Self checkout, boon or curse?

 You've probably all seen the things going round Facebook about self checkouts, and in some shops, a shop assistant will stand supervising the use of them. Also sometimes checking the receipts as folk leave the shop. 

This tale made me think it over. 

I won't use them as I am disabled, however the growing trend for self checkouts might be a good thing for some, for others chatting to the shop assistants might be their only contact with folk from one shopping trip to the next.  Back in the past, when I worked on a fruit and veg concession, there was a lady who would come in two or three times a week. My boss asked me why she did that. "Why doesn't she buy more at once? Then she wouldn't have to visit us as much."  As I knew the lady from when I had delivered milk, and collected milk money as a teenager , I told my boss that she lived alone. She would visit as much for a chat with us, as to buy her fruit and veg. 

So, the rise of self checkouts is isolating the elder generation, the people who live alone, and I can't help thinking that it could be contributing to the rise of dementia. 

What is VAT..that's Value Added Tax...for?

After doing my shopping yesterday I thought carefully about which items had VAT added and which didn't.
I did working in a supermarket in the dim and distant past, when items were priced with a pricing gun. White for no VAT items, orange for items that included VAT.
When working on the checkout as well as inputting the price on the tag, you hit the relevant button.
VAT is only supposed to be paid on so called "luxury" items, and indeed one widespread supermarket chain picks up the VAT on a very controversial item......BUT I thought, and remembered from pricing items...pet food has VAT payable on it! Perhaps if a dog/cat/rabbit...(go ahead...substitute the animal of your choice,) was to go in and buy their own food...would it STILL be liable to VAT?
I would love to see my dogs go and buy their own food..and maybe get money knocked off.
Is this VAT fair? Like the other one the supermarket picks up...perhaps it should be questioned....as should several other VAT liable "products"! Who knows?
I would love input.