Well, the post was probably a combination of a bit of hyperbole and lack of details. We go on a 'big' shopping trip once a month or so, where you get all the st

Well, the post was probably a combination of a bit of hyperbole and lack of details. We go on a 'big' shopping trip once a month or so, where you get all the staples. Then, on a more frequent basis you get the perishables. This lets you efficiently go to small markets for produce, use the quick lanes in groceries, and so on. But, I am not sure I buy that this is the reason. I don't even know if the report is accurate. Are we really (on the whole) slower than the average Japanese market? I know we have a culture of 'friendliness' at the check out - lots of 'hi, how is your day going' nattering, and if you have a club card they peer at it, mangle your name, ask if they got it right, insist on you giving the correction, then say 'good day Mr Xybpppphhht.' All that slows things down a bit. But laser scanners are pretty fast, and a lot of cashiers really rip through very quickly. It also might be regional. Thinking about it I think the grocery clerks where I grew up all went hell-bent, and things seem more laid back here in CA. It's challenging to make pronouncements about an entire country as large and culturally diverse as the US.