The tyranny of the self-service check out

The other week I popped into my big Morrisons after the school drop-off. It was a biggish shop, including things like socks, olive oil and washing powder, hence going to a proper supermarket rather than just whizzing into my local Tesco Express.

But lo and behold, when I came to check out my shopping, not a single manned till was open. ‘There’s nobody on them until 10 a.m. love,’ explained the apologetic cashier who inevitably had to help me with an unexpected item in the bagging area (a packet of toothbrush heads that were too light to register on the pathetic shelf they give you at a self-service till). A week later, the same thing happened to me at Sainsbury’s, this time in the afternoon – not a single cashier to be had – apparently the lone checkout assistant normally working at that time (5 p.m.;