supermarket, OTOH, I would love to see.

Victor Meldrew in the guise of a MNer, even better.

I manage ok with them, except that I seem to be incapable of talking back to something which talks to me. There I am, muttering "yes, yes, in a minute, learn some patience will you". Or saying "thankyou, goodbye" as I leave ...

Most of the time the staff are pretty helpful and quickly sort the problem, but there's one at my local tesco who can be really mean! Me and DH are using the machine and two things in a row caused an error. Firstly it didn't detect a small packet of fresh basil and then a bakery item was either slightly over or under the correct weight. The woman had to come over twice and so decided we weren't capable of using the machine and huffily took over saying 'well I think I should do it don't you?' in a snooty tone . So rude!!

Hehe Bertha I say thank you and goodbye too, and give me a chance!

I often use a Tesco Express near me and the staff often try and encourage customers to use the self-service tills. May answer is always the same, 'no thank you, they should at people'

oops not 'should' it should be 'shout at people'

However....dd1 loves scanning stuff on then and I usually let her. It makes us v slow. If you've stood behind me getting the rage I apologise

Well, you can have a lot of fun with them too - DS2 (10) loves sitting on the bit where you put the items after scanning them, just to hear: "Unexpected item in the checkout area".
Cheap thrills!

bagging area, not checkout area....

They don't scan reduced items about 80% of the time, and toddlers love to fiddle with them while you have all three hands engaged with other things. They drive me completely nuts.

And I am a competent scanner user, as I work in a library, happily scanning things all day long. Usually because the library self-service machines aren't working.