There is a lot to be said for human interaction. A smile, polite observations, trading stories about kids and family members, it makes us all feel a bit more human and connected. However there are times when those connections get a little too tangled and interactions feel odd, forced and even annoying. It is at those moments in time that many a shopper is thankful for the self check out lane.
Most grocery chains now have at least a couple of lanes free of eager cashiers where customers can check out their purchases in peace. No one commenting on food choices, asking “paper or plastic?”, or making nervous conversation. Customers are able to simply do what they came to the store to do, shop, bag their groceries in peace and leave to face the rest of their lives without interuption.
Some may fear that the success of check out lanes would remove the need for human employees completely. This seems to be unfounded seeing that none of these lanes can run perfectly smoothly without a human supervisor waiting for any hiccups that might occur and sometimes stepping in when you are handling things just fine, thank you very much. In all honesty, as much as the modern man or woman sometimes appreciates silence, speed, and the beauty of being left alone, there is something we appreciate much more. That is the choice of being social when we feel like it. The ability and accessibility of human interaction when we find it necessary and appealing. Sure society may go on an all computer binge but will Americans be happy with it, it’s doubtful. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter show how much we all want to be connected in some sort of way, we just like to choose when and how to do it.