Are we being rushed at the checkout?

SEEING that Aldi’s till staff have to process 1,000 items an hour (Mail), I’ve welcomed the arrival of selfservice tills in supermarkets and use them as much as I can. This enables me, in my own time, to a) pack the items in my bag as carefully as possible; b) pack them in the order I want; and c) sort out the change for my cash or pay the exact amount using low-value coins. Some supermarkets also have a cashback facility on these checkouts. I don’t want my goods pushed at me at great speed and in a random sequence and have to move quickly on to prevent the next customer from pushing me out of the packing area. ALLEN WETHERELL, High Wycombe. IT’S interesting to note the grumbles of an Aldi whistleblower over the 1,000 items an hour. Some customers also grumble that the checkout staff rush the shopping through and don’t allow them enough time to pack. I would ask the customer: ‘If you don’t like being rushed, why shop at Aldi?’ Because it’s cheaper. So why is Aldi (and Lidl) cheaper? Because they employ fewer checkout staff in the hope the shopper will put the stuff straight back in the trolley and then, having paid, wheel the trolley to the shelf provided where they can transfer the stuff into their bags at their leisure. That’s what the shelf is there for! If people aren’t prepared to follow this simple routine, they should shop elsewhere and let those of us who do comply get our shopping done more quickly. There’s nothing more boring than standing in a queue watching a ‘bagger upper’ especially when at the end they seem completely surprised at being asked to pay.