Bill Bryson covers this in Notes on a Small Island, so I don't know if it's just British culture...
Men will wait at a till queue with the item(s) they want and a denomination of banknote higher than the value of the item(s) - or thier credit/debit card - in their hand. When they get to the till assistant, they then hand over the money and throw the change in their pocket or do a quick card transaction and move on quickly.

Women will wait until all the items have been rung through and bagged and when the assistant asks them for payment will look at them blankly for a couple of seconds, before diving into their bags, pulling out several envelopes and reciepts before locating their purse and meticulously counting out the exact change, then putting everything back in the bag in order before finally picking up their bags and moving off.

It's as if the financial transaction of the shopping experience completely slips their mind and takes them by surprise each time. I've seen it all the time on buses too...They'll wait patiently at a bus stop for 20 minutes before getting on (ahead of a queue of twenty-odd) and then with a forehead-smacking inevitability go "Oh!" and fumble in their bag for their bus pass or change. The current Mrs. V. has been known to rummage through her bag on the bus only to realise that her Oyster card was still at home.
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Sun 3 Jan 2010, 13:11, 5 replies)

It's
the moment of shock before they start scrambling about in the bag that makes me chuckle.
( Ring Of Fire A petty, drooling belming butthurt retard., Sun 3 Jan 2010, 17:22, closed)

This is true
however I have noticed many men letting the items going through the checkout at the supermarket and stand there with his wallet in hand ready to pay. Meanwhile his shopping mounts up and he seems surprised and confused that he is being required to put it in bags.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Sun 3 Jan 2010, 17:24, closed)

No, he's probably waiting till the right selection of items comes through so that they can be bagged according to affinities (no cans on pies or wine boxes on cheese).
(Benzyl, Mon 4 Jan 2010, 0:12, closed)

Ha!
It's not British, at least what I've noticed. And no, I do not expect to bag my own purchases, that's what the pimply-faced young lad is getting paid $6.50/hour to do.
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Sun 3 Jan 2010, 18:03, closed)

cashpoints
They take their time at cash points or ATM's to you yanks. It's as though they don't know how much to take out before they use it and make the decision when they are prompted by the big loud scary beepy noises the cashpoint makes when it senses an idiot is in it's presence.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 4 Jan 2010, 11:07, closed)