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Hi,

Maybe this is the "first" sign of grumpy old man syndrome. I go to my local B&Q and make my way to the checkout. There are no staff on the till, just one person trying to help a number of people struggling with the self service machines e.g. product not scanning, money not being accepted etc etc.

My reaction to this is why the fuck should I be trained to become an unpaid checkout assistant for B&Q so that B&Q can reduce their staff levels or avoid having to take on more staff?

So I pointed this out to the manager who in true British fashion like a turkey voting for Xmas just stated that it was "company policy".

Stop using self service checkouts. You know it makes sense. Don't you?

CHeers
D

Never found one self checkout to work without the intervention of a member of staff.
I don't use em now but when the bastards wouldn't work I just left everything there and fucked off in high dugeon.
Fuckem all I say.

I might be odd, but I actually like to talk to someone when I go into a shop. Self service checkouts are OK if you only have a couple of items and are in a hurry. But give me a real person to speak to any time, however grumpy or unhelpful they might appear to be.

Chaos reigned supreme in our local Tesco last Sunday when all 8 self service tills were kaputt!
Tesco and Asda versions are ok but Morrison's versions get right on your tits, even their staff say the sickly voice grates.

I bet the shoplifters couldnt believe their luck when self service tills were introduced with just one girl to watch over several tills.

Its simply capitalism at work

We've seen full permanent time jobs replaced by part time permanent

Then part time permanent replaced by 24/7 oncall casuals

Was only a matter of time before they started to reduce their staff numbers



When I worked in banking the last branch I worked at we had
12 full time,3 part time in 1989

By the time I left in 1999 we had
3 full time,3 part time


ATM machines then = Auto Checkouts Now

One wonders where it will all end up

Seem to recall Japan went down this automated route 20/30 tears ago but back flipped because the loss of jobs was so detrimental to society

Lots of students rely on these jobs and I find that some of the part time girls are quite attractive. It's the only time I get to chat to dolled faced 18 year olds!

I haven't tried an auto checkout yet as I know I will stuff it up.

Agree completely.

It seems to me that increasingly British employers are the real scroungers as they unrelentingly drive down wages and work conditions e.g. your example of supermarkets with their 24/7 casual labour force on 4 hr a week contracts.

It is now reaching the point where millions of working people are forced to claim housing benefits because they cannot afford to live on the wage they are receiving. In short, it is the employers that are receiving the state subsidies for their almost starvation wages.

CHeers
D

I like them, I never have to queue and they always seem to work for me. I guess one mans meat is another mans poison.