We're lucky there's a very good farmers' market on in town once a week,
it might be a bit more expensive but it's not a miserable, artificially-lit experience where you never say a word to anybody other than "no" when they ask if you've got a Nectar card (and now they're introducing those god awful self-service tills so you don't even have to trouble yourself with that much human interaction).

It's a day out for all the family, including the dog, and I've never seen a kid have a tantrum.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:45, archived)

That settles it
I need to move.

Also those self-service checkouts are horrendous. They take twice as long as regular checkouts. Also the added bonus with regular checkouts is the vague human interaction.
(theneet began to cut her hair and long for balls, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:48, archived)

one time we bought a four-pack of beer,
and scanned it through, but it only came up as one tin. So we tried to scan it again, but it insisted we put it in the bag first. We had to separate every tin from the plastic thing. Ridiculous.

The Tesco Metro in town actually employs someone to stand there and encourage people to use them.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:50, archived)

Haha
What a soul-destroying job. Imagine trying to avoid the "So what do you do for a living?" question at social gatherings.
(theneet began to cut her hair and long for balls, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:53, archived)

I imagine the staff take turns.
You're also supposed to wait for a member of staff to come over and clear you for buying booze, but nobody bothers, everyone was just walking straight out with the security tags on the bottles and constantly setting the alarms off.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:55, archived)

Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

( Lord Gnome, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:54, archived)

Yes it does.
Same with DVDs, took one home one without realising it was still in the massive great plastic sleeve thing, had to bring it back and was immediately accused of theft because I set the alarms off when bringing it back.
(theneet began to cut her hair and long for balls, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:57, archived)

I'd have thought so,
but you try explaining "purpose" to a supermarket manager. The upper echelons decide they want something after someone sells the idea to them based on some cost savings analysis, and they then get so excited about it that they want it at any cost. And the customers will damn well live up to their ideals whether they like it or not!
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 12:59, archived)

I guess the managers of the actual supermarkets
Are only obeying orders from above.
( Lord Gnome, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 13:01, archived)

and they probably think that agreeing with their superiors
is good for their career. And they're probably right. But it's still stupid.
It appears to be almost like some alternative outlet for conspicuous consumption. It's not so much about saving money as portraying an appearance of getting with the 21st century, especially if their competitors are doing it. Keeping up with the corporate Jones's.
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 13:05, archived)

Then that makes Tesco the worst
They look like they're winning the three-year appeal to build near my grandparents', to do that they are demolishing a swimming pool, gym, creche and 100 of the on-site staffs' homes.
(theneet began to cut her hair and long for balls, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 13:09, archived)

shit
that's really shit
( Moon Girl Technologies horrendous beanbag, Tue 16 Jun 2009, 13:11, archived)