I walked in for my shift today to find something new has been added ... an electronic system that lets each cashier notify waiting customers when they are free. Think Walmart or (for Canadians) Canadian Tire. The cashier pushes a button and the computer / monitor at the front of the line announces in that placid voice computers always have "Please proceed to cashier number [whatever]."
The advantage, of course, is that now the cashiers actually have time to clean the damn belts before bringing in the next customer. When it was up to the person monitoring the line, it wasn't unusual for them to bring on a new customer before the cashier was finished with the first one ... and if there was some kind of hangup, that stressed out the current customer and exasperated the new one (although people were generally very good about it). I have to add that I'm not blaming the line-watchers ... they had to monitor 5-8 registers, so they didn't have time to contemplate life before sending a new customer up.
The downside (and it's a small one) is that the number of the free cashier(s) only stays on the monitor for a second or two ... so if there's nobody there, when a customer DOES come up to the monitor, they won't know who's free. So if we go into a slump the cashiers will have to hit that button more than once.
I was on register #1 today and the monitor is near #7, so often people would start walking my way, spot a closer cashier with no customers, and wheel into the register. I suggested putting an addition sound into the system ... that of a cashier sobbing because she can't get customers to come to her line.
Somehow I don't think that's gonna fly.
The advantage, of course, is that now the cashiers actually have time to clean the damn belts before bringing in the next customer. When it was up to the person monitoring the line, it wasn't unusual for them to bring on a new customer before the cashier was finished with the first one ... and if there was some kind of hangup, that stressed out the current customer and exasperated the new one (although people were generally very good about it). I have to add that I'm not blaming the line-watchers ... they had to monitor 5-8 registers, so they didn't have time to contemplate life before sending a new customer up.
The downside (and it's a small one) is that the number of the free cashier(s) only stays on the monitor for a second or two ... so if there's nobody there, when a customer DOES come up to the monitor, they won't know who's free. So if we go into a slump the cashiers will have to hit that button more than once.
I was on register #1 today and the monitor is near #7, so often people would start walking my way, spot a closer cashier with no customers, and wheel into the register. I suggested putting an addition sound into the system ... that of a cashier sobbing because she can't get customers to come to her line.
Somehow I don't think that's gonna fly.
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