An Idaho Rant Against Grocery Stores and Self-Checkout

I hear it keeps the cost of groceries in check. Prices would be a lot higher if we didn’t check out on our own. I don’t mind bagging my groceries at WinCo, but checking myself out is an inconvenience.

You’ve seen those comments on Facebook where the guy says he was kicked out of the store's break room. As he was being ordered out he explained he thought he worked there because he ran the register.

If I had just a couple of items I wouldn’t complain, but when self-checkout is my only option when my cart is full, it’s a different matter. You soon run out of space and if you put something into your cart an annoying recorded voice tells you to remove the item or items. And you can’t scan anything else until you comply.

The other day I was scanning some items, then I put them in a bag. I moved the bag over the scanner to put it aside. The scanner then racked up one of the items a second time. An attendant had to come over and remove it from the charge. It did allow me to tell her an item I was looking for was nowhere in the store. I had a digital coupon for Butterball turkey sausage. She told me there also wasn’t any Butterball bacon. I wasn’t shopping for bacon. I was shopping for turkey sausage. Maybe management figured I would want turkey sausage to the point I would pay more for another brand and help the store’s bottom line.

I started using digital coupons because a regular cashier told me I was an idiot for not using them. Keep in mind, I now know how to do her job. She probably can’t do mine.

Scrolling down the digital coupon list, I can see products I never buy and have never bought. For weeks a brand of cat treats was listed and I never found them in the store.

In a few years, consolidation will leave us with only two grocery companies. Walmart and Kroger. Then it’ll be like dealing with a cable company, however. New technology rendered cable obsolete. Over the weekend I installed a new Internet provider and will save almost 50 percent in monthly payments. Then I contacted CenturyLink and canceled. The latter begged to cut my cost by roughly 50 percent if I didn’t leave. How can you trust someone who just explained you’ve been overcharged for years?