The cashier situation is their attempt to force customers to use the self pay option. I
basically refuse to do so and wait my turn probably to the irritation of those behind me.
Take care
The cashier situation has been that way for decades before there ever was a self pay option. I understand it financially, as a discount retailer with a miniscule profit margin (generally around 2%) they need to pinch pennies until they scream and 1 extra cashier can blow up the whole model. but as a shopper the difference between a store where I almost never start worse than 3rd in line (any play not WM) and a store I almost never start better than 5th is a good 5 minutes, and I want that 5 minutes.
In other places I actually do use the self checkout, it’s faster. Most of the time. My favorite grocery store was having issues with it lately. I wrote them a pretty nasty e-mail. Things have gotten better.