"I know I'm not the only person to put stuff on there in a useful and non-random order."

You're not. And I find a steely glare and an 'excuse me!' when they start packing for you works wonders.

But then I always choose the easily-bullied, spotty youth with the huge adam's apple (even if his till is busy) rather than the hard-bitten bottle blonde. It's all in the selection of your target before you unpack....

I guess the problem is that it takes longer to pack than to scan the items in.

I have vague memories of some shops in the Seventies having two packing areas at the far end of the belt. So, a second customer's shopping could be rung in while the first was still doing the packing.

Does any one else have similar memories or am I dreaming it?

Nope, PC, no dreaming - I remember that. Big old divider, kind of like a flat guillotine (but not really) so the first lot could be swiped off to the side.

Yes, I liked that. Lasted well into the 80s, I think.


> I guess the problem is that it takes longer to pack than to scan the items in.

Yeah, a little, but so what? If the time taken by customers to put shopping into bags is a problem for the supermarkets, then I suggest that there's something wrong with their business plan.

>> I guess the problem is that it takes longer to pack than to scan the items in.

I find that if you use the big reusable bags then you can put 3 or 4 in your trolley and fill them neatly in seconds. I occasionally leave them in the car and get really odd looks when I don't bother packing at all and just walk out with a trolley full of shopping.

Not much use without the car though, as they are just a bit too big to carry without hernias.

I find this fascinating that you all have bagged your own groceries for so long! When I grew up going shopping with my mom in the U.S. (late 70s/80s) I witnessed the fine art of bagging via the kids who worked at the Commissary at the Army base. Even David Letterman grew up working at a grocery story in my hometown and doesn't he still compete on his show against the winner of the national grocery bagging competition every year? Since I've become an adult, I've taken to bagging my own groceries as much as possible since 1 - there are rarely enough "baggers" to assist with this chore and why wait for the checker to do it when I have two hands of own? And 2 - even when there are, they've not been trained to bag the bread separately from the quart of milk in order to avoid "squishages" as you called it! Your frustration is well founded, Squander Two, and recognized 'round the world! :)