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‘I would never use a self check if it always announced to me what I was scanning’: Stop & Shop self-checkout customers get it to say ‘move your yams’

‘She says it like she’s trying not to laugh.’

Photo of Jack Alban

Jack Alban

self-checkout customers get it to say ‘move your yams’

Everett (@everett.toy) is cracking TikTok up after showcasing some of the curious pronunciation and diction mannerisms of a robotic self-checkout machine’s voice at Stop & Shop, a retailer that’s no stranger to implementing robotic help in its stores.

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One of his more recent posts shows him buying yams. Viewers are tickled pink with the “aggressive” manner in which the grocery store’s self-service system calls out the produce.

“Okay the self checkout voice saying ‘YAM’ is kinda aggressive,” Everett writes in a text overlay of the TikTok, which shows him processing the sale of a yam on the self-checkout machine. He leaves it on the automatic register’s scale until a robotic voice shouts, “Move your…YAMS”

The TikToker, chuckling, grabs the vegetable and places it into a bag on a rack next to the register. A quick scroll through the comments section of his clip reveals that there is what appears to be a growing subset of folks who are stoked with the way self-checkout machines verbally identify different pieces of produce. “Organic bananas” is a favorite that Everett previously shared in another viral video.

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“It’s no organic bananas,” one commenter wrote.

“I’ve been waiting for this since the organic bananas post and it did NOT disappoint!” another person remarked.

@everett.toy Replying to @brittanyzajac11 @Braijan is this how yours says it?? Also can someone tell me the difference between a yam and a sweet potato? #fyp #funny #humor #groceryshopping #selfcheckout #yams #sweetpotatoes #organicbananas ♬ original sound – Everett

In Everett’s organic bananas post, the difference in inflection between the words “organic” and “bananas” makes it sound like an AI-generated statement combining two words that were clearly not recorded with consideration of the other word in mind. What’s more is that “bananas” almost sounds like a question. Just listen to the original video that garnered 6.8 million views for yourself:

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@everett.toy And yes I will pay more for organic just to hear her say it #fyp #funny #humor #groceryshopping ♬ original sound – Everett

People love the “organic bananas” post so much, that someone even gave Everett’s post the remix treatment, turning a simple instance of self-checkout fun into what many think is an absolute banger of a track.

@zeo_choons Replying to @filmnerd24 #organicbananas #selfcheckout #selfcheckoutproblems #selfcheckoutvoice #krogerselfcheckout #techhouse ♬ original sound – Zeo

Everett also seems to have a soft spot for the way the machine announces someone is purchasing bok choy, which he shows off in another video.

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Most social media content surrounding self-checkout kiosks has to do with the five-finger discount or simple complaints about them.

One Walmart customer recently claimed that an employee of the popular retailer overrode her review, inputting a 5-star rating onto the screen without giving her a chance to put in a rating of her own. And then there’s this clip of a frustrated CVS shopper wigging out on a self-checkout machine, which was highly relatable for many shoppers.

Everett’s post, however, adds a new vertical to self-checkout-themed content: the vocal stylings of the robots who power them. The Daily Dot reached out to Stop & Shop via email, and a rep from the business responded with the following statement:

“We are finding it b-a-n-a-n-a-s that this TikTok is getting so much traction! It’s not every day our self-checkout machines become a viral sensation, but we’re here for it. At Stop & Shop, we are all about ensuring our customers have the best experience while shopping in our stores, and we’re happy to see them finding a little added fun in the self-checkout aisle.”

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The Daily Dot has reached out to Everett via TikTok comment for further information.

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