“surely as excavators threatened shovel manufacturers”
While that may be true, the building contractor didn’t make the building owner come out and run the excavator. The excavating contractor still delivered a finished product, a hole in the ground, to the building contract. The building owner never had to dirty his hands doing somebody else’s work to make that somebody else more profitable.
I HATE self-checkout. I prefer to pay the store to do the checkout.
It’s ridiculous enough to have to empty your own basket. I’m old enough to remember when the grocery store checkout clerk emptied your basket, did the checkout work, counted out your change, and the bagboy actually brought your grocery cart to your car and put the grocery bags into your car for you. You gave him a tip and he was happy. All I had to do was take the products off the shelves and put them into the cart.
Our service economy was so much better in those days. People were happy to do those small tasks for you and a human being always answered your phone calls.
Don’t get me started on the crappy and totally worthless AVR systems that take your calls nowadays and do everything they can to prevent you from talking to a human being.
I wish someone would still pump gas and clean windshields.
Did you also walk to school everyday, uphill both ways in the snow while fending off wolf attacks?
I remember when I could just quickly place an order and get all the things I wanted delivered to my very doorstep in an hour or so, with no need to even go to the store! That level of service is so much better than what you describe. Too bad it's - oh, wait we can do that today. And I just did it last Thursday.
The cashiers who rang up your groceries never had to look at the register and did the job faster than the cashiers of today. The bag boy filled the bags (paper) as fast as the cashier sent them to him. Nothing broken or crushed. These workers took pride in having a job and generally smiled while doing it. I always relate this to someone checking out my groceries on the rare occasion that I go to the grocery store. I guess I am A Luddite.
Preach it!
The phone trees are such boogersnot. Just answer “operator.”
We must be about the same age, I remember all that. A couple small items is the most I’d take through self check out.
Being disabled they are not very useful. And the foul up to often takes time to get help.
My local Kroger lets you 'checkout' as you shop!
Handheld scanners read the item you picked from the shelf to place into one of your bags in the cart; keeping a running total of what you have picked/purchased.
If that ain't easy enough for you; the Walmart will shop FOR you as you sit at home and order stuff.
Just drive over to the store at the correct time and they'll load you up!