"Eigenvector" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
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On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 12:11:57 -0700, "Steve B"
wrote:

She called for the manager. The line piled up. She called for the
manager.
The line got longer. People were starting to talk. I said, for
Chrissake,
charge me for a bag. Said she couldn't scan an item twice. Against
company
policy and she would lose her job.

We waited longer.

After about ten minutes, I walked out, leaving about $250 in merchandise
sitting there.

Steve


In this time and day when small video cameras are so cheap and easy to
install it should be easy enough to install one or more (close up +
overview) at every checkout counter. The manager can then go to a
cash register terminal anywhere in the store, get the picture and make
a decision. He/she should be able to make an electronic approval too
from his remote terminal.

That's a really good idea.



And it really is, mainly because there's usually never more than 2 or 3
registers open...

In this time and day when small video cameras are so cheap and easy to
install it should be easy enough to install one or more (close up +
overview) at every checkout counter. The manager can then go to a
cash register terminal anywhere in the store, get the picture and make
a decision. He/she should be able to make an electronic approval too
from his remote terminal.

That's a really good idea.



And it really is, mainly because there's usually never more than 2 or 3
registers open...


They replaced the cashiers at my home depot with automated checkout
machines. I bought a bunch of bolts the other day and had to enter each
bolt's code into the checkout machine. It took forever. And each bolt
didn't register on the scale so the attendant had to do something to let me
continue.

"JDL" wrote in message

That's how large companies are ran these days. All they care about are
the bottom line expense figures on some spreadsheet program. All they
care about are raw numbers. But they're hurting their future sales
figures.

Return on investment for investors (and bonus for the CEO) takes precedent
over long term goals these days. Sure, profit is important to stay in
business and serve customers, but the short term goals of high profits can
kill you.

On 4 Jul 2006 05:34:49 -0700, "steve" wrote:

I gotta ask, do they have a mandatory IQ test to get a job at Lowes or
Home Depot?? I]m guessing they do, and if you do not come in , in the
bottom 10% no job for you.
( Apologies to DIY store folks reading who actually know what they are
doing)

Leaving aside corporate bean-counting, I have wondered if the current
building boom has something to do with it. At least where I am (NY
City) it seems like the whole world is a construction site. From
remodeling and expanding houses to new high-rises the real-estate
insanity has spurred a heck of a lot of construction. Perhaps there
just aren't as many unemployed tradespeople willing to work for retail
wages as there used to be.

Greg Guarino