LONDON -- The most annoying sound in the world? It's not, as some might believe, nails on a blackboard, bagpipes or Katie Hopkins' voice; it's actually the incessant commands at a self service checkout.
Few shoppers will be strangers to the deep, deep frustration of that constant nagging when they're just trying to pay for a sandwich and escape supermarket hell, the bellows of "unexpected item in bagging area - remove this item before continuing," that triggers a seemingly endless wait before an attendant materialises and shuffles over to reset the machine and let you on your way.
Tesco are replacing their current robo-voice with a "friendly, more helpful and [crucially] less talkative" disembodied nag, one that won't be as obsessed with unexpected items in the bagging area.
The store says it's a response to customers calling the current women "shouty" and "irritating."
The switch from a female to male voice has raised accusations of sexism, but Tesco insisted the gender was not their "main consideration."
@Miss_Peg The gender of the voice happens to be male, but this was not our main consideration. (1)— Tesco (@Tesco) July 30, 2015
The shop now has 12,000 self-service checkouts spread over its innumerable stores in the UK.
Mashable asked to speak to the woman who's been grinding the gears of so many shoppers for so long, to no avail. "They're actors and we can't put them up for interview," a spokesperson said.
The new voice is already irritating people in Hatfield, Peterborough, Edinburgh and Kensington, and will be rolled out across the UK by the end of October.