Snapshot 1: I'm lining up at the cashier in a supermarket. When my turn finally comes, I exchange pleasantries with the cashier lady while she scans my items (a pack of four tubs of yoghurt, a bottle of fruit juice and a snack bar). She then totes up the prices on the machine and asks me if I have a loyalty card. I don't have one. She hits the final enter key and the sum is displayed. I study the amount on the small screen, reach into my pocket for my wallet... it's not in that pocket. I fumble in another pocket, then another. I find it. I open my wallet and pick up one of many credit cards. I insert it into the slot on the credit card terminal. The cashier reminds me that I've put it in the wrong way round. I apologise, pull it out and reinsert. Ha, it seems to have registered. I'm very efficient: While we are waiting, I pack my stuff into a shopping bag. That's done. The queue behind me grows. I turn round and give the shoppers behind me a friendly nod... not an apologetic nod, just a friendly one: For a brief moment, I wonder why they are all looking at me. I'm sure I look alright. We are all friendly people, aren't we? We like eye contact. Mmm, eye contact is so reassuring! After about 30 seconds, the machine still doesn't respond. On the cashier's advice, I withdraw the card and reinsert it. Another 30 seconds later, the printhead of the terminal starts working. I sign the receipt. End of transaction. I exchange thank-you and goodbye with the cashier. And off I go!

Snapshot 2: I'm lining up at the cashier in a supermarket, wallet in hand. I'm doing some preliminary calculations in my head for the items in my basket. "Next!" shouts the cashier. I quickly step forward and offload the contents of my basket onto the tiny space in front of the cashier. Without looking up, the girl mumbles "Good evening" and starts swiping my items over the scanner with one hand and throwing them into a shopping bag held open with her other hand. One bag is soon filled up. She opens another one and at that point, I notice that she's actually sorting the items into different bags. Suddenly, she stops, as the barcode on one item has obviously been damaged, so it doesn't scan properly. She buzzes for her supervisor, shouts something unintelligible across the shop and then continues scanning the remaining items. Eighteen seconds later, the supervisor is still nowhere to be seen. I grow impatient, as the cashier has finished her work and is also waiting. On the 20th second, the supervisor appears, holding another of the item with the damaged barcode. He courteously asks me to step aside, punches a key on the cashier's terminal, waves that item above the infrared beam and, as he hears the beep, walks off without a word. The cashier pushes another button. The sum is displayed. I hand her the banknotes from my wallet. Within seconds, the change is in my hand. The transaction ends with a quick thank-you to each other.

Snapshot 1 was taken in a supermarket in Ferney-Voltaire, France; Snapshot 2, in Hong Kong.