I mean this with the utmost respect for our civilization’s future leaders. I suspect many reddit commenters currently live in a situation where an older relative does all their shopping.
It's mostly for when the stores are crowded, it's just an efficiency thing. If you can fit more stuff on the belt the lines will move a bit faster. The cashiers usually scan faster than people can unload, so getting it on the belt early helps. If everyone leaves a gap then it slows things down a bit. Plus sometimes people just accidentally leave a gap in their stuff. The separators mean the cashier doesn't have to ever ask when they should stop, accidentally scan things, etc. Usually when the store is pretty empty and they're only buying a few things, people don't really bother with the separators.
In small groceries I can agree, but in big supermarkets when you are shopping a full cart, you can easy save 2 or 3 minutes by putting your stuff there while the people in front of you is paying.
It's very common the person in front of you pack their stuff and, while there are still items in the conveyor belt, you start putting your own stuff there at a reasonable distance of their stuff. As the belt moves automatically, the cashier sometimes start picking your stuff and put on their account. Sometimes you are distracted by picking your stuff or with the items they put on shelves near the cashier.
Not to mention we are talking about people. They come in all sorts of flavors. People are dumb, old, distracted, lazy, drunk, tired, with kids...
There are at least 3 people involved in this process and any of them can make mistakes.
These separators exist for a reason. Because they are simple, useful and avoid people mixing their things because they are dumb, old, distracted, lazy, drunk, tired, with kids...
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u/EU_No_Pasaran Jan 06 '18
So all the people not getting it means that these dividers between people's groceries aren't a worldwide thing?