Too bad in the small towns I live and in the one I grew up in...the checkout people were friends family and neighbors and it was always a chance for a little quick socializing and 'catching up'
Hi tech low touch alien nation
joesnuffy wrote: "Too bad in the small towns I live and in the one I grew up in...the checkout people were friends family and neighbors and it was always a chance for a little quick socializing and 'catching up' "
Even if you aren't in a small town, it's nice to see a human at the checkout. Personally, I don't care for self checkout. It's OK for a single item or two, but this is similar to answering machines. There was a time when you could call a company and reach a human who would put you through to the appropriate party without a wait.
Well, when your not in a cozy little town, the checkout kids are just nasty and offensive. I could pay one of their salaries for the week with what I spend there, but can't even get a "hello."
The only socializing the checkout clerks do around here is with other clerks while they're handling your order. (at least during the recent grocery strike, the replacement clerks were attentive and weren't always discussing what time their breaks were with the grocery sacker).
As we move more towards being an economic opportunity zone and away from being a nation, the conversion of many aspects of life to technology makes perfect sense. When they ask 100 years from now "What happened to the greatest country on Earth?", perhaps this will be a small but important footnote.
Personally, I have no interest in striking up a conversation with the sullen, hostile teenager at the checkout counter. Ditto for bank tellers.
What sealed it for me was going to the Walmart and dropping $300 on assorted grocery and household items, and the clerk didn't say *one word* to me; wasn't the first time either.
You know why they don't say "thank you" anymore? Because they *aren't* grateful that you choose to shop there. And they *aren't* grateful for the job your patronage has given them. Which all says to me: the store management doesn't really want my business, otherwise they would have trained their staff better.
So it's hard to have any sympathy for the checkers, they've sealed their fate by their behavior. (I'm generalizing of course, there are some great supermarkets out there such as my beloved Langenstein's)
Automation such as a self-checkout and online banking have freed me to spend more time with my family and friends.
With things such as instant messenger and email, I'm much more involved with my far-flung family and friends than I ever was before.
Its not necessarily the technology, its how you put it to use.
/rant module unload
I prefer people myself.