Better yet is the growing trend of stores with do-it-yourself bagging and checking out. Except there's only one guy getting the payments for all those lanes.

That's weird. Ours have bill, coin, and card receptors and can spit out change in addition to a receipt. They also have the obligatory moron standing at the end, making sure that no one steals stuff, I guess.

But I really hate these things.

First off, they almost have enough counter space for you to put down the Snickers bar you're buying, let alone if you're trying to purchase your weekly groceries.

Second, if you need to purchase produce, which obviously has no bar code, you need to punch in a code for it. But they've yet to get the idea that it might be smart to put a list of said codes near the scanner. Nope. You've gotta spend ten minutes trying to get the attention of lobotomy-boy over there to find the code for you.

Third, this would all be moot if it didn't seem that every time I go, that's the only lane open. I usually argue with them for a while until they give up and check me out at a real register.

I don't have an inherent problem with these self-checkout lanes existing, but it seems like it's just another way to reduce the amount of customer service given. It'll get to the point where it's the only way to buy groceries, and I'll then be forced into having them delivered.