Customer Service Rant

[dawgmom]

This is long, and most of you won't give a flying fart -- but I just needed to get this rant out.
I want to preface this by saying that, in my youth, I had a number of customer service jobs. These included grocery store check-out, discount store check-out and front desk (K-mart-style store), and various waitress and barmaid jobs. So, I am NOT coming at this rant from the perspective of someone who has never experienced how difficult these jobs can be at times. That's why I always try to be a courteous customer -- because rude customers are what makes the job most difficult.

*Rant On*
OK, that said -- I have had two experiences in the past two weeks which have been so irritating that I've been prompted to write an email to both companies. Both involved customer inconvenience, and both could have been mitigated by a simple "We're sorry for your inconvenience" from the employee. Really, if the employee had just said, "Aww, gee, we're sorry" I wouldn't be writing this.

Situation #1: Last week, I pulled into the local Roy Rogers on my way to work, to get a cup of coffee at the drive-through. There were three cars ahead of me when I pulled into the drive-through, but I figured, no big deal, it's the breakfast rush, if they're like McDonalds it will take 60 seconds per car, and I'll be on my way in short order. TWENTY-FIVE minutes later, I finally pulled up to the window to get my coffee. (Because there were curbs blocking me from getting out of line, I was trapped and couldn't pull away and escape once I realized how long each car was taking.) Nonetheless, when I got to the window I didn't snarl, etc. I handed my money to the girl behind the window, who, still carrying on her joking conversation with her co-worker, handed me my change and my coffee without even a hello or a thank you. There was no apology or explanation for the long wait, no apology for the fact that I or others in line would probably be late to work because of it -- nothing. She turned away before I could even say anything, and went back to joking with her co-workers, who seemed more concerned with socializing than with attending to the customers who were behind me in the drive-through line, trapped as I had been.

Situation #2 -- I went to Target over the weekend and purchased a Shark sweeper. When I got it home and opened the box to assemble it, the box contained what appeared to be a mish-mosh of parts -- two handles, no connectors, and worst of all, the main sweeper head itself was missing. So, last night I schlepped it back to the Target, and went up to the exchange counter and politely (even jokingly) explained the situation. It was like I was talking to a robot -- no reaction at all, not even the minimal human interaction of "Oh, what a pain! We're sorry about that!" Just "Do you have your receipt?" The whole interaction was handled without even the most minimal acknowledgment of the fact that I'd been inconvenienced as a customer. Needless to say, I took my refund, and did not purchase another Shark at Target -- a fact which I made clear in my letter of complaint to Target.

The thing is, most customers don't bother to complain to management -- they just never go back to that store or restaurant again. And in these economic times, what business can afford to risk that?

I just know that when I had those types of jobs, one of the ways that I kept them from being soul-crushing was to interact with the customers. That's what made the time go by, and what relieved the tedium.

[kentauros]

1. To borrow a little info from my sister, teaching 4th grade

(she's only been a teacher about a year), much of it has to do with not knowing what "polite" is. They've never been taught not to be rude, or they've learned the same kind of behavior from their parents (or their peers/idols.) My sister was telling me how the kids will come into class, talking the whole time. She'll ask for their attention and to stop talking. The effect of her command lasts about 30 seconds, then they're back to talking again. They have no concept of what is polite and what isn't. I would say your first experience is the epitome of this kind of behavior. We don't matter to their sphere of influence; only their friends are to be attended to.

The second one sounds similar, too, though it could also be cultural. I know I've gotten similar reactions from what I could only describe as "reverse discrimination" if that's the real issue at work or not. Only that my perception went to that because of the level of rudeness involved.

I have found that when I engage the person in conversation, no matter what kind of chitchat, even the tired ones at the end of their shifts will brighten just a little, enough that I don't come across as yet another disgruntled customer only wanting to take it out on the service person when it isn't their fault. Some, however, simply won't react, no matter what you do, so the emails will hopefully get through where our in-person attempts have failed.

[dawgmom]

2. Thanks for your thoughts

I do think that your comment..."we don't matter to their sphere of influence" is right on. In the first case, it was a very young person. And in fact, that experience of going into a store and being ignored by the clerk or cashier because they're too busy talking to their friend who is hanging out nearby -- that is absolutely my pet peeve. I've actually put my items on the counter and walked out, after being ignored while I waited for them to finish their conversation. AND I changed supermarkets to a more expensive one, after repeated experiences like that at the cheapo place. Non-union staff at those, and it showed. (The final straw for me was the checkout boy who, while scanning my groceries, carried on a conversation with the bagboy about the size of a new cashier's breasts.)

A lot of the responsibility here lies with management, and poor training of employees. If they're not learning what is polite and what is not at home, then the employer has a responsibility for teaching them that -- especially when it's a first job, as it is for a lot of these kids.

By the way, I'm also a huge proponent of chatting up clearly weary clerks. At the holidays, in particular, I have a standard line: "So...do ya hate Christmas yet?" It always perks them right up, and gets a laugh or a rueful acknowledgment.

On edit: I don't know what "reverse discrimination" is, and I really hate that term. Discrimination is discrimination, period. And actually, if I accepted the validity of that term, it would still have no bearing on this, as it was all caucasian-on-caucasian and female-on-female interaction. The only discrimination issue I can think of may have been age-related.

[kentauros]

5. That's fine about not liking the "reverse discrimination" term.

I use it because I never know how people want such a thing defined. To me, it is as you say, too. I just am thinking of instances of discrimination (I'm caucasian) at places near where I live. The community I live in is a good mix of Mexican/Latino, black and white, and some of them are quite rude, no matter their age. But only some. And again, I have no idea if this is the reason for their rudeness, just what will sometimes come to mind.

I hope your emails do some good. I do get the impression that management isn't trained very well, either, or such problems wouldn't keep coming up. Also, as I live in Texas, "non-union" isn't an issue here for whether people are attentive to customers or not. I've gotten completely different customer service at two different Whole Foods that I have shopped at (I can afford higher quality foods now, so that's where I shop most of the time.) The rudest ones were in the richest part of town. In fact, the customers there are the worst I've ever had the misfortune of shopping amongst. Luckily, I have only had to shop at that one because the one closer to me wasn't selling a product I normally bought until recently. Now I'm back to the other store, chatting it up with customers and store personnel alike. It's in a very affluent part of town, too, but they are just a better quality of people and personalities.

Too bad we can't mail-order everything off the Internet! :D

[Runcible Spoon]

6. Why would you assume it's "reverse discrimination" if you "have no idea" that is the "reason"

for the rudeness? :shrug:

[kentauros]

8. Facial expressions, body language, the lack of a cellphone surgically attached

and so forth. As well as watching how they react to others of their culture in the same room/store. What other conclusion am I to come to? Call me naive, but I really don't know.

[Runcible Spoon]

9. how would you know what "culture" they are from?

I'm pretty confused here.

[kentauros]

10. Okay, I'll say "race" even though my idea is that we are all the same "race"

i.e., the human race. I dislike the separations, so I use the word "culture" as those are indeed different. I have already said "Mexican/Latino, white and black". Please look back to my previous posts ;)

[Runcible Spoon]

12. I just don't get why you are assuming a rude person is discriminating against you

because you're white :shrug: Some people are assholes, and assholism is found in every community. Nor do I understand why having a different skin color automatically puts someone into a certain cultural category. I find the term "reverse discrimination" pretty offensive.

[kentauros]

13. Okay, I apologize for the use of "reverse discrimination".

It is the only term I thought was appropriate and did not know it would be offensive. You learn something every day :)

Yes, some people are just assholes, and knowing whether something is discrimination is difficult to tell. I used it because that is what it "felt" like, whether it was right or not. If that was what I assumed at the time, then I am being truthful in my feelings of the situation, whether it was the correct assumption or not. If I am wrong in that assumption, then I will refrain from ever calling it discrimination and just call them assholes all the time.

[Zuiderelle]

16. How did you jump to the assumption that the people the OP was dealing with were a different race?

I find very little difference, based on race anyway, in the way I'm treated by people in soul-sucking service jobs. I'm grateful for the polite ones, but am not surprised by the disengaged ones. There's no reverse discrimination involved at all.

I think we as caucasians should never jump to the conclusion that something like bad or impolite service is reverse discrimination. It's insulting to people who are discriminated against by so many of us on a daily basis. Discrimination against them is the problem, not discrimination against us.

[kentauros]

19. I was only offering a personal experience and how it felt to me at the time

not that the OP was getting the same. I guess I shouldn't have said anything.

[Two Americas]

24. I do not believe it

I worked and lived as a white person for decades in an AA neighborhood, and for a few years in a Latino community and never once experienced anything that could be called "reverse discrimination."

I don't believe it happens. I have, however, many times seen whites act in extremely condescending or disrespectful ways to people of color with apparently no awareness that they are doing that, no matter how over the top they are being. They may then later imagine that they were being discriminated against - the people they were mistreating may have responded in flat tones and with few words and little warmth - and that could be where these stories originate.

[Vanje]

25. What kind of "discrimination" is it when a white person is rude to me

Recently , at the dept of motor vehicles, a middle aged white female was totally RUDE to me.
Those Goddam white people!!!!
Understand, they're not ALL rude, but so many of them ARE!
Also, my boss ( a WHITE Person!) is a total bitch!
My other boss (a WHITE guy) is SOO disorganized. What kind of affirmative action quota system made them hire THAT guy.
Theres another white guy at work who is SO LAZY! He dosnt even do his work. Spends all day watching YouTubes and talking about how fast his car is.
An office mate spends all day organizing her priivate online small business.

These horrible WHITE people!

[Runcible Spoon]

3. I just had something similar happen about a half hour ago.

I was just calling up some local survey firms and asking around to see if they had any field tech positions open up; that's pretty standard practice for getting some temporary work in this industry since a lot of the projects are seasonal.

Receptionist: XYZ Firm.

Me: "Hi there, I was calling to inquire if your company was hiring for field techs for the upcoming season."

Receptionist: No.

Me: "OK, umm, well is there a hiring director to whom I can send my CV for consideration in case something opens up?"

Receptionist: "No."


That really threw me off guard, I was like OK what the fuck was I asking for her first born or something? Even when I had shitty days I was always polite to people on the phone if they had absolutely nothing to do with why I was pissed off. It irritated me enough to look up the company's website and send a brief email to the director about the attitude.

[dawgmom]

7. I'm glad you sent the email

I know it takes some time to do that, and most people don't bother -- but how will customer service in this country ever improve unless companies understand that it's a priority for their customers? I "vote with my feet" when it comes to this. I just don't frequent businesses where I've been treated rudely. On edit: unless I receive a sincere apology.

[MineralMan]

4. Being a grumpy, grey-bearded old man,

I do not hesitate to insist that clerks who are discussing their weekend stop that at once and attend to my purchase.

At the returns counter, if I am ignored or treated without some courtesy, I ask for the manager and explain why I am not amused.

One of the reasons for shoddy treatment of customers is that customers don't make their displeasure known.

I don't shout. I don't yell. I don't use bad language. I ask politely, but firmly, for the service that is required.

"Excuse me, please. Would you mind postponing your chat about your sex life until you are finished with my transaction?"

"I'm sorry you are having a bad day and do not have time to take care of this. If you will call your supervisor, right now, you'll be able to get back to your bad mood. Thank you."

"I beg your pardon, but you appear not to have noticed that you have a customer standing here. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take care of my transaction now, please."

"Please excuse me. I realize that your personal telephone conversation is more important than doing your job, but I am rather in a hurry. I would appreciate it if you continued your call after we finish our business."

Since many people in customer service positions have hearing difficulties, it's very important to speak rather more loudly than usual, and very clearly and pointedly. It's the polite thing to do, since you wouldn't want to mumble and confuse the employee.

[dawgmom]

11. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't

It depends on the situation and the setting, as to whether I deal with it directly at the moment. For example, if there are other people waiting behind me, I don't like to delay them. Sometimes, I'll ask if the manager is in, and speak with them as an aside. Sometimes, I'll call back in to the store and talk to them by phone. Sometimes, I'll write a letter or an email. But as you said, I think it's important to make your displeasure known in some way. Otherwise, I don't think that businesses will ever understand that customer service is important to customers.

In the example I gave in another response here, where the check-out boy was scanning my groceries while he talked to the bagboy about the size of a new cashier's breasts -- I calmly waited until he was finished with my groceries, and because there were no customers behind me, I very calmly and quietly leaned in to him and made direct eye contact, and told him how inappropriate it was for him to have that conversation in front of a customer. He was about 16 years old, and he blushed from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Honestly, this was a good kid -- he stammered out an apology, apologized over and over. He just literally did not have me in his viewfinder. As the other poster here said, his priority for interaction was with his peer.

I doubt very much that he EVER did anything like that again. It was a teachable moment, and I'm glad I took the time to make him more aware.

[Kali]

15. ...

:rofl:

[MineralMan]

27. Thanks for the ROFL.

[dawgmom]

18. BTW...loved this one:

"I'm sorry you are having a bad day and do not have time to take care of this. If you will call your supervisor, right now, you'll be able to get back to your bad mood. Thank you."

:rofl:

[MineralMan]

28. Thanks! I really do those things.

[skygazer]

14. The problem in both these cases is clearly management and training

And is indicative of the way customer service positions have been downsized and marginalized.

I've worked for a large grocery store chain for about 10 years. When I was first hired, new hires had to go through a training program in which they were given 3 days of classroom training that explained their responsibilities, duties etc. as well as what was expected of them in regards to customer service. They then went out on the floor with a supervisor and practiced what they had learned.

It was good training. And once they were on the job, they were under the watchful eyes of several levels of management - the front-end manager who coordinated the checkers and baggers, the 2nd assistant manager, who dealt with the cleanliness and cosmetic aspects of the store, the 1st assistant manager who oversaw the entire front-end operation, and the store manager who was on top of all of it. There were also department managers who mentored and trained the employees in their departments - I moved into Produce fairly quickly and we had a team of some 8 people working together.

That was 10 years ago.

Now there are no more front-end managers - they cut them out because they didn't want to pay the extra 5 cents per hour. Our produce department now runs 3 people a day. Three where we used to have 8. There's no more training - new hires come in, get half a day on "computer training" which runs through a shortened version of what real people used to teach in a real setting and are then set loose on the unsuspecting customers. They know nothing. The grunts on the floor have to train them as they go and we are so understaffed and overworked, we don't have time to teach them.

I am sure it is the same everywhere. Thank the delightful corporate mentality which wants to get the most bang for their buck (in other words, they want to save as much as they can in training and staffing costs so they can funnel more to the CEO's and shareholders).

It sucks.

[trof]

21. My grocery store employee training circa 1955.

They told me to show up the first day in a white shirt and a black bow tie.
They gave me a long white apron.
They told me to go up front and sack groceries.
"Put the heavy shit on the bottom. DON'T EVER put the bread on the bottom. Don't get smart with the checkers and be nice to the customers. You'll get better tips."

Later in my grocery career they told me to go in the back and see Joe.
"He'll show you what to stock and how."
Joe had me load a dozen or so cases of canned goods on a wheeled 'float'. He gave me a box cutter.
"Go find what's in the top box. Pull the old shit off the shelf. Put in the new shit. Put the old shit in the front."

Eventually I was entrusted with fresh fruits and vegetables.
I worked for Tony on the produce aisle.
The most fun was the Saturday night clean up after the store closed.
Pulling all the 'good' stuff out.
Cleaning out the rotten stuff on the bottom.
(It was a while after I left for greener fields before I could eat onions again.)
No rubber gloves.
Then clean all the produce bins with straight ammonia.
No rubber gloves.
But no clogged sinuses, either.
Phew.

Just a reminiscence.
;-)

[cynatnite]

17. Sounds like you got screwed and no one bothered to give you a...

frontal.

[dawgmom]

20. Adding one additional thought to my own post, on reflection

I understand that my customer service experience is probably different from that of the people I encountered. When I had those jobs, I always knew that they were temporary. I knew I was college-bound, or in college, and I knew they weren't my fate in life. Therefore, I was less prone to having my soul and my spirit crushed by the job. I probably can't fully relate to what it's like for some of those folks, who know "this is it" -- this is their lot in life. Add to that, the whole world is telling them that they're losers if they work at McDonalds, etc. (think of all the "you want fries with that" jokes which center on that) and it's probably no surprise at all that they could give a sh*t about giving good service.

*sigh* It's complicated. I'd probably feel a lot better now about my original post if I knew they were making a living wage, which I'm sure they're not.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Don't be so easy on 'em - they're getting paid to do a job. They should do it.

On the other hand, their managers should be the ones making sure that they do the job, and training them to do it. And that's probably what's missing.

Still, a normal person should know basic manners and how to interact with people.

But in the American Idol, cell phone, twitter age, I guess it doesn't matter.


When I worked in a grocery store, men had to wear shirts and ties, we weren't allowed facial hair except a small mustache, and were not allowed hair longer than our shoulders. Women had to dress nicely as well.

And by God, if any supervisor, owner, or other management person caught us with gum in our mouths, it was hell to pay. Same with food of any kind while working. Also hell to pay if we ignored a customer by talking to other employees instead of to the customer.

And dammit, that's exactly how it should be.

Now I go to a grocery store, and the staff are dressed like crap, they're chewing gum, eating candies, slumped over like they couldn't give a shit... I hate it.

[dawgmom]

30. My experiences were similar

There was a lot more formality and discipline about the workplace 20, 30 years ago. Wow...I'm just remembering something about my Mom, who went back to work in the late 60's in an office and worked until the 80s. She called her boss "Mr." Can you even imagine that kind of formality in most offices now?

I do think there are some good and some bad things about that -- but overall, I think a little more discipline and decorum in the workplace would be a good thing in a lot of places.

[begin_within]

23. Service costs extra.

I had a terrible lunch at Togo's today. The chicken in my sandwich had that "old" chicken taste. The avocado was brown instead of green. The Cobb salad had romaine lettuce which was mostly white with brown on the edges. They did not have any Splenda or Sweet 'n Low so I had to drink my iced tea unsweetened. As we were eating, some poor guy who had ordered 12 sandwiches over the phone came in, and none of the sandwiches had been made yet. Whoever took the order over the phone dropped the ball. Three employees got the sandwiches made quickly, and the guy was a good sport about it. But that place has really slipped. Used to be the best and healthiest fast food place.

[dawgmom]

35. Will that impact your future use of the place?

Just curious -- will you still go there? And if you do, do you think you'll find that it's less frequently? I just wonder if poor service and quality has a general impact on most people, or if convenience, time constraints, location, and other factors outweigh those.

[begin_within]

37. At this point I would say that I'm less likely to go there than I used to be

but I won't necessarily cut it out completely. It could have just been a bad day there, but they have been out of the Splenda and Sweet 'n Low since the year began. That's kind of a small sign of poor management. I can't use Equal since it gives me headaches. They do have China Mist Blackberry Green Tea which is great with Splenda. I used to think of Togo's as having the highest quality food of any fast-food place. Their Cobb salad is equal to (and even better than some) regular full-service restaurant Cobb salads. And their mushroom brie soup is really tasty. However it seems like something has gone wrong at the Togo's near me. If my next visit is disappointing I'll probably stop going there for 6 months before trying it again.

[RoyGBiv]

26. Another rant, from another perspective ...

In one form or another, I've been in customer service since I was 16. Right now, on paper, I'm an web designing, bill collecting, psychologist accountant, but when you boil it down, I do customer service.

And I'm good at it.

In my last job before I moved, I was a supervisor of store-front technical/billing/sales reps at a communications company ... okay, cable. I herded my people and taught them, and no one stayed with me for long who didn't care about their job ... what their job really was.

But something happened in upper management. The "sales culture" took over, and their "real job" changed. In my supervisory role I suddenly found myself with employees who had been taught not one thing about service and everything about sales, even if it meant bad service. And in the end I was dealing with people under me refusing to follow my guidance because people above me were telling them that sales mattered more for their evaluations and pay checks than this silly ol' service thing I kept harping about.

Currently, I'm dealing with a similar situation, although "sales" are no the issue. Where I am now, the issue is "avoiding blame."

I spent the last hour of my work day today on the phone with someone in a superior position in another department (and thus not technically over me) literally yelling at me because I had gone out of my way to help someone. She said these words to me: "Don't *ever* do that again or I'll make sure you're fired by the end of the day."

The issue?

A "customer" had come to me with a question I could not answer because my department has nothing to do with the details involved in this question. However, this individual was extremely frustrated, had been bounced around from department to department, and *no one* had bothered to tell her who, specifically, she needed to talk to. So, I started making phone calls. I personally didn't know who she needed to talk to either, but I wasn't going to send her away the same way everyone else had. Thirty minutes later, I finally found the person (the ONE person) in an organization that employs thousands with whom she needed to speak. I explained the situation to them, asked if I could put the customer in touch directly, was told yes, and off we went. The customer gave me her thanks.

That person whose responsibility it was to deal with the issue and who works a desk in an office and never has to face customers one-on-one then complained to her superior about having had me do this. And that person called me and bawled me out, then called my boss and bawled her out, and she then called me and told me if I want to keep my job I need to learn just to shut up. Her exact words: "If you don't know the answer to a question, just say 'I don't know' and that's it."

Here's the moral. My job was threatened today because I gave good customer service yesterday.

And that's what happens to a lot of front-line employees. It makes you numb to the point you simply do not give a shit. You lose either way. Either the customer is unhappy, or your bosses are unhappy. One of them pays you. The other one typically won't even thank you when you do a good job for them. So, why bother.

[dawgmom]

31. That is truly a disturbing story

I don't really know what to say. I'd ask what company you work for, so I could avoid giving them my business, but that would be kind of tacky.

[keroro gunsou]

38. i was canned for that reason

by wal-mart.

i wasn't the fastest cashier, but i generally tried to make my customers feel welcome and chatted with them. i had a few negative comments, mostly in regards to jokes that went over the heads of my customers, like HBO's dennis miller show being shown to rednecks. on the whole, i received good feedback from my shops, minus the slow speed, but nobody's perfect.

i think i knew i was going to get canned when i had a verbal knockdown-drag out with one of the assistant managers in the break room lecturing me on what makes a good cashier, and how i wasn't it. the lady was lucky there were witnesses, or she'd be carrying her head in a duffel bag... metaphorically speaking. she ranted that it's a "treat 'em and street 'em" job. don't get friendly, just say hi, thank you, and come again. two words: FUCK THAT. i'm a naturally chatty person as it is, and that grated on me. i wanted to be nice to my customers not because it was my job, but because i wanted them to come back. low prices aren't always the magic bullet to get customers.

like i told that wench who lectured me: low prices get 'em in the door, but good service ensures they return. and she wrote me up for talking back to her. figures.

as much as i hate being unemployed, i am glad i don't work for her anymore.

and the really messed up thing was, the day she fired me, i had received 4 customer cards complimenting me. whiskey tango foxtrot.

[FloridaJudy]

29. I had a similar experience today

My monitor up and died on me this morning - went from flickering erratically to nothing. This is not an insignificant problem: I'm desperately looking for work, and most places require that you apply on line these days. I went to Circuit City, K-Mart, and Best Buy. The only place I found prompt service was Circuit City, sadly enough. They were going out of business and had sold out to the bare walls. The guy there commiserated with me - he's soon to be in the same boat - but the only monitor they had left was prohibitively expensive.

In both Best Buy and K-Mart I had to wait forever while the sales clerks chatted with each other. K-Mart didn't have them, and the guy at Best Buy laughed when I told him how much I was willing to pay. "Try on line" he shrugged as he walked away. Sir, if I could get on line I wouldn't frickin' be here!

Finally I ate my Liberal principles and tried Walmart. Again, I had to wait forever before I could find someone to serve me, but finally found a monitor that was half the lowest price available a Best Buy. Sure it's a cheap Chinese POS, but I'm not in a position to pay any more.

Hurting as most businesses are these days, I find it astonishing that they fail to train their sales staff to make customers feel welcome.

[dawgmom]

32. It does run counter to good business sense, doesn't it?

Best Buy -- UGHHH! I hate that place. Lousy, lousy, lousy service, every time I've ever gone there. I avoid that place like the plague, as a result.

Sorry you had to go to Walmart. I feel your pain.

[queenjane]

33. My Rant - Grocery Store Self Checkouts

I tried to use 'em, really. But you have to find the produce code and enter it, then weigh the stuff, then call over the frenzied front-end manager who's overseeing 8 - 10 of these damned things, having to intervene whenever a coupon has to be scanned, or the frequent buyer card won't work, etc. It takes as long to do it yourself as waiting in the long, long line for a real person.

Two things piss me off royally: first, these self-scanners put people out of work. I have stopped shopping at Kroger altogether--and I really loved Kroger--because they NEVER had more than 2 human checkers at a time, and the lines for those reached all the way to the back of the store. Management would nag and nag the people waiting in those lines to use the self-checkers, and refuse to open more regular lanes.

Second, groceries cost so much that that I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to check them out for me, process the financial transaction, and wish me a good day!

[dawgmom]

34. I use the self-scanners selectively

I only do it if I don't have produce, and only if I have just a few items and they don't have an express line open (which they never seem to). I agree with you about the hassles related to them, and every time I ever had a large order, as you said, the manager or somebody would end up having to come over and assist with something that didn't scan, or the thing freezing up, or whatever.

Do you know what I've noticed? I think the experiment has failed. At the Giant I go to, there is usually only one self-service with the light on, and three or more lanes with real people. I think stores have started to figure out that customers hate the self-serve.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. My Shopko has self-checkout lanes. I refuse to use them, yet notice they always have workers at them

trying to get them to work and helping the customers.

Seriously.

When they were first put in, no one staffed them - because, hey, they're self-checkout lanes!

But for some reason, I guess management finally realized what a fucking dumbshit idea they are, the self checkout machines ALWAYS have a checker with them.

And then I think, "So what's the fucking point?"

But there's probably something in the contracts somewhere that say that a checker gets X amount per hour, but a person standing by at a self-checkout lane can get X-2 dollars an hour.

I don't know.

But I fucking hate them, and I will never use self-checkout lanes, no matter how long I have to wait in line for an employee to do the work that employees are there to do.