How many of you out there have noticed the lack of service today in the various business segments? You probably are most familiar with the self checkout areas of Walmart. At our local Walmart there are about 2-3 regular checkouts open and about 12 self checkouts open, 6 at each end of the store. Our local grocery store has about 6 or so self checkouts and 6-10 regular checkouts. I don't mind checking myself out if I have 1-10 items. It is much quicker sometimes than waiting in line. But, I do not work here! You are tricking me into working for free. It annoys me, when I have a full basket of great stuff, and a helpful clerk advises me that the self checkout is open and ready. I do not work here! Now these self checkouts are everywhere. The last time I visited Home Depot they had only 1 regular check out and 2 self checkouts. I think they all should give me a 3% discount for using the self checkout. I would jump in there every time! Or maybe they should make checkouts a contract commission job. Anyone can jump on a checkout and make $2 per person they check out plus tips. You would get a checker who is all smiles and eager to help so they could earn a good tip. You could have an app like Uber and when you are ready to check out, someone jumps off the bench and tells you, on the app, which checkout number to go to for instant service. Sometimes I'm a genius!
Another segment that has lost some service is the restaurant business. We frequent several places in which you have to order at the counter, get your number or give a name, take your glass over to the drink station and serve yourself and then sit down. At most, they call your name or number and lay your food on your table. They don't come back to see if you need a drink refill. Then, when done, they have trash cans and dish bin areas to encourage you to bus your own table. I do not work here! What really gets me, is at checkout they turn the screen to you to add a tip. What the heck! Tip? For what? For me standing here giving you my order, filling my own drink and cleaning my table. You owe me a tip!
I love a nice restaurant experience. I like being seated and getting a good wait person. The best ones bring me a drink refill once mine is half empty. The worst ones come by when I'm half done and ask if I would like a refill when I have already sucked every last drop out of my drink glass. The best ones anticipate what you might need or at least take a glance at the table and see what I might need. Some of the best restaurant experiences with waitstaff are due to a team mentality where any one of them may stop by and refill your drink or bring you something you request.
I get tricked to working at Aldi. They make me put in a quarter to get a cart. When I'm done, no matter where I parked, I take that cart back to get my quarter. What a scheme! They trick you into working for them just to get your own money back. Please don't tell Walmart about this little trick!
Everyone is getting into this trend of having the customer work for free. The airlines have their little kiosk to check into your flight. They are nice and quick if no one else is flying that day, but the last time we flew the line was long to jump on one of the 6 kiosks. Then the 6 stations had to funnel to one actual employee to take your bags.
Does this all annoy you too at times? What areas have you noticed service declining?
Time to check the mail. I'm still expecting a small paycheck from Walmart, Aldi and Home Depot for the work I've been doing!
The wages paid to the people who used to perform the functions you talk about either do not make a living wage or stayed hone during Covid to save their lives and have decided to seek a better life.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons prices at Walmart are low is because they keep their staffing very lean and benefits skimpy.
I like low prices, but I do believe there should be higher wages in some of these industries. I can't imagine trying to live on those current wages.
DeleteAmericans have consistently not been willing to pay higher prices for made in the USA products versus foreign made. I wonder what they think of higher prices to support higher wages in the USA.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Americans like their Dollar Store filled with cheap China made items. Everyone like the idea of "made in America" but no one wants to pay an extra dollar.
DeleteLowe's hardware store is as bad as Home Depot when it comes to having no staffed checkout lines, but if it's not busy I've found the self-serve associate will scan my items for me.
ReplyDeleteI've had the same experience where the associate will go ahead and scan my large items. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteThe only place we have to check ourselves out is Walmart and they now have no lines with a checker in them at all. We live in a small town with not a lot of jobs and I wonder how many fewer people now have jobs since they have us checking out our own things.
ReplyDeleteThere has got to be a few jobs that were lost. I understand that these places don't pay a living wage. As a teenager, I worked at Walmart and I would think there are still teenagers and adults who want to supplement their income that could fill these jobs.
DeleteI will use the self check out lanes for a few items but not for a big shopping cart full. A manager at Wal-Mart told me a few years ago that it was Wal-Mart's plan to eliminate cashiers and have all self check out lanes which doesn't please me because those are jobs lost but what can you do about it other than shop at more expensive stores?
ReplyDeleteOne time at a different store we were shopping and there was a tip jar at the cash register! Tipping someone to cash me out? I don't think so :)
betty
I've seen tip jars like that at a convenience store and other retail outlets. It is a strange place to request a tip.
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