Tesco has recently installed cameras at self-service checkouts in six of its stores in Ireland, apparently as a way to prevent theft. They don’t seem to have been very popular, but I have to admit I never really liked the whole self-service checkout setup in the first place. If there’s a choice, I’ll always take my shopping to an employee.
There are a number of reasons for this, not least the vague idea that if no one uses the in-person checkout then those jobs might be lost. And the hassle of an “unexpected item” in the bagging area never made anyone’s day any better. But the main reason I always head to an in-person checkout is because those five minutes of idle chit chat (two and a half at Aldi!) invariably make my day.
A number of studies have shown the constructive effect of talking to strangers, and it’s easy to see the benefits – of positive interactions that is, not including social media rants from unknown accounts or heckles from across the street. Your words might be meaningless “small talk”, about the weather, or lately the pandemic, but the effect of your conversation is far bigger. It makes you feel seen, recognised, human. There is something to be gained from talking to strangers that cannot be replaced by interactions with those close to you.
These fleeting interactions have been a great casualty of the pandemic. While there was a wonderful surge of community spirit in the first few months, that has faded a year down the line, and we are still spending most of our time within the close circles of friends and family. Strangers are less inclined to stop for a chat on the street, and situations which give rise to idle conversation, such as standing in a line at the shops or a long commute, have largely ceased to exist. So too have the options for being introduced to strangers, at parties or events.
I miss exchanging a few simple words with somebody I don’t know, and supermarket checkouts have been one of the few places this still happens. Another is out during walks. I find myself consciously striking up conversations the minute an unsuspecting stranger has stopped to admire a view or wait for a stray dog to catch up. Even exchanging a “good morning” or “hello” is better than nothing – in a pandemic it can be one of the very few in-person interactions I have on any given day, and it always brightens it.