The Consequence of Humanity
On avoiding--or being pushed to avoid--human interaction
I forgot my bags in the van again. I can’t decide if this is an ongoing problem with amnesia or if I’m acting out my inner toddler with the refusal to get with the program. The issue, I think, is that I’m not sure what the program is supposed to be, and without clarification (by that I mean, agreement and acquiesce to), I continue to march into grocery stores unencumbered.
I used to argh at the checkout stand, “Argh! I forgot my bags again!” “Argh! Another eight cents per paper bag!” “Argh! Why is the government involved in this at all!” Now I refuse to apologize. “Bag, please! It’s super handy for the cat litter!” Or some such drivel.
Today, as it turns out, I can avoid the whole scenario. For half of the checkout stands have disappeared, along with the good people who knew me by name after decades of shopping there. In its place is a plethora of self serve checkout stations. Self serve. Because, why not, we certainly serve ourselves in just about every other …