EIGHT WAYS TO SPEED THROUGH SUPERMARKET CHECKOUT

Shop on weekdays, not weekends. uGo to the store during work hours, when fewer people are there.

Use a manned checkout lane. The cashiers generally are faster than you are.

Don’t pick a line based on how many people are in it. Instead, pick the queue which has shoppers with the fewest items in their baskets or carriages.

Don’t buy items that don’t have PLUs or price look- up codes, like produce.

Skip frozen items, because ice can make it harder for the scanner to read. That might require your flagging down a store employee to help, which will slow you down.

Choose items that have the bar codes on flat surfaces. They’re easier for the scanners to read.

Don’t bother trying to figure out which people in which lanes will be slow at checkout. You never know who will whip out a stack of coupons or will pay with a check.

DETROIT FREE PRESS New express lanes are fudging it to keep the peace.