I love technology, don't get me wrong. When I first saw these machines popping up in retail stores I was excited because I tend to loath talking to clerks. I don't feel bad about this because I used to be a clerk and never really enjoyed when people made a 45-second effort to speak to me. The self-checkout machines also had the potential to help me leave the store faster.
Unfortunately I've never had a speedy or positive experience at a self-checkout. Most of these machines have clearly marked limits on the number of items a customer is supposed to be purchasing. Would this not be measured by the number of barcodes you will be scanning? So all 18 of those two-liters of caffeine free diet lime coke you're buying should count separately, don't you think? I'm the guy who's standing there with my credit card in hand, mentally deciding which items I will be bagging together. Why do I always fall in line behind people who seem to be making as much of an effort to be slow as I am to be fast?
Not only do these people shatter the item limit, but they can never figure out how to use the machines in the first place. They have watched a clerk go through the same exact motions thousands of times. There are very simple instructions on the screen. This isn't a space shuttle folks! Inevitably the one clerk stuck near the self-checkouts comes over to help, leaving one to ponder why these people are so ambitious. Do they not realize that they are supposed to scan the items themselves? Are they in denial?
The few times I've been lucky enough to end up in line behind someone with some clue as to how the process works, they end up paying with a check, again defeating the entire purpose. And those who attempt to put cash into the machine? Forget it!
Seriously people, just let one of the sad minimum wage clerks handle your business and let the rest of us handle ours.
6 comments:
I too love technology and like Steve have never had a good experience with the "Self Check Out Machines". I have another issue with them however. I hate the fact that there is no longer a choice to go to the minimum wage clerk because they have all been fired and replaced with a machines
In a time where jobs of any kind are very hard to find I don't think is a good ideal to replace people with a machine. If only we were replacing the minimum wage job with a higher level job because now the machine needs to be made.
Well if it was ten years ago maybe but since not only jobs have been cut but salary have too this is not a positive. I believe that we should not use the "Self Check Out Machines" and demand that the bring back the lost jobs.
Why do you love me?
Why do you need me?
Always and forever.
We met in a chatroom,
Now our love and fully bloom.
Sure the World Wide Web is great,
But you, you make me salivate.
Yes I love technology,
But not as much as you, you see,
But I still love technology,
Always and forever.
Our love is like a flock of doves,
Flying up to heaven above,
Always and forever,
Always and forever.
Yes our love is truly great,
Always and forever.
Why do you need me?
Why do you love me?
Stay home and eat all the freakin' chips, Kip....
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