RxOfCowbell wrote:yeah, I did just read them, and I'm glad that they gave it more thought than "this is 'taking jobs away' so it's bad" which a lot of people are wont to do.
There are a lot more factors involved.
But anyways, pay me no mind, i really didn't want to derail the thread and I'd go back and keep my mouth shut if I could.
RxOfCowbell wrote:
yeah, I did just read them, and I'm glad that they gave it more thought than "this is 'taking jobs away' so it's bad" which a lot of people are wont to do.
I should let this drop too.
but, really. What relevant people say this anymore?
"this is 'taking jobs away' so it's bad"
Certainly not the retailers. The American consumer rarely shows concern over whether jobs are taken away, and historically have embraced technology in the market without regards to jobs -or any other side effects other than their short-term consumer desires. People are more wont to say "if Walmart etc thinks self-checkout is good for us and lowers my prices, then it must be true! "
but, really. What relevant people say this anymore?
Um, the people in the article you posted?
Just one example:
Lots of customers talked about the self-service checkout lanes, wrote Albertsons in 2011, "but mostly" it was about how the checkout lanes "'take jobs away from people.'" Some also complained that it lessened the customer experience. "Customer service is always our highest priority," the company said.
Today, Albertsons' self-checkout systems "are completely removed, and we haven't revisited it," said Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox.
Our grocery store (Jewell) got rid of those god damned cards that are filling up my wallet. They were the first to introduce them, and now the first (that I know of) to get rid of them. You just get the discount, you don't need to pull some bull [expletive] card out of your wallet.
but, really. What relevant people say this anymore?
Um, the people in the article you posted?
Just one example:
Lots of customers talked about the self-service checkout lanes, wrote Albertsons in 2011, "but mostly" it was about how the checkout lanes "'take jobs away from people.'" Some also complained that it lessened the customer experience. "Customer service is always our highest priority," the company said.
Today, Albertsons' self-checkout systems "are completely removed, and we haven't revisited it," said Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox.
Sure people say it, but not relevant people. That concern for jobs comment is merely corporate lip service on Albertson's part. I presume-in their case -the labor savings do not outweigh their cost of losing customers due to weaker service - otherwise they wouldn't have ditched the self-checkout. Walmart - being a dominant market-maker does not have to worry about service so much as Albertsons - as long as they keep people flush with cheap goodies.
Sam's makes me sick to my stomach. It smells so weird in there. I only was a member one year, and that was pretty much just to buy rolls of Copenhagen. Came in 10 packs for under $30, couldn't beat it.
