Seattle is often referred to as some sort of technologically advanced city. Things are called the 'Seattle of this' the 'Seattle of that' (Sorry, Oregonians, no place is ever referred to as the 'Portland of some place', probably because there are already enough actual cities called Portland to go around). But I have discovered at least one area in which Seattle is seriously lagging: the grocery store. While self check-out is great and all, they have that at Asda. If it's at Asda (aka, Wal-mart), it's not cool.
Waitrose, on the other hand, has taken it one step further. If you are somehow designated special (not sure how this occurs), you can grab a little self-scanner when you walk in from the parking lot (they don't have them at the street entrance, special people drive) and then you scan your merchandise as you select it. When you're done, there's a special check-out counter where super-secret happenings go on. I think you just give them the secret hand-shake and your card is charged for the stuff you've scanned. Only once in a blue moon do they actually check to make you scanned everything you purchased. It's amazing. It's like regular shopping is for untrustworthy coach passengers, and this is first class. I can only dream that one day such a technology will start to hit stateside. And I'm also pretty sure that Ted Bunday-Ave Safeway will be the first to do it.
There was a nice sunsest situation yesterday. As I hadn't taken a single picture in over a week, I felt obliged to open up my window and take a few cracks. I feel like it came out okay.
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