Discussions

Any one notice that since covid some stores have yet to reintroduce express check out lanes. I kind of find it difficult that you pop in to the grocery store and have to wait behind 2 people with full carts and all you have is 4 items.

Can't say I noticed that they disappeared, and if they did it was replaced with self-serve.  
 
Sobeys still has express. At least at West End. I rarely use it as the lines are almost always short anyway.  
Superstore has self-serve, which is usually very quick if you only have a few items. Usually the tills closest to self-serve are de facto express, most people only having a few items.  
Wal-Mart actually has 3 levels of self-serve, an "express" version, a large order section and a medium section. Plus a very small number of manned tills.  
Giant Tiger has replaced most of their tills with self-serve. There are 2 tills at lottery/tobacco still.  
The only LC I go to is the one in West End Sobeys and it only has 1 till anyway.  
Most other places I shop only has 1 till, so not applicable.  
 
So no, I disagree. I never noticed them disappearing due to Covid, but I have noticed they have been replaced with self-serve in some cases.

I believe they said since Covid... as in a time reference.. not specifically blaming Covid policies.  
 
I guess in the end you agree that yes there is less express pay options.... just seemed to add a bit of hostility because the post had referenced covid.

I interpreted that as insinuating because of Covid, but you might be right. They *did* explicitly say that "since Covid the stores have yet to reintroduce...", which suggests causation. Because why would they "go back" to anything unless it was caused by Covid?  
 
I was pointing out that there are, in fact, NOT less express pay options, just DIFFERENT options. This started before Covid, and because they don't require staff per se amd minimize face-to-face interactions, they became justification for businesses to move to this model more rapidly. We were mostly there before Covid anyway. I've been struggling with the self check things at Home Depot for probably a decade now lol. Giant Tiger only made the transistion a few months ago. Self checks are the new express checks, and there's even specifically express self check options. So I disagree with the initial premise that there are less express options, and provided examples of why I thought that.  
 
I didn't realize being factual was hostile, but I guess that's where we're at these days.

I took it the same way as Abbysmum-that OP was meaning covid caused some express lanes to be removed. I never noticed any express lanes being removed (not due to covid, not otherwise)-and I'm afraid I don't see any hostility in Abbyamum's post. She just doesn't agree with OP, which should be okay.  
 
I have been in Safeway a fee times.and only one regular line was open, no express. As far as I could tell that was only because it was not a busy time and there weren't enough shoppers to bother having 2 lines open. When the single line got too busy, they did call for an express checker. So yeah, I would have to stand firm that the only reason for no express checkout was lack of shoppers at that particular time. Other times I have been there they had 3 express lines open. That is just one example .

in the space they could have 2 staffed express tills, they can fit 6 or more self-check kiosks. So an increase in express checkout capacity. I realize some don't like the concept of self-checkouts, but it's just the continued evolution of shopping and the world.  
 
Also during COVID, we also saw many of the older generations leave the work force and not return. I think we are in a situation where we have more job availability with not enough to fill the jobs. Right now as of May, the unemployment rate in Manitoba is 4.8%. . It's lower than it was in May of 2019 (5.1%), before COVID. May 2022 - 4.4%, May 2021 - 7% and May 2020 - 10.9%.

I just recall every store basically staffing an express lane if they had one line sobeys or safeway.  
 
Superstores first two lanes closest to the self check out actually use to say express and it was 12 items or less.  
 
i don't know what Walmart actually had but i thought were the self checkouts closest to the front entrance was the express lanes at one time

I use the self checkout lanes and they're practical. However, be prepared to use either credit/debit as they don't accept cash! This is this biggest "beef" that I have. If you don't have credit/debit and have to use the regular checkout, then prepare to wait.  
When you have a large quantity of items and use the regular checkouts, the cashier scans your items so quickly and you have to rush to bag your items! You can't win!!!!