self checkout is like faceless banking, it is a beancounters idea of how america ought to operate.I don't do drive through unless the doors are closed. Color me old, traditional, whatever, I like things face to face. More important jobs down the drain.
Glad to see that - I feel the same way.
I find it interesting that the rationale now is that you "save time". It used to be that this latest "benefit" would save you money, albeit sometimes indirectly.
I live in a small town and have gotten to know most of the clerks, who are older and stable. Always have a friendly word. Should these machines come to my store, I'll pass, even if I have only one item.
IMHO, this is the key phrase:
"That is the way it is supposed to work, . . . Getting more small purchasers into the self-checkout lanes frees cashiers in the staffed lanes to deal with big-ticket purchases that customers prefer to have someone else bag, he said.
LOVE the big-ticket purchasers, screw the small purchaser. Volume, volume, volume. Shut up and move along.
wita wrote: "I don't do drive through unless the doors are closed."
I'm the same way. My wife doesn't understand why I like going into a place versus trying to do a purchase through typically crappy intercom systems. When I'm face to face, for example, it's much easier to get an order exactly how I like it, such as "can I have extra onions on that."
I also agree that automation destroys jobs, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Automation on a farm, for example, turns out far more crops for much less human effort. This isn't really so much a matter of jobs as it is one of customer service. I don't mind paying more to have my groceries bagged for me for example.