OT; It's been a funny old day....

[Brian Gaff]

Of course it was some years ago when these self service scanners first came out that I used to do my own shopping. I could not use the self scanner due to the touch screen etc, but every time I asked for some help they merely pointed me back to the self service till. I do think that some people who work in shops have some kind of common sense removal done before they are allowed to talk to a customer, in case they actually perceive the obvious. I recently had this same issue at both a doctors surgery and a hospital outpatients desk. Stand with whit cane in front of reception, droid says, rather busy use the computer log in. Doh..... Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Is this the same Wickes who no longer describe some doors as doors, something about enclosure entry systems or something. Doors have to be the standard sizes to be doors. I'm sure this has now been sorted out,but these sort of errors creep in due to the person putting stuff on the computer not realising exactly what the items are. as for quaantity errors. these do seem very common. I wanted a particular vacuum from John Lewis a while back the computer told them they had three, but all they could find was three sets of bags.

Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

I do, but not this weekend. No pipe to do it with, remember?

Owain

[Jude]

From harry :

Would that someone be something like the shopkeeper Arkwright out of Open All Hours?

[T i m]

But we just stopped bothering with them and went to bigger places where we could park and get the stuff off the shelves ourselves?

Same with model shops where they stopped selling 'kits' because few were buying them and went over the RTR (ready to run) models that people could often buy cheaper and get easier off the Internet (and so the model shops closed or went 'mail order'). These models were also considered 'disposable' and the owners didn't know how to repair them even if the parts were available.

So now the 'experience' is in places like this where 'the people' try and help each other.

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And I'm sure many remember going to, say, a plumber's merchant (etc) knowing what you wanted - but perhaps not the correct term for it. And getting that superior look from the sales droid who may have known the correct term but didn't have a clue on how to actually use the part. So much easier to select it yourself from the shelf or catalogue. And to be (fairly) certain they have what you want before even going there.

Other thing was getting stuck behind someone who wanted to see everything and the alternatives before buying. Give me self service every day. Especially click and collect, if it works as intended.

[T i m]

Indeed ... but the problem with asking them is you can end up being offered stuff that you know isn't what you want but take because it's

1) the nearest they have to what you actually want or 2) they have spent some effort helping you take it out of politeness?

I can't sat I really ever had the former but have had the latter. Especially so in electrical or plumbing places where they state they aren't plumbers or electricians so can only supply what you ask for.

Often, yes, as long as they have stuff organised logically (not always easy when you need something specific ... like yesterday I was looking for some line that was likely to be curtain cord but found it in amongst the lines, wires and chains).

Yup, that is a massive time / fuel saver.

Quite! Nearly as bad as buying petrol at places that share their tills with people buying groceries. ;-(

Agreed ... except for cooked food etc. ;-)

I generally do that more to *reserve* an item that may show as being low in stock rather to save time when I get there. I also often think of something else / different whilst on the way or find queuing at the 'Click and collect' point longer than going though the straight till.

Cheers, T i m

[tabbypurr]

The old fashioned knowledgeable places just couldn't compete. One after another they shut up shop.

NT

[charles]

We had a wonderful one which only closed last year. That was because the owner had a stroke.

[Simon Mason]

On Sunday, 25 September 2016 12:19:29 UTC+1, T i m wrote: .

Shell scrapped their pay at the pump as they make more money selling Costas at £3 a cup, Volvic at £1.50 a litre and a sandwich at £3 t han selling fuel.

[dennis]

You can buy fuel in Shell garages using your phone instead of pay at pump.

[Simon Mason]

No use to me as I don't possess one - besides, Mrs M still likes to read re al newspapers.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Whatever happened to the 'do not use your mobile phone in a filling station', then? Do you drive off and pay later? ;-)

[Simon Mason]

"To use, simply select how much you want to spend and scan the QR code at y our pump from inside your car."

[charles]

and th eone in our village sells lager, too.

[Simon Mason]

I make my own for 20p a pint.

[Tim Streater]

You've still got those bags of cat litter.

[Moron Watch]

How is that the young assistant's fault ?

You went into a shop hoping to buy condensed milk.

The fact that the management didn't explain to you what she wanted it for, before sending you to the shop for the condensed milk is hardly the fault of the assistant is it ?

If you, the person actually buying the condensed milk, didn't already know it what it was to be used for and that it could be found with the other stuff used for making puddings/desserts, how could the young assistant be expected to know this ?

Or do you really expect lowly paid supermarket staff, of whatever age to be intimately familiar with every item stocked along with all their possible uses ?

Maybe a bit more thought before posting next time ?

HTH

[The Natural Philosopher]

Now try asking them for a squash....

[Quert Black]

Got binned long ago now.