Paying for the privledge of working
(Note: Something remarkably similar to this will be in a future edition of the Statesboro Herald)
Yes Dear doesn't let me go grocery shopping with her often. I think it's got something to do with me being "in the way" or only pointing out soda, candy and ice cream as all the nourishment we really need to survive.
So instead, I'm vanquished to our humble abode where I stay out of the way by playing video games or doing other necessary activities while she figures out the best way for us to not die from starvation.
But every now and again she lets me tag along with her to the store, but only if I promise not to say anything along the lines of "there's not enough sugar in that."
She especially lets me go if it's going to be a quick I-only-need-a-couple-of-things type trip. I guess she figures I can't cause that much trouble if we're only going to be there for 10 minutes.
It's on these quick trips that we usually use the self-checkout lines, much to my dismay.
For those husbands like me who don't get out to the grocery store often, stores now have lanes where you scan your groceries yourself and place them in the bags and put them back into your cart.
While it sounds like a good idea, especially for people who only have a few items, I've got a few issues with the system.
First of all, shouldn't I get some sort of discount for scanning my own groceries? I'm basically acting as an employee. After all, not 10 feet away is someone doing the exact same thing I'm doing, only she's wearing a company vest and name tag. She's also collecting a pay check for doing it.
I, on the other hand, am free labor. I get the feeling there are store managers watching us and muttering "Excellent," under their breath in a C. Montgomery Burns style.
After using the self-checkout, my receipt had the words "fast, easy, fun" printed at the top, apparently to try to convince me that being my own cashier was some sort of privilege I should be thankful for.
Granted, it probably was faster to use the self-checkout lane, and it was easy, especially when compared writing a 10 page essay on sport law.
But fun? I get the feeling that if I talked to the actual cashiers who work at the store, the word "fun" would not be used to describe their job.
When looking for something to do on the weekend, I've never looked at Yes Dear and said "You know what would be enjoyable? Let's head up to Wal-Mart and scan some groceries for a few hours. And after that, let's help unload their delivery truck and then stock some shelves."
Scanning groceries finishes just behind changing my own oil on my list of fun activities, coming in at number 2,957 of my yet to be released Top 3,000 Ways to Avoid Complete and Utter Boredom.
But it appears more and more stores are opting for the self-checkout lane approach. Could it be that in the not to distant future, cashiers will go the way of gas station attendants or music videos on MTV?
Will these keepers of the cash one day be a legend that I'll tell my children about, much like televisions without remote controls or that Tom Cruise was normal at one point in his life?
I wonder if this trend will catch on elsewhere. Maybe soon I'll have the honor of cooking my own meal at restaurants or cutting my own hair at barbershops.
Cubs Update: The injured Mark Prior may make his return Sunday. The Cubs, meanwhile, took one on the chin tonight, losing 9-4 to Milwaukee
Story of the week that may interst only me: Instead of actually playing baseball, the first two innings will be played with an X-Box .
On Deck: That's Rev. Luke to you
Next Update: Friday
Yes Dear doesn't let me go grocery shopping with her often. I think it's got something to do with me being "in the way" or only pointing out soda, candy and ice cream as all the nourishment we really need to survive.
So instead, I'm vanquished to our humble abode where I stay out of the way by playing video games or doing other necessary activities while she figures out the best way for us to not die from starvation.
But every now and again she lets me tag along with her to the store, but only if I promise not to say anything along the lines of "there's not enough sugar in that."
She especially lets me go if it's going to be a quick I-only-need-a-couple-of-things type trip. I guess she figures I can't cause that much trouble if we're only going to be there for 10 minutes.
It's on these quick trips that we usually use the self-checkout lines, much to my dismay.
For those husbands like me who don't get out to the grocery store often, stores now have lanes where you scan your groceries yourself and place them in the bags and put them back into your cart.
While it sounds like a good idea, especially for people who only have a few items, I've got a few issues with the system.
First of all, shouldn't I get some sort of discount for scanning my own groceries? I'm basically acting as an employee. After all, not 10 feet away is someone doing the exact same thing I'm doing, only she's wearing a company vest and name tag. She's also collecting a pay check for doing it.
I, on the other hand, am free labor. I get the feeling there are store managers watching us and muttering "Excellent," under their breath in a C. Montgomery Burns style.
After using the self-checkout, my receipt had the words "fast, easy, fun" printed at the top, apparently to try to convince me that being my own cashier was some sort of privilege I should be thankful for.
Granted, it probably was faster to use the self-checkout lane, and it was easy, especially when compared writing a 10 page essay on sport law.
But fun? I get the feeling that if I talked to the actual cashiers who work at the store, the word "fun" would not be used to describe their job.
When looking for something to do on the weekend, I've never looked at Yes Dear and said "You know what would be enjoyable? Let's head up to Wal-Mart and scan some groceries for a few hours. And after that, let's help unload their delivery truck and then stock some shelves."
Scanning groceries finishes just behind changing my own oil on my list of fun activities, coming in at number 2,957 of my yet to be released Top 3,000 Ways to Avoid Complete and Utter Boredom.
But it appears more and more stores are opting for the self-checkout lane approach. Could it be that in the not to distant future, cashiers will go the way of gas station attendants or music videos on MTV?
Will these keepers of the cash one day be a legend that I'll tell my children about, much like televisions without remote controls or that Tom Cruise was normal at one point in his life?
I wonder if this trend will catch on elsewhere. Maybe soon I'll have the honor of cooking my own meal at restaurants or cutting my own hair at barbershops.
Cubs Update: The injured Mark Prior may make his return Sunday. The Cubs, meanwhile, took one on the chin tonight, losing 9-4 to Milwaukee
Story of the week that may interst only me: Instead of actually playing baseball, the first two innings will be played with an X-Box .
On Deck: That's Rev. Luke to you
Next Update: Friday
posted by Luke at 2:41 PM
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