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Curbside Pick Up - Is this really necessary now?


Pat Riot

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24 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Self-check...

Let's see.....

Do I want to stand in line for 20 minutes for my 3 items?  Or do I walk to self-check and be out in under 3 minutes?    

Exactly!! I’m with ya 100%!

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5 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

It was never available when I was still working 10-15 hour days all over the county at all times of the day.  It never even came to mind to complain about it because that's just the way it was.

 

We've been sissyfied to a very large degree.

Oh I remember those days when on special assignments working 16 to 18 hr days, driving took an hour each way to and from work and still farming and driving to stores for supplies. Sometimes 2 to 3 hrs of sleep. Shopping is one of our pleasures. Besides shopping, meeting new people and those we met before. Its also the good exercise just walking. I see people my age that are no longer mobile as they once were. One guy I was target practicing  weekly can hardly walk now. His main pleasure for years was watching TV till 4AM in his Lazy Boy. He had yard people do his lawn, used car wash stations, and had his son do his shopping. Now he watches TV 24/7 almost and tells me about all the great shows I need to watch. We barely watch 4 hours of TV a week.

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15 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I refuse to use self checkout as well. What really gets me is many grocery stores are unionized. Those same store chains steer customers to the self checkouts. Heck, the union cashiers do too! I am not now nor have I ever been pro union, but I am pro working people. 
Also, I pay the same price whether I go through a standard checkout or a self checkout. 

 

McDonalds and Wendy’s in this area now have kiosks for one to place their orders. They will not man the counter and take orders via traditional human to human interaction. Though I do not eat at McDonald’s often, maybe once a year, I do like Wendy’s. I especially like Wendy’s chili and fries. My wife loves their Frosties. I will not eat at a place where kiosks are used. Period. 

 

 

interestingly enough there is a burger joint called "vals" here , its been around since the 50s i think , its located in an old filling station building of that era or before , everyone [OK nearly everyone] here think its the cats a$$ , the used to man the counter - take your order - hand you your food , but its always been take out only no inside dining , they did have picnic tables by the parking , they were only open in the summer months , 

then in the nintys they installed a phone system for order taking - still handed you your food , but now you have to go on line to order , they are also open year round now , 

 

im not a huge fan of their food and refuse the impersonal aspects of their business , ill eat at the truck stop where they actually wait on you - ill also tip , there is something important about that human element in food im going to eat , MREs are the next option i guess 

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8 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Self-check...

Let's see.....

Do I want to stand in line for 20 minutes for my 3 items?  Or do I walk to self-check and be out in under 3 minutes?    

Or do I leave my cart in the line and get in my car and go to another store?  I have chosen the last option on days when I'm feeling froggy, which is becoming the norm.

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1 hour ago, watab kid said:

ill eat at the truck stop where they actually wait on you - ill also tip , there is something important about that human element in food im going to eat , MREs are the next option i guess 

Good luck finding a truck stop that actually has a restaurant. Most of them now have a fast food place in them, Wendys, Popeyes Chicken, Subway, etc. The days of the Truck Stop Restaurant are all but gone.:(

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28 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said:

Or do I leave my cart in the line and get in my car and go to another store?  I have chosen the last option on days when I'm feeling froggy, which is becoming the norm.

 

Causing waste and higher prices.  Some items they can't put back on the shelves, and those items that can be taken labor to sort and reshelve.

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7 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Causing waste and higher prices.  Some items they can't put back on the shelves, and those items that can be taken labor to sort and reshelve.

Yeah, sell it only happens once because I also stop going to those stores most of the time.  That also cuts into their profits, just a tiny bit, but if more people did it they might have a effect on the marketing policy in the store.

 

Nah!  They'd rather do a Sears Roebuck than cater to anyone except the management.

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On 3/28/2023 at 12:09 AM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

Good luck finding a truck stop that actually has a restaurant. Most of them now have a fast food place in them, Wendys, Popeyes Chicken, Subway, etc. The days of the Truck Stop Restaurant are all but gone.:(

thats where im fortunate - there is one ten moles down the road that not only serves great meals 24/7 but they also have their own bakery that is well recognized and patronized , also has a full bar if thats what you need - ive been known to take my wife there for brunch she has a loaded bloody marry and i tend toward blue moon , 

also go there with friends the meals are superb - just shy of a nice dinner club , 

the bakery goods are a hut with those making the weekend trips to the cabin as well , they make the best specialty breads as well as all the stuff like "donuts the size of your head" [thats their add on the radio] 

 

if your ever on I94 in central minnesota stop by , you will like the clearwater truck stop 

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Had to succumb to the self check out at Wally World yesterday, grump. There were 8 self check lanes and 4 employees with folded arms looking bored to death in each. Zero cash register lanes. Unbelievable! This particular store also has a full grocery store at on end, couldn't tell if there were actual register lanes there. Can you imagine doing self check with a cart full of groceries and trying to bag them on a twelve inch table? 

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23 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Had to succumb to the self check out at Wally World yesterday, grump. There were 8 self check lanes and 4 employees with folded arms looking bored to death in each. Zero cash register lanes. Unbelievable!

Many times I get to Walmart early enough that the few cashiers they still have aren't there yet. I just ask one of the employees at the self checkouts to run it for me. Except for one time when the gal was talking to her friend, they are always happy to do so. (When I just stood there staring at her, that one gal went and got somebody else to check me out. THAT person was happy to do so.)

I usually get into a conversation with the person checking me out, and they agree that I shouldn't have to do it because I don't work there. 

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Grocery stores are just trying to find ways to survive. Think back or google how many grocery store chains are gone from the last 25 years. 
Grocery stores operate on a 1-3% margin, that’s not much. 
Payroll is the number 1 expense for stores. When you have states mandate minimum wage at $15-20 per hour stores have to cut somewhere to survive while trying to stay competitive on prices. We all would like multiple manned lanes with no wait but very few are willing to absorb the cost for stores to keep offering that service. 
Pickup cost stores more money in payroll and right now it’s lucky if they break even. However it’s the number one growth segment in stores and they are focusing resources to support that trend.  Many grocers are building pickup only locations as more shoppers are switching to that format. Who knows what the future will bring but right now the major grocers are moving to more automation and self service. I think you will see all the large chains continue to move in this direction for the near future. I suspect you will see speciality grocers pop up that offer traditional shopping experience but you will pay more for that service.  Just like others have mentioned, full service fuel stations are gone. They can’t offer that service and stay competitive on prices.  
There’s a few out there but you pay a premium for “full service” 

LF. 

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On 3/26/2023 at 9:05 AM, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

I think that it might not be too long before they don't even want us to go into the store. They'll probably all be like Amazon in 10 years.

 

1 hour ago, Long Fingers, SASS#56813 said:

 Many grocers are building pickup only locations as more shoppers are switching to that format. Who knows what the future will bring but right now the major grocers are moving to more automation and self service. I think you will see all the large chains continue to move in this direction for the near future.

LF. 

Exactly what I said in my earlier post.

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2 hours ago, Long Fingers, SASS#56813 said:

  Just like others have mentioned, full service fuel stations are gone. They can’t offer that service and stay competitive on prices.  
There’s a few out there but you pay a premium for “full service” 

LF. 

Some businesses seem to have it figured out. I don’t know if gas is a lost leader for Costco but our local one always has an attendant. And they seem to jump right on handicap plates and offer to pump their gas, I’ve also seen them pumping gas for mothers with multiple children. It’s always clean and the cheapest price in town. My wife knows a couple people that work there that used to work for other retailers “one was a manager at Walmart” and they all tell her it’s better than where they used to work. 
I remember the 1st time I went to Oregon I tried to fill up my car and the pump wouldn’t turn on, the attendant informed me what I was doing was illegal and he had to fill up my truck. Don’t know if it’s still that way , must be Oregons way of creating jobs 

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5 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Had to succumb to the self check out at Wally World yesterday, grump. There were 8 self check lanes and 4 employees with folded arms looking bored to death in each. Zero cash register lanes. Unbelievable! This particular store also has a full grocery store at on end, couldn't tell if there were actual register lanes there. Can you imagine doing self check with a cart full of groceries and trying to bag them on a twelve inch table? 

One thing that works here, go find the register that sells cigarettes. It is always manned. 

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2 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

One thing that works here, go find the register that sells cigarettes. It is always manned. 

They have to be or they would all be shop lifted, they are as good as cash in or out of prison 

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10 minutes ago, Buckshot Bob said:

Some businesses seem to have it figured out. I don’t know if gas is a lost leader f

Gas stations at grocers are a loss leader, breakeven at best. It’s a tool to entice the customers to shop at the store, earn discounts on gas ect…so you shop there.  There is very little profit in selling fuel alone. How many gas stations out there that only sell fuel?? Profit comes from soda,beer, beef jerky, donuts, coffee, cigarettes  …………kinda like a movie theater. 

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20 minutes ago, Buckshot Bob said:

remember the 1st time I went to Oregon I tried to fill up my car and the pump wouldn’t turn on, the attendant informed me what I was doing was illegal and he had to fill up my truck. Don’t know if it’s still that way , must be Oregons way of creating jobs 

Curious, is fuel more expensive in states/areas that require an attendant to pump?? I would guess the labor cost would be passed onto the consumers. 
LF 

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12 minutes ago, Long Fingers, SASS#56813 said:

Curious, is fuel more expensive in states/areas that require an attendant to pump?? I would guess the labor cost would be passed onto the consumers. 
LF 

Every cost is past along to the consumers or taxpayers in some form or fashion. I just duck duck go’ed it and apparently Oregon and NJ are the only places where it is currently required 

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44 minutes ago, Buckshot Bob said:

Every cost is past along to the consumers or taxpayers in some form or fashion. I just duck duck go’ed it and apparently Oregon and NJ are the only places where it is currently required 

An attendant in NJ thought he was gonna pump gas into our Harley! Not going to happen says I. Finally left and just made it on reserve into PA. No way in hell was tackle box face pumping gas into my scooter.:angry:

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