Nowadays shopping at super markets has become a fashion and why not after all it is very convenient too. It is one stop shopping place for all your home needs and we get good stuff at reasonable and competitive prices with many deals and offers from time to time. This also suits the pockets of middle class people like us who need to closely monitor our monthly budget. But you would agree when I say that every aspect has its own advantages and disadvantages. The other day I went for some household shopping to SPAR in Oasis Mall, Koramangala Ring Road. Spar Supermarket stocks all your daily needs from groceries and frozen food to some electronic gadgets and steel appliances. Clothes are also available and the best part is that they have a kid’s play area too. So I can easily shop around even with my twin kids. But one thing that is seldom realized is the inefficiency of the human operated checkout counters. I typically spend anything from 20 to 30 mins. Queuing in the long and totally mismanaged queues eager to get to the checkout. I strongly believe that the supermarket needs to address this issue and incorporate Queue Management Systems for the benefit of both staff and customers. They need to have more checkout counters with skilled and experienced staff to give a wholesome good shopping experience. Also in the express queue wherein ideally only those customers who have purchased less than 10 items should stand, people with larger purchases are seen standing and frustrated with these long queues at the pay points many a times I have seen customers leaving without making a purchase especially when all they are buying is just a litre of milk and a bread. Most of the times you see new faces at the counter who you bet are trainees and you have a tough time with them as they are very slow in their service. That day the customer just before me unloaded his basket and the girl at the counter found many items which did not have the price tags and then she asked someone to run around to find the prices of those products. People standing behind me started rolling their eyes as this was increasing their stress and frustration level but this was so common to me. Many a times I have been at the checkout and the cashier cannot get the scanner to read the barcode on particular product and they keep trying in vain over and over again until they finally give up. And then after waiting for long when I want to feel happy that it’s now my turn, to further complicate the situation, my kids start nagging for the chewy gums kept at the checkouts and when I deny since they seldom start coughing after eating them, they start throwing tantrums and run all around the place. Finally I started unloading my trolley and got my purchases packed neatly in the bags and when I gave them my debit card to swipe I was told that the swipe machines were not working and then I had to switch my line and wait till the customer at the other checkout finished. That was a ridiculous amount of time wasted. I understand that cash is by far the fastest method of payment but payment by credit or debit card is far more convenient. Finally the payment was made and things were sorted. This is all so stressful but the best part of shopping at the supermarkets is that it is a one stop destination for all your home needs. And not to forget mentioning about the availability of good parking space at Spar Supermarket in Oasis Mall, Koramangala Ring Road which does not stop me from travelling long distance to this place.