My first attempt to use the self-checkout lane at a grocery store went poorly. It was so long ago that I don't remember all the specifics, but I'm certain there was no weighing of fruits, scanning of coupons, or anything else extraordinary about my purchase. And yet, somehow the simple four-step process—scan it, bag it, pay for it, leave—was marred by technology that failed to work properly. By the time the transaction was complete, I was sufficiently annoyed to the point that it would literally be years before I would attempt another pass through the gauntlet of the self-checkout area.
