Love self checkout, it's so much faster. Never again will I get stuck in line behind someone who is paying by check or fussing around with expired coupons or any one of a dozen time wasting things.
The Next Phase of Poor Customer Service
- Thread starter TexOkie Shaver
- Start date
I actually left my previous doctor's office because they were scheduling all of my appointments with "Physician's Assistants" instead of an actual MD. They still billed my insurance and me the same as if I saw an actual doctor. So I moved to an office where a friend of mine works so I can be sure I'll see an actual doctor. Funnily enough, she told me they do the Physician's assistant nonsense as well, but she makes sure I always see a real doctor.Yep, here in Arizona, too.
I'm half expecting the doctors office to retire the physician and then we can go in and do our own surgery and stitches on ourselves from a buffet style medical counter. (Only half joking)!
I don't care for them because I will need an attendant 9 out of 10 times to check out.
1) Come read the product codes for weighing produce. Can't wear glasses and mask, glasses fog up.
2) Come get coupons. They want to have these after I use them. My bill is reduced from 25%-33% on average.
3) They need to tell the stupid thing I can't fit any more product on the small area provided, so quit looking for weight differentials.
1) Come read the product codes for weighing produce. Can't wear glasses and mask, glasses fog up.
2) Come get coupons. They want to have these after I use them. My bill is reduced from 25%-33% on average.
3) They need to tell the stupid thing I can't fit any more product on the small area provided, so quit looking for weight differentials.
A cheque? Not seen one of those for years in the UK! I suppose they must still exist in some form but my bank account doesn't have a cheque book.
My local big supermarket, Tesco, has pay with a cashier, self scan and the one I use, a hand held scanner where you scan yours stuff on the way round and put it straight into your bag how you want it. Point it at the machine on the way out and it all appears on the screen then you just tap your bank card and go. Love it. No queueing
I'm okay with self checkout, especially now. That's two less people who have spent their whole shift interacting with the public I'm dealing with. I do hope they keep the regular lanes for people who can't figure out how a scanner works or still write checks.
Right now I love the Sa's club app with scan and go. I scan the item as I put it in the cart, swipe to pay and out the door I go with just a scan of a code on my phone.
That's interesting. Personally, I like the self-checkout and bagging my own stuff. So much faster. For the most part I never even have to wait in line and I never buy too much stuff at once anyway. Only what I need for the next 2-3 days or so. I pump the gas, I bag the groceries. 
If there's one thing that irritates me, it's this.
I will not do this for groceries. I want to select my produce, thanks, not rely on someone else to pick quality.
Self checkout has been gaining momentum here for a couple of years, I tend to avoid it it as there is usually alcohol in the basket and it needs a human to assure the machine I am of age. I used to light-heartedly ask if they needed to see my ID to verify, it no longer gets a laugh as they call for a Zimmer frame...
Queue and distance control though regardless of check out option is very tightly maintained though.
Queue and distance control though regardless of check out option is very tightly maintained though.
The older generation in France where we usually holiday has a deep mistrust of modern banking and they all still keep their cheque books and use them everywhere. We were once at the local 'brocante', a French version of a car boot sale, flea market, antique fair, village fete and general excuse to get trousered on cheap vin de collapse: at the bar, an old guy in front was paying for a round of sandwiches and beers, with a cheque. I wanted to strike him, woughly.
Next up...Robot Priests in the confessional.
I’m not saying customer service wasn’t a reason at all, but it certainly was not THE reason. Otherwise Walmart would have gone out of business a long time ago. Customer service isn’t a priority at all with Walmart.
Our inability to accept and adapt to change will be our biggest demise. If you can’t do it you will be inconvenienced many many more times in the future. Self checkout, online ordering, ship to home.....these things are not going away. They are only expanding. My advice is to get used to it now or prepare for many more angry visits to retailers.
- Thread starter
- #54
In case you had not noticed, I tend to be a smart Alec at times. One day shortly after my 55th birthday, I went through the drive through at Schlotky’s. When she told me how much it was, I did a quick mental calculation and asked her if she woul take $x, which was about 10% off. She leaned out the window, took a good look at me and then punched the cash register some more. The new price was 10% off. I could not believe that my smart alecremark had worked. Until I looked at the receipt and it said, “Senior Discount”. That’s the last time I’ve used that line. I do ask for senior discounts when I know they have them.
- Thread starter
- #55
I don’t often disagree with you, but on this point I will. There once was a time that you could not walk into Sears without having sales clerks hanging all over you. When Kmart, and later Walmart came on the scene, they gave lower prices without customer service. Sears could no longer compete, so they started cutting staff and lowering prices, but the didn’t lower them enough. The same thing happened at Woolco. They envisioned themselves as a Department Store with Department Store prices. When they could not compete, they cut staff and prices, but they weren’t competitive on the price. I worked for Woolco in my early twenties and watched it happen. Walmart is successful because they make sure that their prices are the lowest, for the most part. I’ve noticed that their prices were starting to creep up, after they eliminated the competition. But now, Amazon is giving them a dose of their own medicine. Additionally, Walmart is a bully with their suppliers and employees. Their day will come, just like it did for Sears.
That doesn’t sound like a customer service issue though. That doesn’t sound like self checkouts and long lines ruined their business model and caused them to go out of business. That sounds like management had no clue how to turn their business around so they cut investments.
Kmart went out of business because Walmart and Target and Online ordering edged them out.
Sears was already struggling when they merged with Kmart which was already struggling too. Two struggling companies don’t make a successful company, they make a bigger struggling company. And before they merged Sears sold their portfolio. So what did they have left? They were crap, and merged with crap to form even more crap. They filed bankruptcy, closed everything, and the shareholders got rich in the meantime.
Customer service went to crap as a result of all the downsizing but it wasn’t the cause of anyone going out of business.
Kmart went out of business because Walmart and Target and Online ordering edged them out.
Sears was already struggling when they merged with Kmart which was already struggling too. Two struggling companies don’t make a successful company, they make a bigger struggling company. And before they merged Sears sold their portfolio. So what did they have left? They were crap, and merged with crap to form even more crap. They filed bankruptcy, closed everything, and the shareholders got rich in the meantime.
Customer service went to crap as a result of all the downsizing but it wasn’t the cause of anyone going out of business.
First time I went into a local McDonalds and they had the whole computerized ordering thing and I was like...huh? Now I just go to the drive thru.
It’s Aldi, all the way for us. I won’t use a self check out. I’d rather leave without buying anything...
The few times I shopped at Aldi you had to bag or box your own groceries. You’re one step away from self check out.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
Was it wrong of me?
In the 1980's I employed 15 professional engineers in my company. We had a reputation for quality design and great service, but not cheap. We then computerized and got down to just 5 engineers producing the same amount of quality work with still great service (still not cheap).
Percentage profit remained about the same due to higher labour costs. Labour costs are just not salaries. To pay someone $20 per hour in Australia now cost the employer 2½ to 3 times as much with all the burden added by government regulations.
In the 1980's I employed 15 professional engineers in my company. We had a reputation for quality design and great service, but not cheap. We then computerized and got down to just 5 engineers producing the same amount of quality work with still great service (still not cheap).
Percentage profit remained about the same due to higher labour costs. Labour costs are just not salaries. To pay someone $20 per hour in Australia now cost the employer 2½ to 3 times as much with all the burden added by government regulations.
