it’s just such a weird contrast. everyone here loves self-checkout; less wait for buyers, less register work for the people working the store, less downtime for everyone.
but then again the us has baggers and greeters which imo is also dystopian.
How are baggers and greeters dystopian? They’re basically just floating extra employees getting paid to lighten the workload for everyone
The fact that we no longer have baggers and greeters feels more dystopian. Because it’s not like the work went away, the people remaining just have to spend more time alone while taking on more tasks
we’ve never had them. we went from over-the-counter to small corner shops to larger stores. the only times someone has bagged your groceries here is when you called to let them know you would be coming, or all the products were behind a counter. the last major over-the-counter chain closed here in the 90’s. in that light, people hired specifically for talking to you or handling the things you’ve bought just smells of “bullshit jobs”.
They’re not bullshit jobs, they’re like adornments on buildings. They’re not strictly necessary, but they’re signs of a thriving society that can afford a little wastefullness to make things more pleasant
Like greeters were often people who couldn’t physically or mentally perform a full job, and baggers aren’t just laziness - they move the checkout line faster, as well as give the cashiers someone to talk to when it’s slow
If you’ve never had it, it’s not a marker of anything, but when you watch the removal of all the nice little frills from society, it feels really damn dystopian.
Like greeters were often people who couldn’t physically or mentally perform a full job
I really like that you point this out because a thriving society takes care of their vulnerable and disabled populations in this way. A lot of disabled people in the US want to work, but mostly due to disability asset caps along with the actual disability, they can’t.
The latter idea befuddles me. I can’t stand having any job no matter how engaging if I don’t give a damn about it. I can’t imagine doing something so unengaging by choice. I’d lose my mind.
i thought you were going somewhere else with that, since most adornments on buildings are skeuomorphs: vestigial likenesses to features that were once needed when constructing buildings but no longer serve a purpose.
Not really, I mean I’d rather bag my own things, but you can just do that yourself if you want. It’s also worth mentioning that Americans tend to buy a lot more during a grocery run than most places, at least a week, maybe two, each time for their household. I also don’t need them to help me to my car, but it’s nice when they have the time to help if I did need it for some reason
It’s all very optional, you can go through without saying a word to anyone if you want to. I think that’s kinda shitty to not at least greet them, but plenty of people don’t bother
I always go to a register with a cashier when I can. In the grocery store, the self-checkout lines are usually longer (and I have a lot of items), a cashier is usually faster. Also the cashier (or their bagger) knows how to put stuff in the bags better than I do.
it’s just such a weird contrast. everyone here loves self-checkout; less wait for buyers, less register work for the people working the store, less downtime for everyone.
but then again the us has baggers and greeters which imo is also dystopian.
How are baggers and greeters dystopian? They’re basically just floating extra employees getting paid to lighten the workload for everyone
The fact that we no longer have baggers and greeters feels more dystopian. Because it’s not like the work went away, the people remaining just have to spend more time alone while taking on more tasks
we’ve never had them. we went from over-the-counter to small corner shops to larger stores. the only times someone has bagged your groceries here is when you called to let them know you would be coming, or all the products were behind a counter. the last major over-the-counter chain closed here in the 90’s. in that light, people hired specifically for talking to you or handling the things you’ve bought just smells of “bullshit jobs”.
They’re not bullshit jobs, they’re like adornments on buildings. They’re not strictly necessary, but they’re signs of a thriving society that can afford a little wastefullness to make things more pleasant
Like greeters were often people who couldn’t physically or mentally perform a full job, and baggers aren’t just laziness - they move the checkout line faster, as well as give the cashiers someone to talk to when it’s slow
If you’ve never had it, it’s not a marker of anything, but when you watch the removal of all the nice little frills from society, it feels really damn dystopian.
It feels like all encompassing decay
I really like that you point this out because a thriving society takes care of their vulnerable and disabled populations in this way. A lot of disabled people in the US want to work, but mostly due to disability asset caps along with the actual disability, they can’t.
True, people with down’s syndrome make great greeters, because they’re usually just super happy to be there
Older folk too, it used to be common for retiree’s to take that role just to keep themselves busy
The latter idea befuddles me. I can’t stand having any job no matter how engaging if I don’t give a damn about it. I can’t imagine doing something so unengaging by choice. I’d lose my mind.
i thought you were going somewhere else with that, since most adornments on buildings are skeuomorphs: vestigial likenesses to features that were once needed when constructing buildings but no longer serve a purpose.
It’s so alien to me, that you enjoy these services haha. To me they’d feel invasive and overbearing.
Not really, I mean I’d rather bag my own things, but you can just do that yourself if you want. It’s also worth mentioning that Americans tend to buy a lot more during a grocery run than most places, at least a week, maybe two, each time for their household. I also don’t need them to help me to my car, but it’s nice when they have the time to help if I did need it for some reason
It’s all very optional, you can go through without saying a word to anyone if you want to. I think that’s kinda shitty to not at least greet them, but plenty of people don’t bother
Germany is almost comical about it. There will be long lines for the checkouts with the self-checkouts completely empty.
Oh you get baggers and greeters? We just get an underpaid teenager to occasionally unbag everything during random checkup
I always go to a register with a cashier when I can. In the grocery store, the self-checkout lines are usually longer (and I have a lot of items), a cashier is usually faster. Also the cashier (or their bagger) knows how to put stuff in the bags better than I do.
here the self-checkouts usually have no lines because they’re walk-through. most people use scan-and-go nowadays anyway.