Waiting and Machines by Bonnie Le Hamitlon

I don’t know how many of you know this, but I have had to use the electric carts provided at stores for years. I just can’t manage to do my shopping without them.

One time I went to WinCo for a quick trip. I wasn’t getting that much. Well, I do live alone unless you count Patches. At any rate, it was at the first of the month, and as I headed for a checkout line, the first few I passed already had four or five families with very full carts waiting.

Then I spotted a line with only one gentleman and he was unloading his cart.

I pulled in behind him.

He took one look at what few items I had and asked the cashier to not ring up his purchases yet, so I could go first.

This is about the time I realized he had not one, but two overly full carts, but also already had part of his selections already on the conveyor belt.

I told him not to bother. He got there first, and, “I don’t mind waiting if I don’t have to stand.”

And I don’t.

As long as I don’t have to stand on my flat feet while in line, I don’t mind waiting.

Of course, I could have also pointed out that the other lines at that time had longer waits, I suspect because everyone was avoiding getting in line behind him.

At any rate, I waited.

When it came time for him to pay, he paid in cash. Which was something considering how much he had, but he also handed the cashier more than needed and pointed to my items as well.

I tried to protest, but he insisted I deserved it for waiting so patiently. The thing is, none of the other people I could have gotten in line behind were even to the conveyor belt yet.

I honestly had a shorter wait getting behind him with his two full carts than getting behind several families all with a full cart each.

He still paid for me. I did thank him, but I really didn’t mind waiting. 

I admit, had I been in a hurry, I might have, but as I rarely go to the store when I have somewhere I have to be by a certain time, I didn’t need to be watching the clock right then, and I noticed a few dad’s checking their watches as they stood in line.

I honestly try to do my shopping when it doesn’t matter how long it takes because you never know what will happen, or how long the lines are going to be.

Like the other day when I was at Walmart.

When I went to leave, I soon discovered that other than their self-checkout lines, they had a grand total of two lanes open, and neither line was going very fast.

At one point, someone got in line behind me and mentioned something about how they needed to open another line. I pointed out they were probably avoiding that to encourage the customers to use the self-checkout kiosks. And I may have been right, but it turned out the lady I was talking to couldn’t use the self-checkout because she was shopping for a nonprofit, her purchases were tax-exempt.

I personally, refuse to use the self-checkout mostly because I find them confusing, but well, every time I see them, I think back to the time when self-serve gas stations started being a thing.

Have you ever noticed that they don’t have self-serve in Oregon? And have you ever realized how nice it is that you don’t have to get out of your car to fill up in Oregon?

I love Idaho. I was born and raised here, but I sometimes miss being able to just sit in my car and someone else fill her up. It’s the only thing I really liked about Oregon.

And now I hear some fast-food places now have automated ordering kiosks. Yeah, I realize that using a machine instead of a person saves money for the company, but at what cost?

Then again, around here there are an abundance of sales clerk and waitressing jobs and very few people wanting to take them.

Too many people want higher-paying jobs and won’t accept what is available. And then there are all the benefits Biden is giving the unemployed. They have no incentive to take those low-paying jobs, not when they are getting more to stay home.

Does anybody see a problem with that?

I sure do.

When too many people won’t take on the menial jobs, soon those jobs won' exist anymore, they are slowly being replaced by machines. Think about that for a minute.

Anyway, happy writing everyone.