Sunday, August 14

 
 
YEAR:  2022 | Tags:  | |
 
 
 
 
 

Prisma, 15:52

 
 

Sometimes it becomes impossible to remember when things began. This time last year Prisma had checkout counters and check-it-out-yourself spaces. Sometime this year they introduced customer scanners which you can use to scan your shopping as you select it, put it in your bag, go to a checkout scanner, pay for it, and leave. Occasionally someone does a random check of a sample five items to make sure you have paid for what you plan to leave with.

I stand looking at the rows of scanners. You activate them with your storecard and the activated one switches to showing your name. “Hello Owen”: that sort of thing.

I feel ambivalent about them. Convenient? Yes. Faster? Yes. Less human interaction? Yes. However, the staff changes very slowly at Prisma and we still say hello, and make conversation, with the same staff members we used to chat to when we stood in line with our basket.