Update: On June 9, 2012 I returned back to my first job and began my employment (again). Yes I will admit it was hard to swallow my pride and ask for my first job back even though I knew I could do it and I was good at it, and getting paid more at another place. The point is I have a job, I am a very happy camper and I am glad I will be getting paid because I was running out of funds to be pulling money from. Hopefully I will be getting paid more over time because going back to $8.00 an hour is so depressing, makes me want to stay home.
As I started my shift today I was faced with the daunting task of watching the four self checkout machines my store has. Yes, there is one person manning four of these machines, and mind you one of them doesn't even accept cash so that's a mess of problems itself. It all started when I walked in, I was faced with the task of using these machines that I hadn't been around in months, usually I am quick on my feet and not easily overwhelmed but today I found myself wearing shoes with lead and being so stressed out I was begging to be relieved for my thirty minute lunch. But that's besides the point, let me tell you why I was so stressed out with these machines of mayhem, as I so lovingly call them.
I am in charge of four machines, yes I've probably said it four times already, I have to go between four different people and help them with their orders. And it always seems that the people that shouldn't be using the machines, want to use them!
- You got your old folks who can barely answer their cellular devices let alone use the self checkout machine.
- Then you got your children, children love machines, they think its a big ol' toy made just for them. It has pretty colors and the machine talks, beeps, and has several noises that delight the young ones.
- Finally you have your out-of-towners, the ones that don't speak a lick of English and want you to do everything.
Did I mention I am running a self checkout machine? I am not running a I'm going to do everything for you machine. But as previously mentioned people love using this machine especially when they don't know how to use it. Mind you, I'm a patient person and I love my customers, I don't mind helping little Miss Gertrude or Mister Harold who doesn't remember who to enter the produce but I refuse to help the lazy woman who can't read the words in front of her, with symbols, logos, and signs. I don't understand how someone my age wouldn't know how to figure out this machine! For goodness sakes, you use an iPhone which is more complicated than a self checkout machine at a grocery store. Give me a break! It is hard to pass the barcode across the machine and put it in the bag. It is the most frustrating thing for me, to watch some young man or woman struggle while Jim Bob and Hannah Lee who are ancient are doing it easily. Frustrating I tell you! This job makes me want to loose my faith in humanity.
Another thing I despise, as previously mentioned, is when people want me to do their orders. Yes they want me to do the self checkout machine which defeats the purpose of having a self checkout machine. Time and Time again I find myself saying, why can't we just hire four people instead of having four machines, which will break and have glitches and errors. You have one person babysitting four machines when you could have four cashiers instead. If it was up to me, I would get rid of those damned machines and their automated voices telling you to "please put your phone number in," "please place the item in the bag", "do not remove bag until item has settled", do we live in a world where you can't understand basic instructions, why!
Finally, I will mention my biggest pet peeve with this annoying piece of junk that I just want to tear apart until all I have is a large heap of wires and scrap metal. I hate it when people come to the self checkout machine and they have three carts full. No! No NO NO! Did mention this drives me insane, because I have to be the one that tells the mother with five kids and a lousy husband that she needs to go to one of the vacant lines. I don't understand why people are so compelled to use these machines. Maybe it's the fact that you can bag items yourself, which you can do at any regular lane. Maybe it's the fact that you can use coupons, you aren't suppose to be using in the first place, and the machine won't catch you. I don't know I just feel that at the end of the day I am the bouncer at the club turning people away at the velvet rope.
I just despise people who defeat the purpose of the self checkout machine, it is suppose to be fast, hassle free, and simple. You go there when you have less than 20 items, you go and scan your items and bag them yourself. Don't you go there if you have a bunch of produce, because I will simply tell you to go to a cashier's line and wait like a normal person. Unless you know your doing you will be wasting your time, sorry to say that people who think it is easier and faster. I have watched many a person struggle for an order that would have taken a cashier a couple of seconds. Self checkouts were intended for a younger audience who have few items and who want to go in and out. Not for large orders, lazy people, or slow people. Yes I said it, slow people, who shouldn't be near my machines in the first place. This is one angry self checkout attendant signing off, remember to keep on scanning and I'll see you next time for my next Rant from the Register, thank you.
I will be posting on my regular schedule Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hopefully I get a large and faithful audience I would love to have a youtube channel, and even my own website. Let's hope I don't get fired/quit this job. Have a wonderful day and keep on ranting.
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