:mademyday:

Especially good advice on oil changes. Trust but verify.

True story. Just four or so years ago I ask a manager at Publix why no self checkouts. He told me that corporate didn’t think that self checkouts would work for seniors in The Villages and corporate was probably right. Right!

they have them now. they work just fine.

And, no doubt, complaining to the ambassador that the group in front has a hole open in front of them, even though they are ahead of the time par on the score card, because, after all, it's YOUR pace that matters. Not anyone else's.

So, if I use the self checkout, can I go into the employee lounge and have a snack since I am doing someone’s job?

YOUR place on the golf course is immediately behind the group ahead of you, NOT immediately in front of the group behind you. And the card time is pretty much a joke, depending on the number and size of groups on the course, playing conditions and any cart restrictions. There is no reason that a twosome with no one ahead should take 4:16 to play a course. So yes, if I'm behind that twosome I might complain to the ambassador, which will do absolutely no good, since similar to the self-checkout line, they only go by the holy card time and not reality.

If you get behind the techno-challenged, you might as well go have a snack to pass the time.

I'll agree with Target, because of the layout and limited options. The grocery area is all the way at the furthest end of the store, away from the entry/exit. Their prices are typically higher than even Publix for some items, they don't have a deli.

Winn Dixie and Publix both have great bakeries, and Publix has a great deli. Winn Dixie has good meats at lower prices than at Publix. Aldis milk, bread, produce, and canned goods are just as good as any of the other stores, but at MUCH lower prices. Walmart has more of a variety than the others, EXCEPT for gourmet cheeses and other similar products. They have a much bigger ethnic/international selection, and other than Aldi's, their prices are the best of the bunch.

Of the two on the "historic" end of The Villages, only one has self-checkout. But yes it works just fine, most people have no trouble using them and there's an associate there to help anyone with faulty coupons, incorrect pricing, or who just needs a hand.

I will reluctantly use self checkout if the cashier lines are long, but only if everything I am purchasing has a scannable bar code. If I’m at Lowe’s buying single nuts and bolts where a code has to be looked up, or I’m buying fresh fruits and vegetables at Publix that have to be weighed, then I fall into the techno-challenged category. But I guess in a way it’s just like golf, everyone was a beginner the first few times they played. At least in Florida they still give you plastic bags to carry all your stuff home that’s already wrapped in plastic containers.

I do the same at drive-through windows. I don't care that their "average cars per hour" or whatever rating is being impacted. You know who is almost always perfectly correct? Chik-Fil-A and In-N-Out. You know who is often wrong? Golden Arches.