My Life

Running a register

When I was in my youth, I held a part time cashier position at the local grocery store. Nothing fancy, but it allowed me to learn the importance of how to earn a dollar. More importantly, it taught me the value of one.

Now of course this was before scanners and bar codes. This was still in the era that you had to hand key in the price of everything. If there was a special, you had to have a calculator (I’m not total stone age, I did have a calculator to work with) ready to do the math in order to know what to key in. Yeah...that was then!

I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work today. I gathered the few items I needed and headed to the check out lanes. In confusion, I stopped in dead stride. Where were the registers? Where were the people that had been taking care of my needs for the past few years. I didn’t recognize anything!

They had totally re-vamped the check out area!

I spotted those do it yourself things. I thought; How cool! I strolled over to one and started taking things out of my cart. Looking around for a second, I realized there was no belt to place my items on. Nor was there enough space to set anything down. Thinking perhaps I should read the computer screen for directions, I placed the items back in the cart.

The little girl that was overseeing the four little do it yourself jobbies, strolled up to me with her mouth full of candy and asked me if I needed her help. I thought OK, it would at least give her something to do.

“OK, first scan your little membership card.” I did as I was told. The register liked me, it told me I was accepted. (I was certainly glad to know that!) She proceeded to tell me to scan each item and place it in the bag. But; I wasn’t allowed to remove any of the bags until I had completed the transaction.

“OK...got it.” She smiled and went back to her little booth and started back in on her munchies.

I continued to scan everything and place it all in the bags that were on the little shelf. I was glad I only had a few items, those bags were filling up and remembering the “You can‘t remove” anything rule was starting to scare me!

When I was through scanning my items, I looked at the computer screen to see what I was supposed to do next. Apparently I was taking to long to figure it out because here she came again. She seemed a little perturbed this time though. Guess you’re supposed to get all your questions out on the first attempt.

I apologized for inconveniencing her and assured her if given a moment to look at the screen, I was certain I could figure it out. But she appeared to be on some kind of mission. “How ya want to pay for it?” I said “Cash”, she looked a little perplexed. I thought, ok, maybe that was the wrong answer? I said, “OK, how about my debit card?” Everything just kind of flew from there!

“Touch the screen there, swipe your card here, touch the screen there, enter your pin number...Do you want cash back?”

“Ummm...no, I already have cash.”

“OK, then touch the screen there and you’re all set. A receipt will print out there and you can take those coupons from that box and you’re all done. Have a good evening.”

“Yeah, OK...Thanks for your help!”

I put my debit card back in my purse as the computer told me I could now remove the items. I tore off the receipt and the coupons, set my purse back in the cart and got my keys out. I turned to pick up the groceries as the machine tells me once again to remove my items. I just looked at the girl as she smiled. I quickly gathered my bags before it could swallow them up, since I obviously wasn’t removing them fast enough for the machines likings.

On the way out of the store, I asked her if she could tell me what this new feature on the grocery cart was? She said, “Oh, that’s to place your cell phone in while you shop.”

I thought I was going to erupt in laughter. I usually just leave mine in my purse.

Oh the times they are a changin’...