Why does Cub Foods Hate me?

This complaint isn't a real big one at first, its one of those small little complaints that through the nature of its re-occurrence builds and builds, till it crests into a full blown WTF are they thinking kind of realization.

Grocery shopping at its best is an activity that I don't enjoy. I mostly have myself to blame as I seem to always end up there around 6pm after work on a weekday no less. After navigating the insanity that is a grocery store parking lot during peak times( a rant for a different time) like a halfback you shuck this way to the milk and eggs, jive that way to get to the cereal aisle....a quick sprint through the meat dept and you're on your way.

Now I don't know about you, but the only thing I dread more than crowds and the parking are wading through checkout lines. Marching past the high margin POS candy and rags, waiting for the old lady to navigate her coupon organizer to save thirty cents on fancy feast. Onward you march towards the grumpy cashiers..."can you empty that for me!". So about a year an a half ago when they introduced the self checkout registers I was ecstatic. For the most part the olds are scared of this new fanged contraption and at first the sailing WAS smooth.

But the good folks at CUB saw that it was too easy. So after about a year of the same process, in came the "Are you sure you don't have anything else in your basket?" question. Yeah the first time that one popped up I prolly sat for a minute before I realized it even dignified a response. Now I don't know about you but I read that question: "Are you stealing anything?" Not a major complaint taken on its own but combined with the next complaint enough to have me questioning whether or not CUB really wants me as a customer.

The thing that got me started on this rant is not specific to CUB, in fact it is a question that is asked just about every time I check out anywhere. But what used to be a question "Credit or Debit?" has turned into an assumption. It's this assumption that irks me beyond all belief.

It seems like everywhere I turn nowadays the system defaults to a pin based debit transaction. This pisses me off because not only does it force me into at least two more unnecessary actions it is over mere pennies. But it's also doubly offensive because the industry can't seem to settle on a standard. So at some places I have to hit the green button then select credit...others I am forced to cancel then press credit. Others are so schlocky that they simply have directions taped on the terminal.

Forget the fact that its not really a debit vs a credit transaction and really a pin based debit transaction vs a standard debit transaction....the real answer is one of monetary value. A pin based transaction carries less perceived risk and is processed on a different network. It saves the merchant usually around 1 percent!...so essentially CUB, Home Depot, Target are all saying to me "WE ARE WILLING TO RISK OUR LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU AS A CUSTOMER FOR 1 PERCENT" thats what I am worth huh....ONE FREAKIN PERCENT