The theory that as least one thing interesting to write about will happen each day was tested to its very limit today as I have had one of the laziest days I can remember (though 15th May 1992 was pretty lazy too). This is probably not a great idea as I have two gigs this week in London’s east end and I’m feeling slightly panicky.
The only thing that could possibly constitute interest was my trip to Somerfield today. I am rather spoilt for choice for Somerfields here in the hotspot that is Willesden Green. I have two (count em) in walking distance. Once is small and shit, the other is big and shit – how I long for my old Camden Sainsbury’s and it’s nectar points (I now have enough to get two free rentals at blockbuster – but I’m not a member of a blockbuster – I’ll just earn the sweet nectar interest please)
Somerfield used to be Gateway which used to be Fine Fare. This reckless swapping of brands has left a residual problem of colour coding bagsies. Tesco has taken the blue and red, Sainsbury’s the orange and blue and Safeway the red and green, leaving Somerfield with a naff pastel green and blue affair which to the average consumer reeks of leftovers and scraps – which is hardly the basis to run a supermarket.
See how bored I’ve been?
Though it didn’t happen today the old Camden Town Sainsbury’s has a new toy. The self scanning and magic bag system (I invented the title myself). At the end of the row of checkouts are four checkouts with no staff – this isn’t an unusual sight – but these are designed to be without staff (no chairs). You, the lucky customer, get to scan in the goods yourself, there are even weighing things (scales).
I battled this new delight the other week. I had done a big shop of weird things for my girlfriend who can’t eat wheat or gluten, so I had spent a small fortune on rice cakes, special needs bread and weetabix (for me, obviously). The bank not allowing me any type of credit/debit card means that in a supermarket I have to pay with cash, and can therefore only buy as much as the money in my pocket allows. This can lead to embarrassing times at tills, trying to work out what to take out of the bag when I have insufficient funds.
But no embarrassment with the self service till. So I went for it. Happily scanning in my products (and feeling pretty smug that I could find the sweet potato on the menu system in a far quicker time to normal trained checkouteers). I figured I could let the odd thing slip by. Rice cakes, a packet of air at 99p, I swooshed it straight into the carrier. There was a beep and a voice “unscanned item in packing area”. I don’t know how it knew. I took it out of the bag “Thank you”. I scanned something else and tried to put that it at the same time as the rice cakes. The warning message blared out again. How was it possible? They can’t have weighed and logged every single product, but every time I tried to put the rogue rice cakes in it knew. So I left them behind in disgust. And my girlfriend got angry.
Thank you Sainsburys