Sometimes.... I've had lots of bad experiences with super slow checkout people. I would say most of the time, they were boomers themselves and spent half the time trying to make chit-chat.
That being said, I will still line up for a staffed checkout if I have a cart full because it is easier since I can bag and put in the cart as they're scanning. But also, many of the self checkouts here have a limit of like 10-20 items posted.
I have to scan an item, then wait 10 seconds for the weight sensor to register that I actually put it in the bag. If I have a cart full of shit it's going to take me 5 minutes just to scan everything. A cashier can blow through that in a minute or two. I wouldn't be opposed to self checkouts if they didn't suck ass.
That is fair, it's what cashiers are there for.
I was referring to people who retort with rudeness to a simple offer of self-checkout.
I usually go for the self-scanning guns with larger buys - I get to bag my stuff as I go and skip the queues and self-checkout bothers, so for me that's a win win.
I love self checkout. From my decades of cash register experience I can tell you, your soul begins to leave your body standing still for hours doing the same repetitive mindless task. It is not a job most want nor honestly should do. I really can't fathom the folks who prefer waiting in line for one bored af human to do a task they could easily do themselves. A good company would find other things for their employees to do or (this would never happen) pay them more per hour to work fewer hours totaling the same weekly check. I feel only the elderly, overburdened, and incapable should use a cashier. If you got 2 available, working hands and can twist at the waist - get to scanning!!
It works fine until someone tries to buy an age restricted item (ye gods help you if you have more than one!) or inevitably every available kiosk is being hogged by a octogenarian who can't figure out the machine at they all take half an hour each to check out.
For your convenience, half of the machines are broken, and the employee assigned to unjam the remaining working ones when they get their electronic knickers in a twist is on lunch.
This situation has gotten so bad that my local Home Depot has started assigning an employee to "assist," i.e. work the machine from start to finish, every customer at the self checkout. So for those of you keeping score at home, that means what we've done is reinvented the standard checkout lane, except worse, and both people are standing on the same side of the counter for some reason.