Self scanners are everywhere in the UK but they hit a sang when you try to buy booze, as then some little scratter has to come off a till to push a button to tell the machine you are over 18.

I like to use the U-SCAN checkouts - for one thing no potential germ-carrying person's fingers are fingering my groceries.

And i don't have to response to the question "Hi - how are you" and then hear later "Have a nice day"

I'm surprised so many places tried self-scan produce and abandoned it. In Arizona, Fry's has it down to a science.

Each produce item has a code that's either on a sticker or in a reference book at the self-checkout. You enter the code, the scanner weighs and prices the produce, done.

Deutsche Bahn, the German rail company, allows regular customers to set up an account so they can order a ticket from their phone and have it charged to their account. The server sends a pattern to the phone, the conductor scans it, <i>wunderbar!</i>

&quot; - for one thing no potential germ-carrying person's fingers are fingering my groceries.&quot;

As opposed to the dozen or so pickers, processors, packers, stockers, packagers, and other customers who have touched them before you put them in your cart?

And wow, I hope I never become such a curmudgeon that I object to someone wishing me a nice day, even if it's only a required greeting. But to each his own.

One major problem with self-scan, and self-labeling is fraud/theft. Of course, it depends on the location and clientele of the store; as well as monitoring.

Take the H.E.B. at Houston Chinatown for example, how are you going to stop someone for punching in &quot;Bok Choy&quot; (which sells for $0.79/lb), when what they actually buying is &quot;Baby Bok Choy&quot; ($1.59/lb)?

If it's at an upscale neighborhood, may be the saving of labor is more than the loss; but at other locations, I'm sure their loss is pretty significant.

NewPat - well you raise a good point but how long do germs live on goods?

you've seen too cashiers who sneeze and cover their mouths then handle your groceries.

it's not a major concern as i'm no Howard Hughes but a consideration.

As fod 'gud-day' i just find it forced and faked and prefer the European way of saying little or nothing in supermarkets at least. Glad to see you find it genuine. Each to his own.

I only use the self-scaners at the grocery store if I must. I really hate them! Most of the time, they don't work and you have to ask for assistance anyway. Then you have to listen to the disembodied voice telling you to &quot;place the item in the bag&quot; before you even have a chance to do so! AAARRRGGGHHH.

Anyone who handles <b>money</b> - bank cashier, grocery clerk, <i>customer</i> - is touching one of the most contaminated things on the planet. The phrase &quot;you don't know where that's been&quot; is more than a clich&eacute;; a good guess is that it's been on someone's &quot;behind&quot; (among other delightful places).

Good rule: wash your hands before touching either your face or anything that goes into your mouth.

Dayle, that's a very poorly programmed scanner. The good ones I've seen prompt you to scan and bag <i>once</i> and then leave you alone unless you take five or six seconds to scan the next item.

Stupid software abounds - programmers design stuff they know nothing about.

Robespiere - such a truth!

&quot;As fod 'gud-day' i just find it forced and faked and prefer the European way of saying little or nothing in supermarkets at least. Glad to see you find it genuine.&quot;

I clearly said it doesn't bother me even when it isn't &quot;genuine&quot;. I just found it hard to imagine being bothered by anyone saying &quot;have a good day&quot;. And maybe it's because I tend to smile and look happy, but I can't remember buying things in groceries in England, France, or Italy without the clerk saying a greeting as well. The ones at the Tesco I go to all the time in Covent Garden are some of the chattiest and friendliest of all. I can't imagine them remaining silent and not offering a greeting. What clerk in Paris doesn't automatically say &quot;bon jour&quot; when you approach the register? Unless they see someone who looks like they might bite their head off if they do.

Unless they see someone who looks like they might bite their head off if they do.

perhaps why i don't always get it

you here the fake bonjour monsieur and au revoir monsieur mainly in small shops such as bakeries but in supermarkets it's often not said in my experience though they may mumble bonjour.

In Paris major stores were actually hiring an American consulting company to help their retail employees be more friendly and helpful - to combat the rather rude or cool approach often found.

I loved the little combo appliances we have had in rental houses in Europe - a single unit that first washes and then dries your clothes. I also like the range/oven that has a small dishwaser built into it at the bottom below the oven.

Nothing very European about a machine that washes and then dries the clothes. That was my mother's first purchase when she started working in Ohio in 1957 -- a Bendix duomatic. The only difference I'm aware of is that it really worked. The several I've used in England have taken hours to dry the clothes, if they ever do, and then the door won't release for five minutes guaranteeing your clothes will be wrinkled after drying. (I think I mentioned this above already)

I have noticed that every glass container sold at Auchan hypermarkets has a Braille identification on it, whether it be olive oil, pickles, asparagus or mayonnaise. I don't know any blind people, and I would presume that they normally don't shop alone, but I think this is an excellent indication for them once the products are put in the cupboard at home. Do other stores in other countries do this?

I meant &quot;every glass container of an Auchan brand product&quot; -- unfortunately the 'name brands' do not seem to be using Braille.

This is no longer so rare in the U.S. but took a long time coming. The toilet flusher buttons with the little button for little flushes and big button for big flushes.

This is low-tech. Years ago in Italy we saw the ideal cupboard over the kitchen sink. Open the door and you find that the bottom is a dish drainer. You wash your dishes, put them up on the rack, close the door, and they drip into the sink unseen. I've wanted that ever since.

One of the most fun adventures (and I'm a big city girl) I've had was to visit Le Mutant (discount grocery) in a tiny town east of Rouen, France. Not only was everyone helpful and kind, one lady GAVE me the Euro to unlock my cart as I stood embarrassed and befuddled in the parking lot. It was such a teensy town, US tourons (and terrible French speaker that I am, but I do try!) were a novelty. She asked me if I was English, and when I said I was an American, a huge, genuine grin spread all over her face. She took me inside and announced me to the little store!Everyone went out of their way to be helpful. Oh, the cheese and saucisson gorging at our little apartment was divine!Packaged milk! Boxed up, ready to cook Choucroute Garni! I'll take any &quot;Bonjour&quot; they want to toss in my direction. And I'll probably eat that, too.

I just found this intersting thread (having been off the radar for many months). I haven't read it all beut would like to tell you about something I find very efficient here in Belgium. My baby has a number of checkups in the hospital every few months and a few days before the appointments I get a text message from the hospital
a. to remind me and
b. to allow me to cancel the appointment - which I can do by simply sending a text message back.

It's magic.