Why I use supermarket self-checkouts
by Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne, Australia Autistics live in a world that wasn't designed for us, shopping centres and supermarkets being a prime example. In many shops, music is blaring, lights are harsh and bright, shelves are crammed and over-stimulating and crowds and obstacles are everywhere. Although I like shopping, I often need to get out of the shops as quickly as possible to preserve my physical and mental energy for the rest of the day. The self-checkout gives me, as an Autistic shopper, a break. The self checkout area is much quieter and roomier than the rest of the shop. I am not forced to socially engage with a cashier if I don't feel up to it. I can stand by myself, arrange my own shopping in my own bags and go home. Queueing up to pay a cashier is seen by some as taking a noble stand to save cashiers' jobs. Some of us have very tired feet by the end of a shop, especially Autistics who quite commonly have low muscle tone or flat feet. Packin...