Fair point, I bag for myself, but I guess that doesn’t bother me as much as doing the entire thing.
The Next Phase of Poor Customer Service
- Thread starter TexOkie Shaver
- Start date
When I was a kid I hated shopping at Aldi with my mom because I felt it was beneath us. We have to bag our own groceries! What!!? No way!
I grew up and realized that was ridiculous. I suspect the same is true to some degree with self checkouts. I hated them at first too. I’m spending my money here and you want me to do all the work???!
Now I use them every chance I can because it’s faster and I don’t have to deal with people. I shop with my mother sometimes and I can understand the....more mature generation...not liking them. You need a little bit of technical knowledge and know how to figure it out.
My father absolutely hated to use credit or debit cards because he didn’t want to mess with the machine. I find these threads humorous. It’s like they should be in the Senior Members Forum where every member there can relate and sympathize.
- Thread starter
- #65
Can’t I be both?
Bingo.
I tend to pump my own gas because, quite frankly, full service gas stations are very rare in southern Ontario so that does eliminate the option. Additionally, I don't remember much of a difference in price between full and self serve.
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I haven't read all the pages of this thread, but I love, LOVE, LOOOVE, shopping at Sams Club with the Scan & Go Future on the app. I scan everything as I put it in my cart and pay before walking to the door, and straight out to my car.
My wife has a really good answer to those ever energetic tellers at her bank.
She prefers to do that vast majority of her banking in person and with the assistance of a teller. On a regular basis she will go to the bank branch of her choosing, she does have relationships at multiple branches, to make deposits, withdrawals, pay bills and check her account balances. Periodically she will use the ATM to make withdrawals, but rarely.
When the lovely and overly helpful teller kindly suggest that she could complete all of these tasks more efficiently using the ATM or On-Line Banking she looks them straight in the eye and asks if they would "like to have a job in a year".
She prefers to do that vast majority of her banking in person and with the assistance of a teller. On a regular basis she will go to the bank branch of her choosing, she does have relationships at multiple branches, to make deposits, withdrawals, pay bills and check her account balances. Periodically she will use the ATM to make withdrawals, but rarely.
When the lovely and overly helpful teller kindly suggest that she could complete all of these tasks more efficiently using the ATM or On-Line Banking she looks them straight in the eye and asks if they would "like to have a job in a year".
Scan as you go has been here for many years at one supermarket and had a average uptake. The benefit of avoiding the check out was the main attraction but they done spot checks on shoppers by scanning the whole trolley when you finished. Sure they had to discourage misuse of the system but it would defeat the main reason you would select that option. For people on a budget it gave them a running total as they shopped.
Years after shop as you go, the self service check outs came in, which for small shops is well patronised. I for one love them but the older units seem to have a pack off area way too small. My local supermarket is building a new store now, so hope they resolve this issue.
Online shopping is a option for your groceries and has taken off with the resent turn of events. I've never used it but it's good to know it's there if I need it. If I injured myself or any other reason I can't get out and about, I would be all over it.
The uptake is so large, they have started to build dark stores just for this service. That is, a supermarket set up for home deliver shopping by the supermarket workers only, thus not open to the public.
Then there's the option to click and collect. Getting a slot seems the issue here.
I think with all these options, customer service is alive and well.
Years after shop as you go, the self service check outs came in, which for small shops is well patronised. I for one love them but the older units seem to have a pack off area way too small. My local supermarket is building a new store now, so hope they resolve this issue.
Online shopping is a option for your groceries and has taken off with the resent turn of events. I've never used it but it's good to know it's there if I need it. If I injured myself or any other reason I can't get out and about, I would be all over it.
The uptake is so large, they have started to build dark stores just for this service. That is, a supermarket set up for home deliver shopping by the supermarket workers only, thus not open to the public.
Then there's the option to click and collect. Getting a slot seems the issue here.
I think with all these options, customer service is alive and well.
The supermarket I shop at regularly has 8 self check out registers and at least 10 to 15 manned check out lanes. I will use the self check out registers when I have only a few items. But if I have a cart full of food, I'm using the manned check out lanes. I understand the need for both and fortunately the supermarket I frequent has both. If they were to do away with manned check out lanes and go to 100% or even 60% self check out lanes, I would find another place to shop.
What is the biggest pain in the buttocks for self check out lanes? The number of times I scan an item, put it in my bag and then get a message that there is an unexpected item in my bag and I can't continue until a clerk comes over and clears the machine. That drives me bonkers.
What is the biggest pain in the buttocks for self check out lanes? The number of times I scan an item, put it in my bag and then get a message that there is an unexpected item in my bag and I can't continue until a clerk comes over and clears the machine. That drives me bonkers.
I think the biggest problem with customer service these days is that most people don't know what "service" is. It used to be at the hardware store (I use that example because I worked at one) that the people there were older or retired people who had decades of experience at a specialty. When the plumbing department guy spoke, you knew he knew what he was talking about. Good stores had people like that throughout the building, and wherever you went you got taken care of. (Auto parts stores had former mechanics, HVAC warehouses had former reefer techs, and so on).
Now, the only ones who will typically work such minimum wage jobs are young kids or people who will agree to work for those wages. They don't have the experience - or the desire to learn - the specifics about what they're selling. They're just "warm bodies", as one of my former supervisors put it. So many times they have to call for help if you ask specifics.
And not only that, they really don't want to help people. They're only there to "get the hours, man". And customers have just accepted this state of affairs.
Now, the only ones who will typically work such minimum wage jobs are young kids or people who will agree to work for those wages. They don't have the experience - or the desire to learn - the specifics about what they're selling. They're just "warm bodies", as one of my former supervisors put it. So many times they have to call for help if you ask specifics.
And not only that, they really don't want to help people. They're only there to "get the hours, man". And customers have just accepted this state of affairs.
