If it looks like a bag....

You know the saying - if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is inevitably a duck.

Today I discovered that my trusty indestructible hessian Asda Tickled Pink bag is not all it seems.  It is a good size, with two handles for carrying, and so it is perfect for carrying home a couple of after-work purchases from Poundland.

Shopping in Poundland was always fraught with peril, unless you went in between 8.00-8.30 am when it could be guaranteed to be a bit quieter.  If there are three tills in the shop, you are guaranteed that only one of these would ever be staffed. Queues and pound shops go together like me and cheese and onion crisps.

So when Poundland recently introduced self-checkouts, I was filled with a sense of impending doom. No longer would any till be staffed, and only one staff member would be around to enter their codes as and when required.  Which turns out to be frequently.

Self-checkouts can be a good idea if you have just a couple of purchases and want to just scan and go, rather than stand in a long queue.  Many stores offer both options, but for Poundland to only offer the self-checkout option is a bad idea.  Not everyone can cope with these temperamental pieces of technology.  Even those experienced in the ways of the self-checkout, like myself, it can be a very tiresome and time-consuming experience.

Anyway back to my trip tonight.  Before I could even scan my first item, a message appears on the screen - carried over from the previous shopper - and the assistant has to enter her code.  On we go. Oh wait - it's another message.  Bag not recognised in bagging area.  Even though I declared at the beginning of my transaction that I had my own bag, it's not recognised.  That item in the bagging area is none other than the aforementioned trusty indestructible hessian Asda Tickled Pink bag.  It's a bag. Everything about it screams 'bag', the sheer bag-liciousness of it, but not it seems in Poundland. Please wait for an assistant....

"It's a bag" I say.  I try to inject some weary humour: "It was a bag the last time I looked".

On with the transaction.  Two items scanned, and I'm ready to pay.

Error message on screen.  "Weight of items not recognised".

F***!

Please wait for an assistant......!

Finally, after what feels like half an hour, the machine accepts my cash and the transaction is over.

I don't think I'll be visiting Poundland as much as I used to.....