The Surly New Cashier at Winn-Dixie!

I don't like the new woman in the checkout line at Winn-Dixie. At all.

I met her for the first time today as I went through the self-checkout... she spoke to me normally as always, in calming dulcet tones.

"Hello and welcome to Winn-Dixie! Please choose English or Spanish." (Once I chose Spanish and amazed some friends around me, but we all have to show off sometime.)

Well, I chose English and proceeded to "scan my items."

It was there I noticed the change. Before you can possibly remove the item from the scanner, the lady says "Place your items in the bag. NOW!"

If you don't do it now, it is followed up by a stronger command, "PLACE YOUR ITEMS IN THE BAG NOW!" You almost expect a sheriff's deputy to come over and find out why you haven't put those items in the bag yet.

It's all about the tone. I am used to people from the Deep South, and we are just nicer than that... this voice had to have come from someone up north, at least as far as Nashville or even further. It's like when your mother used to tell you to do something.

It wasn't, "Bil, sweetheart, please do such and so."

It was, "Gilbert William Hitchcock you had better do this or I will send you to school with stripes up and down your legs." Since she did that almost every day, it wasn't much of a threat but I guess she thought it was.

And getting things into the bag that are light! Do you know that dental floss will not register at all in the bag weighing area? I picked up and THREW the Glide with Extra Wax INTO the bag. Wouldn't register. Had to have an override.

I wish the nice voice would come back... the one that used to say, "It looks hopeless for you, Dear, I will get some help here right away."

That's really all I want from anyone, machine or human.