Goodbye jobs
I hardly ever shop at Safeway, so last night was an exception. I needed to pick up some cottage cheese and decided that I would rather pay the extra $1.50 than walk an extra 3km to the cheaper place. And I’m happy I made this decision.
Usually Safeway has reeeeally long lines. They usually only have 3 checkouts open and at least 7 people waiting in each line. It’s mayhem. Usually. On this particular visit however, something was different. There didn’t seem to be as many people in line and the mayhem I usually would expect upon entering into a Safeway, was mysteriously absent. I then noticed the NEW! Self checkout! And I understood. Now let’s be honest – we’ve all seen these before right? But the ones I’ve seen in the past have been less than efficient and still required a real person to ‘oversee’ you making your purchase. Safeway, however, has it sussed. I scanned my cottage cheese, selected ‘pay by debit’, swiped my card, punched in my pin, selected ‘no bag’ and then collected my receipt. All without making small talk to any socially retarded checkout operators. I almost expected to be paid a minimum wage upon departure, as I clearly mastered the art of scan and swipe within seconds. No-one paid me however, but I looked back as I left the store gleefully and I could see the poor lucky remaining 3 cashiers quivering with fear…technology: 1, working class: 0.
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Brice.
Flash Modern
Nick.
Weeny.
Our NZ New World food store has had these in operation for awhile. I suppose the winners are the technical manufacturers and the technical experts who will be on call when the system fall down. And yes, I agree, sometimes it’s nice to be able to make a simple purchase without having to partake in all the social niceties. However who do we call when we realize we forgot our debit card, have over spent, or changed our mind about the hokey pokey ice cream….. or do we just try to crawl out unnoticed leaving our purchase to find it’s way back to the supermarket shelves?
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