Check Out Chick
Posted By Ric Vatner on November 6, 2009
I can now add another skill to my resume and it came as a complete surprise.
I ducked out yesterday to buy some milk for the office and when I got to the cash register you can imagine my surprise when I was directed to a self serve register. Or maybe you can’t, I’m not a regular shopper so this was very new to me.
At first I was told I had a choice, I could use the self serve register or I could go to a regular check out with a much more experienced cashier than me. But when I looked at the long line of registers that are normally manned by cashiers I noticed that 75% of them were empty and the queue to use those that were left was rather long.
I found myself staring at a blinking screen that suddenly said swipe your articles and place them in the bag. I was seriously considering the same thing. How would they know if I swiped one and bagged four. Would the machine scream THIEF! And sprout a pair of handcuffs?
I swiped the first carton to the right but my bag was on the left so as I passed it across the screen it got swiped again. Danger this could turn out to be the exact opposite of what I was thinking.
I bought four cartons and had six on my bill. I obviously got it right twice but shouldn’t they be paying me to do this not the other way round?
The overseer saw that I was taking too long and after considering the whip (that may have been my imagination) came over to see why I was taking so long. I showed her my bag and she could count to four pretty quick but when I showed her the bill it took a while to comprehend that I was being charged for six cartons. Maybe she thought that was a fair deal considering the experience I was getting.
As I walked away (after paying for four cartons) I wondered who benefits from this technology. I don’t think the price was any cheaper than the last time we bought milk but there were certainly 75% less staff on the cash registers. It reminded me of the days when ATMs were introduced by banks. At first they were free to use because they saved the bank wages. But today my bank charges are higher than ever but there is no longer a bank manager to complain to.
If I were a Coles manager I would start looking for a new job now – it is already too late for that pretty check out chick I was hoping would serve me. Oh and the machine didn’t smile at me or say “Missing you already” as I walked away. I wonder where my nearest corner shop is located, maybe a smile and a “How’s your father” are worth the extra after all.
Afterthought: Can you imagine your local grocer telling you to use his cash register while he sits out the back counting his profit?
About The Author
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.