You were in line for 5 minutes!!!

[wolfie]

this is one reason why I like how I have sometimes seen it labelled- basket-only.(basically, if your shopping will fit into a shopping basket rather than a cart, you can use the express lane.)

This adds its own issues. For example, a frail elderly person whose entire purchase is a 20 pound bag of flour. They are more likely to use a cart than a basket. Meanwhile, the quarterback of the college football team has a couple dozen different small items, and is carrying them in a basket. It would be more appropriate for the elderly person to use the express lane and the quarterback to use the regular lane, but by designating the express lane "basket only" you would be allowing the quarterback to go there while excluding the elderly person.

Interestingly, "No Frills" (discount arm of the Loblaws chain - chain does price matching of competitors) no longer allows price matching in the express lane, since price matching makes a transaction take longer.

[jackfaire]

There is a grocery store chain in my area where every single location has you bag your own groceries. I honestly bloody hate that. Yes it's cheaper but then the pressure is on me to load my groceries into bags and while there are two sides for the groceries to be on I still have to finish before the next person needs my side and then I feel pressure and guilt if I don't finish in time.

[mjr]

There is a grocery store chain in my area where every single location has you bag your own groceries. I honestly bloody hate that. Yes it's cheaper but then the pressure is on me to load my groceries into bags and while there are two sides for the groceries to be on I still have to finish before the next person needs my side and then I feel pressure and guilt if I don't finish in time.

Where I live, we had a grocery store like that. It was actually in business for several years before it shut down. They promoted the "bag your own groceries" as a "money saving" thing for the customer. It kind of is, because you don't pay for the people to bag your groceries and take them to your car. Of course, there are trade-offs.

They even had little signs that would tell you how to bag your groceries (cans/heavy stuff on the bottom, etc...).

[s_stabeler]

This adds its own issues. For example, a frail elderly person whose entire purchase is a 20 pound bag of flour. They are more likely to use a cart than a basket. Meanwhile, the quarterback of the college football team has a couple dozen different small items, and is carrying them in a basket. It would be more appropriate for the elderly person to use the express lane and the quarterback to use the regular lane, but by designating the express lane "basket only" you would be allowing the quarterback to go there while excluding the elderly person.

Interestingly, "No Frills" (discount arm of the Loblaws chain - chain does price matching of competitors) no longer allows price matching in the express lane, since price matching makes a transaction take longer.

That's why you would have some flexibility- that elderly lady may well have a cart, but they won't be buying much, so you can let it slide- which that quaterback is buying quite a lot.

[jackfaire]

It kind of is, because you don't pay for the people to bag your groceries and take them to your car. Of course, there are trade-offs.

Here it isn't. Most of the stores I shop in don't have a separate bagger. The cashier is the one bagging your groceries and you only get someone taking your groceries to your car if you specifically request their help. That's why I may pay more at another store but unless the cheap store has self check out I won't frequent there if I am bagging my own groceries.

[KabeRinnaul]

I was in a Wal-Mart once, in an express lane. The lady in front of me had TWO separate "orders" (i.e. one group of items, then another). I let out an audible disgusted sigh, and went to a different lane. Guess who finished first...

My grocery store used to have a trio of regulars (daughter, mom, and granny) who would pull this in our 15-or-less lane. They'd pull up a buggy with 40-50 items, divvy them up more or less equally in whatever way meant they got to use all of their coupons (they didn't buy things they didn't have coupons for), and then Mom would announce "This one is mine, that one is hers (Granny's), and that one is hers (Daughter's), so we're all under 15."

[mjr]

and then Mom would announce "This one is mine, that one is hers (Granny's), and that one is hers (Daughter's), so we're all under 15."

To which you'd probably like to have replied, "Bulls**t you are..."