Self-checkout gang here. I like my groceries bagged a certain way and it's mildly infuriating to sort stuff on the conveyor belt only for the cashier and/or bagger to mix them randomly in the bags.
Eh, I come from a 3rd world country and baggers are common. In fact, it makes more sense that jobs like those are more common in places with cheaper labor.
Yeah, but then I’m holding up the line as everyone’s watching and waiting for me to finish bagging. I also have to go back to the terminal to pay after the cashier is done ringing up everything, then go back to bagging if I’m not done yet; all the while telling the cashier and/or bagger not to help. At least at the self-checkout, no one is specifically waiting for me to finish.
Hahaha. Humans are so silly! My preference is the exact opposite of yours, but the reasoning behind my preference is the same. I strongly prefer a cashier over self checkout because I prefer to bag my own stuff, and find it easier to do that while someone else scans.
Very few of the places I shop lately even have a bagger, so I don't usually have to ask anyone not to help. I find most self checkouts frustrating because there's no space for scanned items to sit before bagging them.
I also usually plop my card down on the card reader once the cashier starts scanning, so I don't have to bounce back and forth between bagging & paying.
Cashiers everywhere around here stopped to put things in the bags for at least 10 years now. I still remember the good times when the bags were carefully and properly put by them with all the items magically fitting. Good old times. Nowadays there's barely a difference between self checkout and using a human operated one. The main difference is that on self checkout I'm not rushed and can take my time to put the items how I want in the bags.