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Growing up in what I believe was the greatest generation in time, Dad always let us know that "There's no such thing as a free lunch." He and Mom always showed us, mostly by example, that in life, you have to give something to get something, be it in our schooling, our doing things around the house, in our future jobs, and in whatever else we took on (sports, organizations, extra-curricular activities, family responsibilities, etc., that asked for a commitment from us.) We understood what our parents were trying to teach us, and it seemed to have gotten through to us (even me, with my often thick and stubborn head) because we all seem to have given (and still do) as much as we could to most everything we took on in our lives. We've not just sat on the words and lessons of our parents, we've tried to pass them on to our children, and even their children too, as they have, and are growing up.
It seems more, and more, these days that the lessons we learned from our folks have worn thin in the real world, and new standards have been accepted as the new norms with regards to the "Free Lunch" theory. Just a short time ago, Sally and I left the house at 5:45 am, to get our grocery shopping done early because Sally had a scheduled Medical Test a bit later in that morning and we wanted to do our shopping before that appointment.
When we shop, we usually go on Tuesdays, as one of our local supermarkets offers a five percent discount as a longevity motivator (Senior Discount) for shopping at their store. We are not so proud as to not want that offer and take advantage of it, but we don't just shop at that one store. We usually do our shopping for toiletries and cleaning supplies at another "Big Box" (and recently overhauled and remodeled) store just down the road from the Supermarket that offers the discount. We do that because most of the items in those shopping categories are usually a little cheaper in price. We shop that store first as there are rarely food items that would have to sit in the car while we shopped at the store with the discount. So, on the day we did this before Sally's appointment, we went to the Big Box store, got all the items on our list, and a few others we remembered needing, that we didn't put on our original list, and proceeded, with a fairly full cart, to the checkouts to pay for our goods. As we walked down Register Lane, we ended up walking the entire line of registers finding each one with a sign that said "Closed." This forced us to have to use the Self-Checkout, which I do not like to use, because I believe if you are patronizing a business, you should receive customer service in exchange for part of your payment for the goods in your cart.
The thing that struck me funny (actually, more angrily than funny) was that there was a store employee who stood against the wall near the Self-Checkout area, who could assist the customer if he/she (me) had any issues with the checkout. If we had no problem, he was, in effect, not working and getting paid for not working. The company was not paying any cashiers at that time of day, and yes, I know it was early, but if the store is open at that time, their service to the customer should begin when they open.
My question in this situation is, why couldn't the person waiting for me to have a problem with the self-checkout, instead of doing nothing and getting paid for it, check us out, as was my choice. Is it too hard to think that some customers don't want to do the work of the employees (especially with no reduction in the cost of items in the store), while the employers and employees reap the benefits of the customers' work? Why not have at least one or two cashiers on hand in the wee hours of being open and adjust as the day progresses and the number of customers increases?
Another question I have is, am I covered under Workman's Compensation if I suffer some kind of cut or other type of injury while using the self-checkout machines? Yet another question is, if the person standing at the Self-Checkout to "help" with issues, is doing nothing for the better part of the day, how does the company justify paying him/her, as they exhibit that it is possible to get something without earning it? I am sure, if there were no customers that early, that there are other things the real people employees waiting for customers to check out could do (like or cleaning their station, or restocking their register area, etc.) that shows those paying for their selected items in a true checkout situation, and not having to do the work of employees without remuneration, and are relegated to being self-checkout customers (essentially unpaid employee workers), that they are receiving what almost every business advertises (but seemingly doesn't deliver in self-checkout only stores) and that is Customer Service.
Please note, I have no problem with people who want to use the self-checkouts. That's okay for anyone who would rather do that themselves, though I won't agree with the employee getting paid to stand there doing nothing. I would rather, especially when I have a large number of items, be afforded the Customer Service the stores promise me, hoping they'll follow through with their claim for it.
I don't go to my doctor and take my own vitals, or self-test, or perform surgery on myself. I don't go to my mechanic and end up fixing what needed to be fixed. I don't go to a restaurant and cook my own meals.
The holidays will soon be upon us and that always means more shopping than usual, and if I am going to be forced to do the work of employees, I want every business that makes me do this, to please have a sign with the date, time, and other pertinent information regarding the company Holiday Party, or I want to be added to the list of the company's Holiday Bonus recipients, and I expect to be included in these perks, and it's only fair because, as my parents taught us, you shouldn't expect something for nothing (unless, I guess, you work at some of our local stores.)