I find the other writer in this category to be petty, ridiculous, and irresponsible, amongst other things. But I’ll write about the subject itself, not the author of the other article.

First, when you go to self-checkout, don’t have a ton of items. Let a cashier with a conveyor belt, the turn-around of bags, etc. handle large orders. Believe me, you’re better off waiting an extra 5-10 minutes in line for your turn in the cashier line than trying to process 6-8 bags of groceries all by yourself in the tiny space given at a self-checkout. Know when self-checkout is appropriate and when it is not to begin with.

As you wait for your turn (if you have to), get prepared! Put whatever discount cards, coupons, and pay methods in an easily-accessible pocket so you don’t have to fumble around when it comes time to pay up.

Next, scan in an organized, planned fashion so bagging can be organized and planned too. Take care of your biggest items first and put them in the bottom of the bags or to the side. Then get your smaller/more delicate items in last. This will make the processing of your order faster because you won’t be rearranging your bags every time you put another item in (making the people in line have to wait more).

When you pay, hopefully you followed the second step and planned ahead. Whether you did or not, be quick and simple about paying so you can get out of there (everyone behind you and no doubt you yourself wants you to ASAP). As soon as you pay, grab your bags and put them in your cart or hold onto them. You can get this done while your receipt prints, take your receipt, and leave!

Was it really that hard? If so, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you’re inexperienced with these things. Not to worry; with practice you quickly become more efficient. If you are among the self-checkout veterans but the machine wanted to be difficult (e.g. required cashier clearance at almost every step, coin slot jammed, etc), consider using one of the other 3 machines next time. If you frequently encounter errors almost every time, either figure out what you’re doing wrong and try to do better, or if you can’t find any faults with your own actions, complain about the machines to management.

Most people like self-checkout because they don’t have to interact with a cashier and can usually get through checkout a little faster. Give it some time and you may come to agree.