Self Checkouts.

Need a competency test prior to using.

Yesterday I go to my follow up with the oral surgeon, in his hot Russian way he irrigates the still enourmous holes in my mouth. Tells me it looks good and with smirk sends me on my way.

This is during lunch at work so I'm hungry.

Interior; Shaws; Porter Square.

Marie Calendars $2.50 I can dig it. Scary bearded man hovering by vegetables (not so much) Checkout time.

Off to the self checkout isle...there are 6, 6 I tell you, registers that one can independently check out with out the hassle of human interaction that Bostonians so fear and loathe. One problem these people neither know how to wait in line or following a bellowing voice matched with on screen instructions I would think a toddler could figure out, god Vsmart is harder than this.

I stand there weighing my options...do I go to the girl at aisle 4 who is staring longingly at the people fumbling with self-checkout hoping the machines don't make her mastery in scanning obsolete...or do I stay in my asocial Boston bubble and just yell at them in my mind until they figure the damn thing out.

I chose the latter.

After much intervention including 3 associates it is my turn.

Scan Shaw's card
scan item 1
scan item 2
click debit no cash
slide card
enter pin
take receipt
leave.

You see people it is not that difficult.