Lines can be very long at this particular Rite Aid, especially in the evening, but we wonder if the trend towards self service is something we should support. After all, it means fewer jobs.
When we stopped by early last week, we asked one of the cashiers how the new machines were working out. She seemed frustrated and said that they malfunction often, forcing her to leave her register to help customers at the self check out. "I don't get paid to do both jobs at the same time" she told me.
Carroll Gardens' CVS on Court Street installed self check-out machines back in 2010. Back then, many local residents mentioned that they found them annoying.
What do you say? Do you welcome these machines? Is check-out faster at this Rite Aid now? Do you prefer to continue using the cashier? Do you think one should get a discount for using the machines since the store is saving on employees? (We do!)
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10 comments:
Whole Foods on 3rd/Third put in self check-out machines last week.
Ughh. Honestly, doing your own checkout and bagging should mean a discount on your total bill since the company saves on salaries.
Its okay as long as they are not buggy. The ones in Lowes are awful. You need to have someone reset the machine all the time. The ones in home depot are great. They are really speedy.
Have not tried the ones in whole foods.
If they save me time when I have one or two items, I am all for it.
For the most part it's better. Trying to get out of that place after 5PM is a nightmare. They usually only put two people on at the busiest times. You'll spend way more time waiting to check out than you did shopping.
Not for it.
The lines are long at the location because they under staff during key hours. We shouldn't be rewarding poor management by adopting technology that will in turn lead to fewer jobs in our community.
I avoid this store like the plague because of the terrible service,poor stocking and high prices. I never use the pharmacy. SVRH Pharmacy on Smith St is so much better.
These machines are job killers,poorly designed and breakdown frequently. Why would I shop there?
I HATE the machines because 1. they take jobs away from people 2. which doesn't make sense because these machines are costly as id their upkeep and repait, so why not keep the people? Those machines were already having issues last week! Presumably thet're brand new.
Customer service on the decline.
How about this, I was directed by the cashier with only 1 person in front of me to use the self checkout machine. So what does that tell you? They make the same hourly wages no matter how busy or not they are. So I think they welcome the option.
Same thing happened to me. I declined politely to use the machine and then told the young lady that I wanted to make sure she keeps her job.
Just to play devil's advocate - seems like the options for this store are complaints about long lines or complaints above losing jobs to technology. Yes, they could hire more people, but labor is incredibly expensive in NYC, far more than the cost of equipment.
If self-check-outs improve the service and wait times for most customers, then it's a good thing for the end user and the giant corporation. I absolutely advocate for keeping jobs in our community, but it's time we stop digging in our heels and evolve with technology - it's here whether we like it or not.
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