Self-serve options take away other things
On the farm you just were part of the family, chores included, but this was to be the first time I was working for wages, punching a clock and using my efforts or skills to gain funds that would later be put toward my little car, my university, as well as many other things.
I am not going to tell you what I made per hour in 1970, but I remember feeling so rich. I saved and saved and was able to acquire a challenged VW, with a sun roof, no less. I bought gifts for family including a ring for my late mother. Later, when I entered Acadia, my tuition was in the bank.
I worked in a grocery store. First in the bakery and later I was promoted to cashier. In addition to making money, I made lifelong friends that have enhanced my life experience.
When shopping at my local stores, I take great delight in the smiles of a new generation of youth who are now venturing into employment and setting future paths. I know that many of my friends went on to pursue careers in the grocery and food service industries as result of their experience. However, if they had not had that initial experience that may not have been the case.
Unlike many of my friends, I actually hate shopping. I have a list. I get what I need and pick up what others have asked me to acquire on their behalf, then I am done. Although I usually shop in the evenings, sometimes I venture out during the day. What enhances this necessary chore is interacting with the youth, as well as my neighbours who work in the stores. That personal contact is a vital part of my shopping experience.
Recently, I saw a self- serve checkout at a local store. I did not use it nor will I ever choose that option. I will shop elsewhere if that is my choice.
My late father, although a terrific driver, had some mobility issues. In his community, there was one station that had a fullservice option. Guess where he and every one of his buddies bought their fuel? Although I do pump my own fuel, I spend my dollars at the establishments where I know a customer can be helped and is treated with kindness and respect.
Self-service may strike many as convenient, but some critics say consumers don’t always benefit, in savings or speed, as much as they think. Many who are not tech savvy see this option as terrifying.
For me the worst thing about the attempt to pressure people into self-service is in our small rural area there are folks who are so lonely that a cheerful chat with the checkout assistant is valued in a way that is so painfully obvious. That smile and being asked how I am by a polite, amiable and perfectly capable human being is priceless –
an encounter with a faceless and fallible machine clearly is not.
Employers may see this as a way of reducing overhead and say that their savings will be passed on to the consumer. In other jurisdictions this has not been the case. Indeed theft and negative consumer reaction has been far more costly to the proverbial bottom line. Added to this is the human cost to the potential and current employees. The jobs lost include the parents who need funds for children, the middle-aged single who is just trying to make ends meet as well as that youngster who is finding their way or saving for education.
I am old and set in my ways, but my position is clear. Where are you on this one?