Friday, January 4, 2013

Hello? Anyone there? Anyone?

Sooo I left early to stop by the Smiths on 4100, it is the only Smiths where I've found the Chicken strips with the glucosamine for Chester's achy hips. 

While there I thought - I bet I can get some of the things I need here for less expensive than Harmon's.  It is where I normally shop because their produce is awesome and a large portion of my grocery list is produce. Sure enough the dried beans were less expensive - they had a sale on the salad dressing I like etc.

I go to check out and not a human cashier to be found - only self check out. This is why I stopped shopping at Albertson's. It was almost 8 in the morning I think that there could be a live body.  Just one would be nice. 

There was no way I was going to walk away from Chester's treats and so I start the self check out process. Get to the end and it says "The attendant has been notified to help you."   

No attendant arrives - there are two humans quibbling over something and they LOOK like they should be offering assistance, but they are not.

I notice the attendant will help you button has gone off and so I punch it again. The two quit quibbling and someone goes up to them and THEY get helped. I'm standing there all, "Really?!!"  

I hit the stupid attendant button again and begin the "I am really annoyed look". Knowing they can feel my ire seething at them from across the way. 

Finally an exasperated 'helper' flounces over - punches a couple of buttons, swipes my card and stalks off. 

I said, "It is still NOT reading my card." 

She storms back over punches some buttons and magical, magical the card is now accepted. 

I would like to say that life was good but I was still annoyed.  

A customer left before me and the quibbling man said to them, "Have a nice day." 

As I left he kept his head down and continued to not acknowledge my presence. 

It was probably for the best.

11 comments:

  1. I detest those self check out thingies.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like them. Especially when I'm in a hurry and the store is busy. I tend to get in lines with chatty clerks. It drives me crazy for a long line to be slowed further because the clerk is making small talk rather than hurrying. There is a time and place for chat and that ain't it, imho.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Someone else said much the same.

      I like the human chit chat and have never been in too much or a hurry I suppose.

      Delete
  3. OH wow. We have one line of self-serve in about all of our stores now, but the rest are staffed, all the time, even late at night (obviously I cannot speak to early morning). But that kind of "customer service" pisses me off, instantly. You didn't YELL or anything?! Have you written an angry letter yet? I do that. A. Lot. (And yell.) Both get results, and often freebies mailed to the house later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought about calling them and mentioning the quibbling duo and their lack of customer service. Especially when there was no other option.

      I don't care about the freebies...I figure I'll find another way to get what Chester needs. When a store pisses me off I'm an outie. See ya.
      ;)

      Delete
  4. I hate the self-checkout things only because if you're buying one little thing, you still have to put that thing in the bag or it won't let you finalise the payment. SO stupid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know I bought some soday and it told me to put it in my cart, then it wassn't happy with that and told me to put it in the bagging area. Very Stupid!!

      Delete
  5. I didn't mind the ones I was using back home. Especially once they introduced handheld machines for them to use, so they could walk around helping, without going back to their master computer.

    Well anyway. What an OBNOXIOUS experience. Meh!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've had that done at Sam's Club once a couple of years back. That was actually kind of cool. The 'helper' had everything rung up so when you got to the cashier you just needed to swipe.

      Standing in line was productive for once.

      Delete
  6. Annoying! If there are two people there, one of them could have been running a register. It's not that hard.

    ReplyDelete