Were these the good old days? Staffed checkouts [Velela CC BY-SA 3.0]

• REMEMBER when those self-checkouts first appeared in our supermarkets?

How we struggled and cussed as we stepped into the brave new world.

But be patient, they said. It’s going to be much better really. You the customer will be in control!

And some of the most cussed among us got our backs up and said: “Never!”. “We’ll never use those ruddy things as long as we live!”

We were characterised as 21st century Luddites.

What about the jobs that will be lost, we asked. But we were reassured that there would be more staff on the floor of the shop to assist us.

It will make your shopping experience easier and less stressful, they said. And, one by one, we caved in.

And this week I witnessed the reality of the brave new world.

Long queues waiting for self checkout machines. Stressed-out staff directing them by yelling out “Over here! Card only!” “Come on, cash here!”

The brave new world is a nightmare. No friendly chat at the checkout. Just chaos.

We’ve been duped again!

W WILLIAMS, NW1