Closing on time is "insensitive"?

[Dreamstalker]

Unfortunately we don't really have a way of enforcing closing time (standard procedure is to lock the In door at five til, and station someone at the Out door...but lately we've been shorthanded on closing) . We did have a guard after the Marathon bombings, and for that week everyone did get out on time. Last night an SC did complain about a pallet in an aisle, to which the night crew lead replied: "If you come when we're open it won't be here."

Basic math is now a lost art. One of the main selling points of the "S-it" guns is 'Keep track of how much you spend as you shop!'...of course, that just means if they don't want to spend over $XX, anything that would bring the total over $XX is just not scanned (and chances are good it won't be caught). I read somewhere about adding technology to shopping carts that would automatically scan anything placed in the cart, but that has its own set of problems...

I've had to explain the concepts of tax and bottle deposit far too often.

[Kagato]

Personally I'd love to see more of the "high-tech" shops that were touted years back where you simply go into a single front-of-house area, go to a screen, pick out everything that you want on the screen, confirm and pay for your order and once that is done, everything is either picked out automatically and mechanically sent out to you, or back-of-house staff pick out your products and again send them out to you. Faster and more efficient. Only downer is that it would not really work with regards to meat/fish and possibly other produce.

[XCashier]

Personally I'd love to see more of the "high-tech" shops that were touted years back where you simply go into a single front-of-house area, go to a screen, pick out everything that you want on the screen, confirm and pay for your order and once that is done, everything is either picked out automatically and mechanically sent out to you, or back-of-house staff pick out your products and again send them out to you. Faster and more efficient. Only downer is that it would not really work with regards to meat/fish and possibly other produce.

That sounds pretty cool. It would keep the store a lot cleaner, as well.

[mhkohne]

Personally I'd love to see more of the "high-tech" shops that were touted years back where you simply go into a single front-of-house area, go to a screen, pick out everything that you want on the screen, confirm and pay for your order and once that is done, everything is either picked out automatically and mechanically sent out to you, or back-of-house staff pick out your products and again send them out to you. Faster and more efficient. Only downer is that it would not really work with regards to meat/fish and possibly other produce.

Amazon.com. Get a prime membership and have that shopping experience from your own home (no perishables, though).

Also, there's a few places where they've built full-auto convenience stores. Sort of a wall-lenfth vending machine. Even does gallons of milk without a hitch.

[KatherineB]

That sounds pretty cool. It would keep the store a lot cleaner, as well.

It's also hilarious because it's exactly the way shopping was done before the invention of the supermarket and self-service. You went into a shop, gave the man behind the counter your list, and he selected and bagged your items. Getting the customer to do it themselves was the new and exciting way of speeding up shopping, just like self-serve petrol stations were supposed to make things quicker.

One step forward, two steps back...

[Geek King]

There used to be a store, when I was just a kid, that you could call in your order, and tell them what time you'd be by to pick it up, and it would be waiting for you at the pick-up door where you'd pay the attendant. There was a giant port in the wall with a roller conveyor the emplyees could push bins with the orders along.

My folks never used it much, because you had to pay extra for the convenience. The store eventually stopped offering it, then closed completely when I was in high school.

[XCashier]

It's also hilarious because it's exactly the way shopping was done before the invention of the supermarket and self-service. You went into a shop, gave the man behind the counter your list, and he selected and bagged your items.

That was also before "the customer is always right" became the national motto, right? So the employee didn't get any guff from the customer, and if he did, he could give them an earful right back.

[Lovecats]

When I was a kid my Mom would walk downtown to the A & P to shop (this was in the 50's to early 60's) and they would put her groceries in a box at the front and then by the time we got home they would be delivered. Ah, the good old days!

[Mike Taylor]

When I was a kid my Mom would walk downtown to the A & P to shop (this was in the 50's to early 60's) and they would put her groceries in a box at the front and then by the time we got home they would be delivered. Ah, the good old days!

In the Midwest, they have a service called Peapod that is associated with a number of grocery chains like Jewel and Safeway. You can order your groceries online and have them delivered.

[Dreamstalker]

Our chain has that as well...the order goes to a DC that is--ideally--completely separate from the store supply chain. I've been told of people actually calling up the store and expecting someone to pick and deliver everything (among other things, we can't take credit cards over the phone). You want the store to deliver, you shop and pay in the store.

[eltf177]

In the Midwest, they have a service called Peapod that is associated with a number of grocery chains like Jewel and Safeway. You can order your groceries online and have them delivered.

We have it here on the East Coast as well, here Peapod is associated with Giant although Safeway has its own delivery service.

Yeah, it makes sense that it's attached to a separate DC rather than an individual store. I've never used it as our Safeway is about 90 seconds from my front door...

[laborcat]

There used to be a store, when I was just a kid, that you could call in your order, and tell them what time you'd be by to pick it up, and it would be waiting for you at the pick-up door where you'd pay the attendant. There was a giant port in the wall with a roller conveyor the emplyees could push bins with the orders along.

My folks never used it much, because you had to pay extra for the convenience. The store eventually stopped offering it, then closed completely when I was in high school.

I kind of remember a similar set-up for a place in Hillsboro when I was a kid. Not sure about calling in an order, but maybe, since I don't remember going through and actually shopping. Too many years ago...

[TonyDonuts]

And just why would she come back a second time right before closing?!? Bitch.

Keep your new SM, use leg shackles if you have to. He's a keeper.

Because there are people who, if the store opens at 6:00am, then by God, they're showing up at 6:00am on the dot (or 7:00am or whatever).

God help you if you unlock the doors at 6:01am. The skies will darken and the seas will boil.

And there are people who, if your store closes at 11:00pm, then by God, they're coming in at 10:55pm, and they are going to take their own sweet time doing things because:

Numero Uno-You were open when they came in. Therefore, regardless of any little posted "closing time" or whatever you people are babbling about, the store is open. I'm here, so you're open. QED.

Numero Two-o-More importantly, screw all you people and your supposed "families" and "sleep" or whatever, all that matters in this world is ME and what I want. QED.

Your status as Saint depends on how many times you haven't throttled someone like this to death.

[Dreamstalker]

When I was stuck opening, there would be a gaggle of old people hovering around the doors at 6:55 who would try to squeeze through the door after me (now I know why someone kept petitioning management to let the night crew let the openers come in through the loading dock). What did most of them actually buy? The shitty $1.25 'coffee' from the machine (and then complain to anyone in earshot that it was crap--go to Dunkin Donuts then!), try to get a discount on a muffin (that is NOT from yesterday, it was just put out and I know you saw it), and be a general annoyance.

[Draco]

We have it here on the East Coast as well, here Peapod is associated with Giant although Safeway has its own delivery service.

That's because Giant's parent company (the Dutch-based Royal Ahold) owns Peapod. They just haven't spread out their grocery stores to the Midwest yet, so are using what they can to make a profit in the region.