alice may:

 I also refuse to use the scanner at Kroger.I have even left my buggy when only one lane was open and a long line.I was told They would help me scan I refused.They should keep enough employs to check people out.These days I only go to krogers for very few  things never for my weeks food order anymore. Alice may

If they had a person who could help you... why couldn't they open a lane and do the same?? That's ridiculous.

Luvd_Lioness:

alice may:

 I also refuse to use the scanner at Kroger.I have even left my buggy when only one lane was open and a long line.I was told They would help me scan I refused.They should keep enough employs to check people out.These days I only go to krogers for very few  things never for my weeks food order anymore. Alice may

 

 If they had a person who could help you... why couldn't they open a lane and do the same?? That's ridiculous.

We have different shopping methods. I want to get in and out in a hurry. I scan for myself whenever I can.

I love our grocery store chain because they are always aware of how many people are in line, and if to many people get in line they open another check out and they will even help you put the groceries on the thingy for the clerk. 

 I will admit I do tend to bag my own groceries because I take my own canvas bags and they hold a lot more groceries then the plastic bags.  When they bag my groceries I tell them to stuff the bags because they hold more and that means less trips to car to unload it.

       Zig

momtothreeboys:

I don't like unemployment, but I don't value the service they provide enough to use it most of the time.  And I think that gets to the heart of this discussion.  In tough times, people are more careful about the choices they make with their money. And it doesn't mean service people will all disappear.  While I may not value a grocery checker, I do value fresh produce grown with few to no pesticides.  So I belong to a CSA.  I value a good auto mechanic (fix my car instead of replace it).  I do value a good carpenter (install mouldings in my house much faster and better than we could, leaving us free to work at things we know). 

I feel that as this downturn wears on, and more people become unemployed, workers will have to take a long, hard look at their skills, their potential skills and what people value.  I think there will always be the (more expensive) grocery store that has carry out and checkers in areas where people value that and are willing to pay for it.  But workers and consumers alike need to realize that service has a price.  Choosing not to pay for a service doesn't make you a bad person who likes unemployment. 

 You hit the nail on the head here.  People lament about the decline of decent service.  However, the presence of servicepeople does not guarantee decent service.  While there is value and dignity in manual labor, to merit that it has to be done well!  Most grocery store checkers I've seen wouldn't know a cucumber if it leapt up off the conveyor belt and bit him/her on the nose!    Or if a bit of meat is marked with a 50% off sticker, they don't know how to enter the adjustment into their register.  They'll pick up a bag of avocados (which has stickers on them for the register code) and ask you if you remember how much they were.  Yeah, the average cashier is just an indispensable stalwart cog of our national economy.    The vast majority of checkers I've seen are no timesaver unless you're shopping in a higher end grocery store. In the checker's defense, I'll grant that cashiers have been hamstrung a lot once the grocery checkers were done away with- and the job opportunities of young teens or some of God's Special Children are curtailed as a result of no baggers anymore.  And that is sad, mainly on behalf of those who were glad to have that bagging job (or checking job) and worked accordingly.

I just moved to a different region of the country and have made acquaintance with a whole new set of grocery chains (aside from nationwide things like Costco or Walmart of course).  While confusing, it's been an interesting exercise evaluating unknown grocery stores with fresh eyes.  It also means learning and evaluating new self-checkout systems- some are definitely better designed than others.

Since I am married to an engineer, I hear a semi-regular stream of "if I worked on these things, this is how I'd improve the process" comments.  My husband comments only half-jokingly of his profession: "My job is to put other people out of work!"  Inventions and progress address two issues: getting work done faster than a human is able to do well (think of the story of John Henry), or getting work done that people aren't as willing to do well.  And the "willing" bit is a far more complicated issue.  Bear in mind that the recent increase in minimum wage also changes the potential return on payroll dollars.

I think it depends on the chain.  I find safeway very helpful and they employ teens and  special people. Even people stocking shelves ask you if you need help if you are standing there looking at something.   They all seem happy to work there.

Our local grocery store chain emphasizes custome service and I love it.  I know at one of the store locations I graduated with a person who has been there since before we graduated highschool and that was over 20 years ago.  So people do tend to stay there and make careers there.

        Zig

MarthaMFI:

I think it depends on the chain.  I find safeway very helpful and they employ teens and  special people. Even people stocking shelves ask you if you need help if you are standing there looking at something.   They all seem happy to work there.

MarthaMFI:

I think it depends on the chain.  I find safeway very helpful and they employ teens and  special people. Even people stocking shelves ask you if you need help if you are standing there looking at something.   They all seem happy to work there.

I think it also depends on the area in which you live.  Not to be too judge-y on where I lived, but I've found living in the country that people take a bit more time and are a bit more courteous.  We don't do much Walmart shopping, but every time I'm there I NEVER wait in line and I've even been there during the after-work rush a couple of times.  The cashiers stand at the foot of the aisles and beckon for you to come to an open lane.  Same thing at Kroger.  My longest wait was for 1 person in front of me who was already 1/2 way through.  And I did use the self check out once -- no problems and someone came over to ask if I needed any help, if I had used them before, etc.  VNW drives some distance to use Harris Teeter in NN and she does so for good reason -- they have excellent customer service.  The worst part is I didn't realize how bad the customer service was at the other stores until I got out here and everyone has been SUPER helpful -- above and beyond in my opinion.

MarthaMFI:

I think it depends on the chain.  I find safeway very helpful and they employ teens and  special people. Even people stocking shelves ask you if you need help if you are standing there looking at something.   They all seem happy to work there.

A fair point.  And the Safeway here is very nice; even my husband noticed how great the staff are.  Funny thing is there are *no* self-checkout lanes at that store.  The wait times are not all that bad either.  The staff are very attentive; it seems within a minute or to of me assuming the glazed over "crap, where do they keep the such and such" look, someone asks if I want help. A great store for the minor, quick grocery runs.

 There's no Safeway where I come from; I do miss our regional "nicer" grocery chain though.  Excellent service, *beautiful* produce and meat sections, priced accordingly but not that far above the other chains.  A good value overall if not the cheapest.  They offer excellent working conditions/benefits and the family that owns it are heavy philanthropists.  They realize they've "got theirs" and then some, and are big into giving back. The profits stay within the region rather than being shipped off to Arkansas.

I try to do most of my shopping at stores that treat staff well- but then those are the stores that usually have good quality merchandise too.  Costco at least shows it's possible to offer decent merchandise and service at a good price while treating employees well too. 

 Whereas the Safeway in my area is just awful. There's never anyone on the floor, no matter what time you go. It's poorly stocked, the produce is beyond awful (literally, I have yet to get a piece of fruit there that isn't moldy), the meat selection is terrible, there is no fresh seafood department, the cashiers are incredibly slow and often really nosy ("what are you buying this for?" and "You don't need to buy this lowfat milk, honey, you're already thin!" ERGH!), and the list goes on. When you can get someone to help you, which usually entails walking around the store for 10-15 minutes before finally giving up and asking for a manager, they have no idea if they have something, or where it is. I'd like to be exagerating, but I'm not. The Food Lion is, unbelieveably, even worse.

Both employ special people, which is wonderful but neither one in this areas has teen or elderly employees that I have ever seen.

So, a lot of it your area, and store managment. 

 I should be fair and say there is one exemplary employee at Safeway. I've written him numerous commendations, and he brightens my day when I see him. He's the only older (not elderly, but older) gentleman employed there, and he is always very friend and courteous. Unfortunately, he can't make up for the rest of the badness, so I only see him occasionally.