Grocery store mayhem…
(For me, anyway.)
Puhlease, enough of this scanning stuff!
Got my groceries, headed for self check-out, scanned each item (correctly, the first time, I might add.) Turned my attention to paying. Actually, it’s first deciphering ALL the hieroglyphics on the little doo-hickey that offers you 4000 different ways to pay. OK, here we go! Um….Well, gee, I failed at “tapping” last time, so let’s try Apple Pay. Bated breath, holding my iPhone at the appropriate distance. Zing! It took! Sigh of relief.
An abbreviated sigh of relief - quickly interrupted by the continuous text “scanning, scanning, scanning…” on the payment module. “Scanning” just keeps going. I’m looking around in bewilderment (rather like the Linda Blair character in “Exorcist” whose head spins around 360’.) Did I do something wrong, after all? I was so proud of myself up until this point.
Apparently my Linda Blair imitation garnered the interest of the self check-out agent. She came over. I pointed to the module doo-hickey thing and shared my frustration about the endless “scanning“ loop. In a very matter-of-fact voice, she said “They’re communicating with each other.” Excuse me? “They’re communicating with each other.” I don’t know, maybe I really did fall into the movie Exorcist.
Well, it turns out this is AI - artificial intelligence - and thank heavens, NOT the Exorcist. The payment module doo-hickey is communicating with some deus ex machina (god in the machine) nearby to tabulate my purchases. You’d think a “god in the machine” would take pity on me and make this whole damn thing easier.
Just can’t wait for my next payment module doo-hickey interaction…
Your grocery store mayhem stories?
Jan... how do so many of my thoughts end up in your head and written down so much better than I could ever write them? I think I only use and understand 10% of all the doohickeys I own. Ha!
Debit card. I don’t mind self-check at all. Most people working in those areas are so nice & helpful. You’ll get the hang of it!