Tonight I found a new appreciation for the self checkout at the grocery store.  I was sent out on one of those duties that you occasionally have to do as a husband, buy tampons.  I really don’t have a problem buying tampons for my wife, but it’s still not my favorite thing to buy.  Now with self checkout I don’t have to have that awkward exchange with the store clerk when I slide the feminine products across the belt.

The other reasons that I appreciate the self checkout at stores is that I’m rarely at the store to buy a whole cart full of groceries.  Instead I’m usually there to buy just a hand-full of items, so I like to get in the grocery store and then get out as fast as I can.  What’s better than being able to just roll up to the scanner, scan a few things, bag’em and then head out?

Self checkout isn’t perfect yet, but it’s getting a lot better than when it first rolled out to stores.  They have made it a lot easier to purchase produce with self checkout.  Though, here in the Silicon Valley many cities have banned plastic bags so the line does get held up when people need to purchase paper bags.

Guys, the next time you have to make that run for feminine products don’t forget about the self checkout stations.