Real talk I love chatting with the cashier and getting my groceries bagged. I make small talk and ask them how they're doing. It's a small opportunity to practice social skills and be friendly. On the other hand automated checkouts replace that familiar face with a sinister machine that makes you do the job of the cashier for zero pay and yells at you when you take too long or do something wrong or put 0.000001 pounds on the checkout scale. Steal from automated checkouts whenever you think you can get away with it.