Customer Service...NOT!

Now I realize that the economy is sluggish and grocery stores have thin margins and adjust employee hours to maximize profits.  However, at what cost to the business?  Here's the example that has me ranting today. 

My favorite grocery store has around 24 checkout lanes, six of which are self-checkout.  I spend my Friday afternoon strolling each aisle picking my carb filled grub for the week.  Now comes the part I find increasingly difficult to go through, wheeling my $175 basket worth of "staples" to the nearest checkout.  Of the 18 remaining registers available, one is 12 items or less and eleven are closed.  Well, I'm down to six viable choices. All have at least three customers, in varying forms of duress, trying to get home before the ice cream melts.  I can see a PIC (person in charge) walking up and down the rows of mostly silent registers watching customer flow.  I don't put much faith in his/her abilities since somehow only the slowest cashiers have been kept scanning, while the faster ones have, sadly,  been sent home. The next time I see a store manager walking the aisles, I can only assume to avoid the mess of humanity at the registers, I'm going to suggest that they change their slogan to "Lower prices, Longer lines, Get over it!"   Oh and designate one lane for people who pay by check and haven't filled it out yet or those who need to split the order because they are paying by two different methods.  While you are at it, assign your slowest cashier to that lane.  No one will know the difference anyway.