Mano-a-mano with U-Scan
Yesterday (Tuesday, December 14, 2010) we patronized the Mighty Tops supermarket in Canandaigua.
They have U-Scan terminals, places where you can scan your own groceries, and check out yourself.
I’ve done it all-the-time, although it’s always a bucking bronco.
I pushed the start-button.
“Welcome to Tops. If you have a Tops Bonus-card, please scan it now,” said the disembodied female voice.
I tried; it doesn’t always work.
Bip!
“Welcome Tops favored-customer,” it bubbled.
I put our reusable shopping-bag on the destination scale.
“Please remove all items from your shopping-bag.”
“We don’t even have anything in it yet,” my wife cried.
Leave it to U-Scan to think we’re stealing groceries with an empty shopping-bag.
The system cut off in mid-sentence.
“Please scan your first item.”
A gallon of milk.
I waved it over the scanner-platen, at least three different ways.
Nothing!
Finally, giving up: Bip!
I quickly put the milk-jug in our shopping-bag.
“Please deposit your scanned item in the bag.”
“I already did,” I said.
The system cut off again in mid-sentence.
“Please call attendant.”
“Now what?” I said, looking at the attendant.
She was looking in my direction.
Another one of them Dagwood wannabees, frustrated by technology.
Back to U-Scan.
“Please scan your next item.”
A bottle of ginger-ale.
I waved it in different directions over the scanner-platen.
Nothing!
Again, giving up: Bip!
I quickly handed it to my wife.
“Please deposit scanned item in bag.”
“We just did,” my wife said.
I hit the produce button.
“Please enter the code on your produce-item, and press ‘done’ when finished. Then place item on scale.”
“It’s already on the scale,” I said.
“Bip-bip-bip-bip-done.”
U-Scan apparently weighed my produce, a bag of quick-oats, and threw a price on the screen.
I handed the quick-oats bag to my wife.
“Please deposit weighed item in bag.”
“We just did,” my wife cried.
I punched the “pay-now” button.
“Do you have any coupons?”
I punched No.
“Please select your method of payment.”
Credit-card — Bip!
“Please slide your card through the card-reader, and follow the instructions.”
(Lest you get thrown into jail?)
Credit-card? Yes.
“Please take your groceries and charge-slip to the attendant.
We walked out.
For charges under $50 there’s no signing.
“We’ve learned to pay no attention to that thing,” we said to the attendant.
“It’s always nattering us, and frequently cuts off in mid-sentence.
• “Mighty Tops” is Tops; a large supermarket-chain based in Buffalo we occasionally buy groceries at. They have a store in Canandaigua. (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 15 miles away.)
They have U-Scan terminals, places where you can scan your own groceries, and check out yourself.
I’ve done it all-the-time, although it’s always a bucking bronco.
I pushed the start-button.
“Welcome to Tops. If you have a Tops Bonus-card, please scan it now,” said the disembodied female voice.
I tried; it doesn’t always work.
Bip!
“Welcome Tops favored-customer,” it bubbled.
I put our reusable shopping-bag on the destination scale.
“Please remove all items from your shopping-bag.”
“We don’t even have anything in it yet,” my wife cried.
Leave it to U-Scan to think we’re stealing groceries with an empty shopping-bag.
The system cut off in mid-sentence.
“Please scan your first item.”
A gallon of milk.
I waved it over the scanner-platen, at least three different ways.
Nothing!
Finally, giving up: Bip!
I quickly put the milk-jug in our shopping-bag.
“Please deposit your scanned item in the bag.”
“I already did,” I said.
The system cut off again in mid-sentence.
“Please call attendant.”
“Now what?” I said, looking at the attendant.
She was looking in my direction.
Another one of them Dagwood wannabees, frustrated by technology.
Back to U-Scan.
“Please scan your next item.”
A bottle of ginger-ale.
I waved it in different directions over the scanner-platen.
Nothing!
Again, giving up: Bip!
I quickly handed it to my wife.
“Please deposit scanned item in bag.”
“We just did,” my wife said.
I hit the produce button.
“Please enter the code on your produce-item, and press ‘done’ when finished. Then place item on scale.”
“It’s already on the scale,” I said.
“Bip-bip-bip-bip-done.”
U-Scan apparently weighed my produce, a bag of quick-oats, and threw a price on the screen.
I handed the quick-oats bag to my wife.
“Please deposit weighed item in bag.”
“We just did,” my wife cried.
I punched the “pay-now” button.
“Do you have any coupons?”
I punched No.
“Please select your method of payment.”
Credit-card — Bip!
“Please slide your card through the card-reader, and follow the instructions.”
(Lest you get thrown into jail?)
Credit-card? Yes.
“Please take your groceries and charge-slip to the attendant.
We walked out.
For charges under $50 there’s no signing.
“We’ve learned to pay no attention to that thing,” we said to the attendant.
“It’s always nattering us, and frequently cuts off in mid-sentence.
• “Mighty Tops” is Tops; a large supermarket-chain based in Buffalo we occasionally buy groceries at. They have a store in Canandaigua. (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city to the east nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 15 miles away.)
posted by BobbaLew at 6:45 AM
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