One of the things I like so much about the Giant Food at Hunt Valley is the convenient automated check out lanes.
Before I go on, let me say that the horrible traffic flow of the shopping center and York Road, coupled with the horrible drivers who populate the Baltimore suburbs along York Road, along with the horrible drivers who work in Hunt Valley, make the Giant desireable only to those looking to grocery shop at night, which, usually, is when I go to grocery shop.
Did I mention the Giant also has the local branch of my bank inside? Which is also convenient because I can make ATM deposits at ten of midnight.
So, in any case, I enjoy the automated check out lanes. I was at first aprehensive about them, but they’re very simple to use, and once I actually used one, I was totally hooked.
Sunday night I was at Giant. I was there just before the Ravens game, and apparently everyone and their mother decided to do a grocery run for hot dogs and chips for the game. So there I am scanning in my items, scanning in my bonus card, swiping my credit card …
… and nothing happened.
Some problem with the automated checkout! I hit the “Help Needed” button on the touch-screen and finally, after several minutes during which I turned people away from the lane, “There’s a problem here, come back”, the nice lady working troubleshoot came over and identified the problem.
“You have to select what method you’re paying with.”
See, I’d tapped “credit card” on the touch screen. And I’d swiped my card through the reader. But the reader required me to specify credit or debit, and I hadn’t done that. In all of the hundreds of times I’ve used that frickin’ automated teller machine, my brain totally fried on me Sunday night.
It was slightly embarassing. “Look at me, I have a fried brain!”
For clarification, since I learned that I am none too civil when I comment on peoples’ blogs, let me say at the outset that when I use any form of the word “you” in my comment I am speaking generally and not specifically to you, Malnurtured Snay, so please don’t take it personally:
While they may be convenient and easy to use (except for the ones at The Home Depot), my problem with automated checkouts is that you’re doing the work of someone who is paid out of what you pay for the goods you’re purchasing. So you’re getting nothing for doing the job someone is paid to do and the cashiers are sitting around watching their jobs become obsolete, which must suck for them. All of the benefit goes to the store, which can hire fewer cashiers and save money on payroll because they’ve gotten you to do the cashier’s job for free.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for automation and simplification, but automated checkouts just seem like a gimmick to me to pad a store’s bottom line while fooling you into thinking you’re getting something of value (convenience) when you’re really not because you’re paying for it. Of course, all of my qualms could be remedied with a discount for automated checkout use (and it could even be a sliding scale… 2% off for 10 or fewer items, 5% for 11-25, etc.), but I don’t see that happening any time soon.
Comment by DaB — September 14, 2005 @ 8:20 am
DaB:
Allow me to comment. Let’s take this a step further. YOU go through the automated check-out, YOU do the work of the cashier, YOU don’t get sneared out, YOU know your order is correct. The STORE realizes a savings, the COMPETITION does the same thing and also realizes a savings. Since food is a commodity item both stores see the need to reduce prices to capture market segment.
YOU in turn then get to keep a few pennies in YOUR pocket.
Get a grip, we don’t need the rude unioned annoying cashiers at the Gucci Giant.
Comment by Cham — September 14, 2005 @ 12:27 pm
Ah, yes, the lovely traffic pattern over at the corner of Shawan and York. I have written to the Giant about their lack of pedestrian through-path, I have talked to the county about the lack of pedestrian safe passage across York and Shawan, and I have contact the state about this which has jurisdiction over York Road.
The end result was supposed to be the construction of the Cham Memorial pedestrian crossing in that area but I have yet to see that happen. It is just a matter of time before some poor latino who can’t use a car will meet his/her horrible death in that area because the Gucci Giant customers in their Lexus SUVs never stop for pedestrians.
The key problem with that intersection I learned is that Shawan Road cannot be widened in that area and neither can York Road. 2 lanes going each way isn’t enough for the amount of traffic flow. The property owners are charged with constructing sidewalks and the county will have to sue them to get them to do it. So far they have taken no action.
Also, if you want to witness an extreme level of BS in an email just write to the Giant customer relations department. They have the unique ability to write 4 paragraphs that say absolutely nothing.
Comment by Cham — September 14, 2005 @ 12:35 pm
[...] Giant groceries in Hunt Valley and Lutherville. I think I first used the Hunt Valley store’s automated checkout lane in 2005, and if you ever want to see an almost entirely automated checkout process, look there. Of [...]
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