Self service...a boon or not??

[3930dave]

I prefer full service stores, in terms of the checkout cash register.

If a cashier is in a hurry or distracted, and passes through something w/o scanning it, that's on them.

If I am in a hurry or distracted using a self-serve checkout, and pass something through w/o scanning it, that's theft.

The situation doesn't come up too often, but with more and more RFID tags on retail products, this kind of problem will get automatically flagged at the exit door, more so than in the past.

Some people today prefer to interact with technology, instead of directly with other people - Self serve checkouts are popular with some folks, but they're not my thing.

Rgds, D.

 

[jaotguy]

any one ever get stuck in the ATM line behind the "customer" doing a weeks worth of banking / bill paying / checking their overseas accounts / etc ? ( and the other ATM is "down" ... )

I prefer customer service rather than "self help" lines

Yes I remember gas at .19 a gal .... full service ... glasses ...

and putting less than 2 dollars in to fill the VW bug. ( 7.5 gal tank )

I can pump my own , change a flat , and other things to keep me ON the ROAD .... and not stranded waiting for a tow truck.

pity the kids today that will rely on "parking assist" to pass their driving test. ( not too many commercial trucks will have it )

 

[jerrybob]

I took a trip up to Washington a few years ago and it was forbidden to pump your own gas - HUH, been doin it for 40 years. Nope, you can't do it. At first I was "man that's stupid" then I realized the fuel price was the same as Ca., but now there is a job created for a young person. BRILLIANT.

My thoughts are give people MORE SERVICE and you will create those entry level jobs for kids.

Least I ever paid for fuel was 0.17 cents a gallon all fluids checked, , got my oil checked, tires checked, windshield washed and a FREE set of glasses. Now people think I'm nuts telling that story.

That's Oregon....not Washington. Still can't pump your gas in Oregon.

 

[jerrybob]

Ya that 0.17 was during GAS PRICE WARS - started at 0.30 then they guy across the street lowered to 0.28 then the next guy lowered until they got to 0.17 / gal - that was in the late 60's

I remember pulling into a gas station when I was 16 yrs. old. My two buddies and I would all pull our change out.....see how much we had and put like $1.13 in my 58 chevy. That was like 4.5 gallons of gas. Plenty for the weekend......those were the days!!

 

[jmc]

I DO like paying at the pump with a credit card rather than trudging inside to wait in line.

My least favorite self service is companies' replacing telephone receptionists and customer service representatives with a series of menus. The rare humans that answer seem like a luxury now.

 

[Looking4new]

At Canadian Tire they have these 'self serve' check out lines. I go to a person and let them check me out. My reasoning is that I get to pay the same price whether they CTC or me checks me out.

 

[3930dave]

I DO like paying at the pump with a credit card rather than trudging inside to wait in line.

My least favorite self service is companies' replacing telephone receptionists and customer service representatives with a series of menus. The rare humans that answer seem like a luxury now.

Nothing beats talking with a carbon based lifeform, that knows their stuff - getting rare though....

At least in Canada, pay-at-the-pump has some nonsense going on in the background that many people are not aware of.

When you swipe at the pump, your card will be pre-authorized for $100, or whatever the pump limit is. Once you conclude your sale, a separate transaction is processed for whatever you actually just bought. When I stumbled upon this issue a few years ago, while checking on another transaction entirely, I was told it was normal for it to take several days for the original $100 pre-authorization to be released by the gas station - something about it had to be done manually. Ccard company said the same.

The obvious problem sets in for somebody with a low-limit card, who buys $10 of gas at a pump, many times in a week - you end up hitting your credit limit.

I stay away from pay-at-the-pump because the whole (behind the curtain) practice seriously irks me. Why is it even legal for a company to process an unauthorized transaction ? In this era of allegedly lightning quick technology, why does it take so long to reconcile the $100 pre-authorization ?

All that said because I can still commonly find gas pumps around here where you can Pump, then Pay.

Rgds, D.

 

[jerrybob]

I went to a store the other day and asked a clerk where the self service isle was......she said if she told me......it would defeat the purpose.....go figure????:confused2:

 

[JDgreen227]

May be off topic here but I have long wondered why gas pumps NEVER seem to be standardized...three miles west of me there are two Speedways, and Meijers, and a Marathon station, and the pumps at every one differ from the ones elsewhere. Speedway lost me as a customer a few years back because I got sick and tired of that (censored) "are you a speedy rewards customer" that shows up on their pumps. I also hate, repeat HATE those pay before you pump stations because I always use cash.

 

[whistlepig]

So let's see what you do remember. Do you remember "Humble" (a tiger in your tank). Sinclair? S&H Green stamps with the gas purchase? Texaco? Free stuff when you bought some gas? Talking to the attendant while he/she was pumping your gas? Or are you pumping your own gas and looking at at a tiny LED screen on a gas pump that says "Thank You". Things, after all, are so much better now.