Actually, I use whatever is easiest. For fast food, the kiosks are often easier and faster than a human.
For the grocery store checkout, the error rate is still high enough to be frustrating and most checkouts result in a human intervention. With 100,000+ products on the shelves of all different sizes and shapes, the system isn't as robust.
I do often think of all the things where we are removing human interaction from our daily lives and wondering about the effect of that on mental health. Getting gas used to be good for a conversation as both you and the attendant were captive for 5+ minutes. My bank teller used to know me. My grocery checkout clerk too.
My uncle, BTW (now retired, but worked into his 80s) owned a full-service garage (fuel and repairs) and home heating oil delivery business. He hired out bookkeeping, mechanic work, delivery driving, inventory management and all that. His key job as he saw it was pumping gas. I mean as recently as 10 years ago. He would chat as he pumped. "Where you getting your heating oil?" "How much are they charging you right now?" He felt every job in the business could be done by someone else *except* pumping gas.
