My "family" loves things like

this.

Self-checkout lanes = evil

Here's a really neat idea from slashdot today:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/25/0157202 by lar3ry (10905)

Here's a suggestion. Scan a dozen items, and then walk away, throwingup your hands in frustration, saying "I can't believe this store wantsme to do their job for them!"

Don't pay, don't try to take your"purchases" with you. If a manager sees you do this, tell them flat outthat their "self checkout" sucks, and you will not waste another secondin this store that has no concept of "customer service" and that youare taking your business elsewhere.

You have every right to decide at the last minute that you don't want to make the sale.

Younow have a self-checkout lane that is effectively blocked until a reallive human clears out the items from the machine and from the computertally. That human will probably also have to restock the items,although those items may simply go into a queue area for people whosejob is to restock. Either way, it allows you to vent your frustrationand make a point. AND... since a real employee has to get involved, itmakes the machine slightly less able to become a cost saver.

Heck,have a group of friends "slam" all the self-checkouts this way as aform of organized protest. Include people from a variety ofbackgrounds, ages, etc. Do it a few times to a store before themanagement refuses to let you enter the store, and then go on to thenext store. Or... do it to a bunch of stores, round-robin, returning toa store a week and a half later when some other manager is on duty.Lather... rinse... repeat. If possible, tell the local news stationwhat you are doing, and see if you can get other people similarlyfrustrated to join your cause. (The more people doing this, the better!)

It's called "customer feedback."

woohoo

My passport application was accepted & the passport is waiting for me at the post office.  :o)

PS: I don't know why I chose this icon.. I don't think I've ever used it before now.