So I was sitting in my cubicle ...



  • Actually, it happened at lunch, but I couldn't think of a snappy subject line.

    Anyway, working in healthcare, I don't get out much at lunch time, it's cheaper and more convenient to hit the cafeteria and eat at my desk.  So, maybe this has been around for a while, and I've just noticed it.

    Anyway, due to a WTF of a city ordinance banning drive through lanes in fast-food restaurants, I had to walk in to Carl's Junior.  I felt like I was in a scene from Idiocracy.  I get into line, and when I get to the counter, I'm greeted by the "Self-Service Kiosk."  This is a touch-screen device that allows you to input your order and pay, theoretically without having to interact with an actual human.  I must be fairly jaded because that only elicited a shrug and a "well, I guess it had to happen sometime."

    Of course, of the two machines, one had a semi-legibly scrawled "Out of Order" sign on it, but even this didn't really surprise me.  The WTF to the balls came when I noticed the employee stationed by the "Self-Service Kiosk" whose sole job appeared to be to enter orders.  Into the "Self-Service Kiosk".  Am I missing something here?  As a society, we're too stupid to find the right picture on the glowing screen and push it, and we need a professional to do it for us?

    But then, considering the number of orders I've had screwed up over the years by professional pushers of pictogram buttons, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that the layman can't handle it.

    Welcome to the Asylum, eh?



  • sweet!  I wanna put in my own orders!  I'd like a cheeseburger with quintuple bacon layered with cheese in between and about a 1/2 pound of pickles.  No fnucking mayo!



  • That would be so friggin' awesome! I go through self-checkout in grocery stores faster than a cashier can do it - even with produce with PLUs and all! Fast food joints are even worse. On Sunday, I ordered stuff at Long John Silver's and the person got at least 3 things wrong - and it took 5 minutes for her to take the order. If I had self-service, I could've punched it in within 15 seconds and it would be 100% accurate.

    BRING ON SELF-SERVICE FAST FOOD! WOOHOO!




  • I like to stop at the Tim Hortons on my way into work and pick up a muffin - you know, to munch on - and they *always* get my order wrong.  How hard is it to get an order for a  single muffin right?  I can see them screwing up super complicated orders, but when I ask for a Bran muffin, I would assume that they could actually get a Bran muffin, and not some kind of sugar-coated-chocolate-chip-blueberry-explosion muffin!  And I've only ever had them do this to me at one branch - every other branch I've been to has been good about giving me the right order.

    Now they just need to devise some kind of RFID-based self-serve system for drive-throughs....



  • I get into line, and when I get to the counter, I'm greeted by the "Self-Service Kiosk."  This is a touch-screen device that allows you to input your

     

    The Menlo Park (CA) Arby's has had a system like this since the early nineties, running on 3 curses-based touchscreen terminals, built into the counter.  For those who couldn't figure the things out, the guy who worked the register could complete the order on a screen on his side of the counter.

    I guess it was a slight efficiency boost, 'cause the guy who'd otherwise be taking orders can instead spend most of that time doing other tasks.  In theory.

    I thought it was really awesome, as a child.
     



  • In principle, I'm split on this.

    The geek loves the idea, especially the thought that no longer am I dependent on some minimum wage drone that can barely speak coherently to enter my order.  Removing a point of failure from the system is a good thing, as long as the system has the flexibility to let me order my Gardenburger with double cheese and extra bacon.

    The romantic in me (what little is left) laments the loss of yet another point of "customer service."

    I am actually looking forward to going in there some time and playing with the self-serve ... 



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    If I had self-service, I could've punched it in within 15 seconds and it would be 100% accurate.


    Don't be so sure.  I've worked in a few restaurants and the registers are a pretty good source of WTFs.  At the very least, these systems can't be very flexible, otherwise people would figure out how to get lower prices.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    That would be so friggin' awesome! I go through self-checkout in grocery stores faster than a cashier can do it - even with produce with PLUs and all! Fast food joints are even worse. On Sunday, I ordered stuff at Long John Silver's and the person got at least 3 things wrong - and it took 5 minutes for her to take the order. If I had self-service, I could've punched it in within 15 seconds and it would be 100% accurate.

    BRING ON SELF-SERVICE FAST FOOD! WOOHOO!


     

    You're pretty cocky I see.  I worked fast food for 3 years.  I was probably one of the fastest cashiers there (I also wasn't the most costomer friendly during lunch rush, but I collected more money for the company than the other cashiers :-) ).   It took me probably 2-4 seconds to enter each item that a customer ordered (unless it was a super special sandwhich of course), however every once in a while you hit the wrong key.  And these things are not forgiving of the wrong key being hit sometimes.  Fixing an error can take a while even if you know what your doing.

     

    Also, I avoid self checkout.  Not because I don't understand it, but because I hate how the grocery stores and such are starting to expect us to do all the work ourselves.  When I go shopping I want to let someone else bag my stuff and wave it 3 times over a laser.  When I go to a resaurant I want to sit on my ass while a waiter asks me what I want to eat, and then sit some more while they run my credit card through a machine.   



  • The best is when you go into a gas station and the cashier tells you to swipe your own card through the machine thats facing you, then the machine tells you to hand your card to the cashier who proceeds to type in the expiration date or whatever it is he's doing... Why swipe the card yourself in the first place? Can't the cashier handle the responsibility?



  • @tster said:

    Also, I avoid self checkout.  Not because I don't understand it, but because I hate how the grocery stores and such are starting to expect us to do all the work ourselves.  When I go shopping I want to let someone else bag my stuff and wave it 3 times over a laser.  When I go to a resaurant I want to sit on my ass while a waiter asks me what I want to eat, and then sit some more while they run my credit card through a machine.


    I look forward to it, though. Especially in my area, they hire people who wouldn't be able to pass the GED. Sometimes they'll flip an item 10 times trying to find the barcode. At the self-checkout, I can run those things through one after the other. The only thing I hate is the bagging area is too small. Other than that, I can get through a self-checkout much faster than a regular -- for two reasons: 1) I know what I'm doing and I don't pass it so slowly like the cashiers where it ends up scanning 3 times before it gets off the scanner, and 2) It scares away the "slow people" around here, so there isn't much of a line.

    Cocky has nothing to do with it. Come down here where it seems like all minimum wage employees just crawled out of the woods after never seeing civilization (or computers) before. They are some of the slowest people on the planet. On many occasions I've been stuck in a drive-thru for 30 minutes or more - and that's at a simple place such as Wendy's. Translated to my work pay, they would owe me more than I would owe them for the order. "Fast food" is called that for a reason. I order everything standard and they still look at me as though they are stoned and on another planet.

    I'm all for self-service out here!



  • Doing the self checkout at the supermarket is definitely the way to go. I agree, it is not being cocky. I have alot of things to do. On that list is not waiting for some high school kid or some senile grandma to beep my items. I even memorized the PLU numbers for the items which I buy which are not in the system like ginger root 4162.  KAPOW!



  • The thing is, a good cashier should be able to do all the scanning, charging, etc. *faster* than the average shopper.  I'm all for doing stuff myself, but I'm not too proud to defer to someone with more experience, especially someone who's getting *paid* to be better than me.  I pretty much avoid the self-checkout unless there's no line and I have a very small order (and don't have to worry about punching in lots of PLU codes).  As someone else mentioned, it's sad that customer service is seen as expendable these days in order to cut costs.  I'd rather pay an extra 10 cents for a can of soup or what have you if it means hiring more experienced cashiers that can do their job faster, or better training for the less experienced ones.

    Also, regarding the original post:  I guess the fast food chain in question is a regional one, as I don't believe there are any in the NE where I am.  So, can someone explain why it's called "Carl's Junior" and not "Carl Junior's"?



  • "So, can someone explain why it's called "Carl's Junior" and not "Carl Junior's"?

     

    The original store that Carl N. Kilcher opened was known as "Carl's Drive-in Barbeque".   When Carl opened his next 2 restaurants, they were miniature versions of his original store... thus, Carl's Junior (restaurant).



  • @merreborn said:

    The Menlo Park (CA) Arby's has had a system like this since the early nineties, running on 3 curses-based touchscreen terminals, built into the counter.  For those who couldn't figure the things out, the guy who worked the register could complete the order on a screen on his side of the counter.

    I guess it was a slight efficiency boost, 'cause the guy who'd otherwise be taking orders can instead spend most of that time doing other tasks.  In theory.

    I thought it was really awesome, as a child.



    I lived near an Arby's in San Jose CA with the same setup. They implemented it around the late 80's from what I remember.
    I always assumed they did it to accomodate employees who might not speak English. I guess efficiency of some kind plays a part as well.



  • Those self-checkouts are wonderful for smallish orders, but when it gets much past the express lane item limit, it's time to let someone else do the work.  It's just get too monotonous after a while.  Plus, my programmer physique of spaghetti-width muscles doesn't like having to lift multiple "heavy" items, like a gallon of milk.

    Thank God I have the education and experience to do something else besides being a cashier.
     



  • @cconroy said:

    The thing is, a good cashier should be able to do all the scanning, charging, etc. faster than the average shopper.  I'm all for doing stuff myself, but I'm not too proud to defer to someone with more experience, especially someone who's getting paid to be better than me.  I pretty much avoid the self-checkout unless there's no line and I have a very small order (and don't have to worry about punching in lots of PLU codes).  As someone else mentioned, it's sad that customer service is seen as expendable these days in order to cut costs.  I'd rather pay an extra 10 cents for a can of soup or what have you if it means hiring more experienced cashiers that can do their job faster, or better training for the less experienced ones.


    Exactly.. a good cashier. Most people down here don't fall in that category. I wouldn't mind having someone else do it for me as long as it doesn't mean spending another hour in a line. Also, a lot of stores down here have 10+ registers, but only keep 2 open -- YET -- there are 4+ self checkouts. So if the majority are clogging up 2 manned stations, why shouldn't I use an empty self checkout?

    I'm all for customer service. One of my first jobs was as a bagger and I got praised by customers on how efficiently and correctly I organized stuff into bags. I got tips when I took the bags to the cars. So, I can see from their position. I tip very well for everything now that I'm making decent money. I've even give money to customers at checkouts who are short by up to $5.

    BUT.. I can't stand waiting in line while a cashier sits there trying to figure out how to ring up produce or gets a stunned look on their face when I tell them that they just rang up the same item 3 times in a row by hovering over the scanner.



  • @Jojosh_the_Pi said:

    Those self-checkouts are wonderful for smallish orders, but when it gets much past the express lane item limit, it's time to let someone else do the work.  It's just get too monotonous after a while.  Plus, my programmer physique of spaghetti-width muscles doesn't like having to lift multiple "heavy" items, like a gallon of milk.


    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that doesn't have a conveyor belt and takes things out of the cart for you, we have to do all the lifting anyways to put the stuff onto the belt. Most of the time, we have to turn around and take the bags and put them back into the cart. So, the only thing I'm saving on is scanning across the scanner. With self-checkout, I skip the conveyor belt and go directly across the scanner and into a bag. Also, I don't have to worry about the baggers with a lack of common sense doing stupid things like putting bags of flour or sugar in with condensation-soaked frozen items. It's absolutely amazing to me how many people around here have no idea about sorting - EVEN WHEN I PRE-SORT ON THE BELT!!!!!! They'll reach across my sorted stack and grab something from another category. I feel like screaming "You f'ing moron! Since when does toilet paper, ice cream, laundry detergent and a box of pasta go in the same bag?!"



  • I read an article about a year ago in a management magazine (I was bored in a Dr's office) about how difficult it was to get decent help in the world of fast food and other basic retail counter work. The general hassles the management had to deal with when it came to people not showing up for work, or being idiotic were painful to read about - but their excuse was simple - they were usually at the point of hiring ANY warm body because they didn't have the luxury of being choosy with applicants. Of course, ya have to think about the kind of people who would consider fast food as a great career choice - while many of us used it on the way to better things, there are more in that boat because its all they can do...and that they can't do it well is really sad.

     Another experience I had the other day at a fast food restaurant - I had GREAT service from a guy who was wonderfully friendly and who even ended up bringing the meal to our table when things were a bit slow. I thought - wow...that was unusual and very pleasant...then realized that this guy was made for working a fast-food cashier station, and probably nothing else. As a manager - what the heck do you do with that knowledge - that moving this guy up would not be a benefit to your organization because he is great at what he is currently doing.

    I'm so happy to not be in management.
     



  • Even those who don't plan to make a career out of it should at least do the job well while they are there. I worked in grocery to get up work experience. While I was there, I tried to do a good job. The problem is that most of the people who work there just don't care. As long as they get a check, they're fine. They aren't out to please anyone.



  • @RxScram said:

    "So, can someone explain why it's called "Carl's Junior" and not "Carl Junior's"?

     

    The original store that Carl N. Kilcher opened was known as "Carl's Drive-in Barbeque".   When Carl opened his next 2 restaurants, they were miniature versions of his original store... thus, Carl's Junior (restaurant).

    Got it, thanks.  Fast food BBQ?  Wish we had some up here -- would be a nice change from the same 3-4 burger joints (and Taco Bell, which I don't even consider an option).



  • @merreborn said:

    I get into line, and when I get to the counter, I'm greeted by the "Self-Service Kiosk."  This is a touch-screen device that allows you to input your

     

    The Menlo Park (CA) Arby's has had a system like this since the early nineties, running on 3 curses-based touchscreen terminals, built into the counter.  For those who couldn't figure the things out, the guy who worked the register could complete the order on a screen on his side of the counter.

    I guess it was a slight efficiency boost, 'cause the guy who'd otherwise be taking orders can instead spend most of that time doing other tasks.  In theory.

    I thought it was really awesome, as a child.
     

    Yeah, I know that's a typo, but it's still pretty funny, especially when the touchscreen is messed up.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:


    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that doesn't have a conveyor belt and takes things out of the cart for you, we have to do all the lifting anyways to put the stuff onto the belt. Most of the time, we have to turn around and take the bags and put them back into the cart. So, the only thing I'm saving on is scanning across the scanner. With self-checkout, I skip the conveyor belt and go directly across the scanner and into a bag.

    True.  I prefer having one person scanning and one bagging, though, as it generally makes things go more smoothly.  (My first job was also a bagger and I have no problem doing it if there's no bagger there, rather than waiting for the cashier to finish scanning.)  But I guess you can always bring a friend to help. :)

    @AbbydonKrafts said:


    Also, I don't have to worry about the baggers with a lack of common sense doing stupid things like putting bags of flour or sugar in with condensation-soaked frozen items. It's absolutely amazing to me how many people around here have no idea about sorting - EVEN WHEN I PRE-SORT ON THE BELT!!!!!! They'll reach across my sorted stack and grab something from another category. I feel like screaming "You f'ing moron! Since when does toilet paper, ice cream, laundry detergent and a box of pasta go in the same bag?!"

    I remember having to watch a training video on how to bag groceries.  You'd think that sort of thing would be common sense, but then again, if they had to produce a video...


     



  • have you ever considered that that one branch doesn't like you and your healthy bran muffins??   :)



  • heck..  even stoned I can do a better job....... ....  and with a smile at that!!



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:


    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that [ ... ]
     

     It's also the only grocery store that means "groins" in Spanish.  Bet it doesn't get a lot of latino customers!

     



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Even those who don't plan to make a career out of it should at least do the job well while they are there. I worked in grocery to get up work experience. While I was there, I tried to do a good job. The problem is that most of the people who work there just don't care. As long as they get a check, they're fine. They aren't out to please anyone.

    If they are getting paid next to nothing you would expect to get people who are not so great. It is simply the free market. Better quality labour costs more money.

     Here in Australia where cashiers typically make about A$15ph (about US$10ph). They are (reasonably) polite, fast and sort properly. I can usually get through the checkouts in about 2-5min. Only one store has self-service checkouts.

    So... you get what you pay for.
     
    -Andrew
     



  • Ever since I saw Idiocracy I've really really wanted to eat at a restaurant called "Butt Fuckers". That would be awesome.



  • @HeroreV said:

    Ever since I saw Idiocracy I've really really wanted to eat at a restaurant called "Butt Fuckers". That would be awesome.


    That reminds me.. I need to plan a trip to one of the cities around here that has a Fuddruckers. I haven't been there in over 10 years.



  • @DaveK said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:


    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that [ ... ]
     

     It's also the only grocery store that means "groins" in Spanish.  Bet it doesn't get a lot of latino customers!

     

    The real WTF is that both Google Translate and my Spanish-speaking manager say "Ingles" means "English" - not groins at all.

    (Actually,  the EXTRA WTF is that I just did the opposite via G.Translate and entered Groins and told it to go to Spanish... and it comes out with Ingles as well... So English and Groins is the same thing?)



  • Well then, obviously the Spanish recognise the sexual prowess of us English folk, to the extent that they refer to their nether region by our name!



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    That would be so friggin' awesome! I go through self-checkout in grocery stores faster than a cashier can do it - even with produce with PLUs and all! Fast food joints are even worse. On Sunday, I ordered stuff at Long John Silver's and the person got at least 3 things wrong - and it took 5 minutes for her to take the order. If I had self-service, I could've punched it in within 15 seconds and it would be 100% accurate.

    BRING ON SELF-SERVICE FAST FOOD! WOOHOO!


     

    I hate the self-checkout when you have a really light item (like a packet of sauce mix).  It usually goes like this:

     

    "PLACE ITEM IN BAG"

    Item placed in bag

     "PLACE ITEM IN BAG"

    Me: It is in the bag.

    "PLACE ITEM IN BAG"

    I take it out and drop it in again.

    "DO NOT REMOVE ITEM FROM BAG!"

    "PLACE ITEM IN BAG"

    "PLACE ITEM IN BAG"

     

    I hate computers sometimes...
     


     



  • @webhamster said:

    I hate the self-checkout when you have a really light item (like a packet of sauce mix).


    That annoyed me the first few times, but now I'm prepared. When I toss it in the bag and tells me to put it in the bag, I give the self-checkout attendant a glaring look that basically reads "If you don't press the button in the next 3 seconds, I'm going to come over there and do it myself." It's still faster than waiting for a regular cashier to find the barcode.



  • @AbbydonKrafts said:

    When I toss it in the bag and tells me to put it in the bag, I give the self-checkout attendant a glaring look that basically reads "If you don't press the button in the next 3 seconds, I'm going to come over there and do it myself."

    I bet that wins you all kinds of courtesy points with them.

    I'm reminded of every "bad customer horror stories" community I've ever read.



  • @Saladin said:

    I bet that wins you all kinds of courtesy points with them.

    I'm reminded of every "bad customer horror stories" community I've ever read.



    As I've already said, the "customer service" down here s-u-c-k-s. They don't care about their jobs, they don't care about the customers.. they simply don't care at all. So why should I stand there and talk to the machine while the attendant stares into outer space? I've seen them many times just chatting away to other employees while the lights are blinking above other self checkout lanes. So, what comes around, goes around. If they want to be pricks to the customers, they'll get the same in return.



  • @slavdude said:

    @merreborn said:
     

     running on 3 curses-based touchscreen terminals,

    Yeah, I know that's a typo

    I doubt it.  Look up curses, and be enlightened. 



  • The self service checkout tries to check when you've put something in a bag? Now there's a WTF ...



  • @Bob Janova said:

    The self service checkout tries to check when you've put something in a bag? Now there's a WTF ...

    No, that way it knows that you're scanning the right item. You could scan a sponge, and put a bottle of whiskey in if it didn't check the weight (the bagging area is a scale).

    my girlfriend is rife with customer service horror stories; here's one now:

    "i say hi how are you"
    they say "double paper in plastic, but i only want two items in each bag and i will tell you which items go together and i want all the cold stuff together in insulated bags and i dont want any of the hot things with the cold things and since youre a moron i'm going to have to tell you to use common sense because these are things that nobody would think of besides me. oh and can i go run and get something i forgot?"

    and " heh i have to guide people through using the fucking credit card reader"

    I have a few of my own from working at Circuit City. Man, people are idiots.

    My favorite self-checkout is the one at Home Depot... that thing rarely screws up and is really fast. And they generally run all four with the one cashier. You'd think that home depot wouldn't be able to make use of something like that, but if you've ever been to one, using the self-checkout is a godsend if you're just buying a sprinkler head or something else like tape or glue.



  • @pauluskc said:

    sweet!  I wanna put in my own orders!  I'd like a cheeseburger with quintuple bacon layered with cheese in between and about a 1/2 pound of pickles.  No fnucking mayo!

     

    For anyone out there in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virgina, and Central NC, Eastern Ohio, Northeastern West Virginia, check out Sheetz.  http://www.sheetz.com  They have burgers and hot sub sandwiches, and their system is to not make the food until you order it.  You can pick their Burgerz, their Friez, and so forth.  It's good stuff, and you pick the burger, number of patties, and topings, all with pretty color pictures.  You then wait for your number to be called.  You get a receipt with your order, and the bag also has the order info on it.



  • @Bob Janova said:

    The self service checkout tries to check when you've put something in a bag? Now there's a WTF ...

     

    Yeah, the bag thingy is on a scale so it knows when the item you just scanned has been placed in the bag (i.e. weight change in the bag) or if you have placed something in the bag without scanning it.  When the item is feather-light though it causes all kinds of problems. 



  • I worked in a gas station during university.  The number of people still flummoxed by the pump and/or the car wash is just stunning.



  • @webhamster said:

    I worked in a gas station during university.  The number of people *still* flummoxed by the pump and/or the car wash is just stunning.

    Around here you put in your credit card and it says, "ATM/Debit Card?  Y/N"

    As opposed to what?  Yes it's a card.  No it's a credit card.  You've got the card, you stupid machine.  Look at it yourself.

     



  • @newfweiler said:

    @webhamster said:

    I worked in a gas station during university.  The number of people still flummoxed by the pump and/or the car wash is just stunning.

    Around here you put in your credit card and it says, "ATM/Debit Card?  Y/N"

    As opposed to what?  Yes it's a card.  No it's a credit card.  You've got the card, you stupid machine.  Look at it yourself.

     

    Some cards can be used for both, though. I personally run my card through as credit rather than debit all of the time. The reason? My bank charges me a 50 cent per-transaction fee for use as a debit card, and nothing to use it as a credit card.
     



  • @newfweiler said:

    @webhamster said:

    I worked in a gas station during university.  The number of people still flummoxed by the pump and/or the car wash is just stunning.

    Around here you put in your credit card and it says, "ATM/Debit Card?  Y/N"

    As opposed to what?  Yes it's a card.  No it's a credit card.  You've got the card, you stupid machine.  Look at it yourself.

     

     

    This was in the mid-90's before all the new-fangled technology where you took the nozzle out and flipped down the handle which activated my control panel to alert me that someone was on the pump and I should allow them to start pumping...

     



  • @GeneWitch said:

    @Bob Janova said:

    The self service checkout tries to check when you've put something in a bag? Now there's a WTF ...

    My favorite self-checkout is the one at Home Depot... that thing rarely screws up and is really fast. And they generally run all four with the one cashier. You'd think that home depot wouldn't be able to make use of something like that, but if you've ever been to one, using the self-checkout is a godsend if you're just buying a sprinkler head or something else like tape or glue.

    Saddly, after having been responsable for some of the wtf's for some of Home Depot's backend (I had no choice. My boss at the time was convinced that db, logic and presentation should all fit in one aspx page. His argument was that oop and separating code from the markup was retarded. It was that or starve :( ). Your carefree days are numbered. Once they get the RFID stuff in, your sprinkler head will ring up as a garden hose....

     



  • @sinistral said:

    @pauluskc said:
    sweet!  I wanna put in my own orders!  I'd like a cheeseburger with quintuple bacon layered with cheese in between and about a 1/2 pound of pickles.  No fnucking mayo!

    For anyone out there in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virgina, and Central NC, Eastern Ohio, Northeastern West Virginia, check out Sheetz.  http://www.sheetz.com  They have burgers and hot sub sandwiches, and their system is to not make the food until you order it.  You can pick their Burgerz, their Friez, and so forth.  It's good stuff, and you pick the burger, number of patties, and topings, all with pretty color pictures.  You then wait for your number to be called.  You get a receipt with your order, and the bag also has the order info on it.

    Sounds wonderful, when can I visit?



  • @Kyanar said:

    @DaveK said:

    @AbbydonKrafts said:


    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that [ ... ]
     

     It's also the only grocery store that means "groins" in Spanish.  Bet it doesn't get a lot of latino customers!

     


    The real WTF is that both Google Translate and my Spanish-speaking
    manager say "Ingles" means "English" - not groins at all.

    (Actually, 
    the EXTRA WTF is that I just did the opposite via G.Translate and
    entered Groins and told it to go to Spanish... and it comes out with
    Ingles as well... So English and Groins is the same thing?)

      Heh.  The difference between them is that one has an accent on the E and the other doesn't; I imagine that babelfish assumes people won't get accents correct on the words they enter and so it takes a guess at which one you mean.

         inglés   =   english  (pronounce it like "ing-layz")

         ingles   =   groins    (pronounce it like "in-glez")

    If you ever find yourself being ranted at by an irate spaniard, you could probably defuse the situation with a touch of humour by saying "¡No soy ingles, soy inglés!"




  • Danger!  Quote Pyramid of Doom approaching critical mass! 

    @DaveK said:

    @Kyanar said:
    @DaveK said:
    @AbbydonKrafts said:

    Considering Ingles is the only grocery store down here that [ ... ]

     

     It's also the only grocery store that means "groins" in Spanish.  Bet it doesn't get a lot of latino customers!

    The real WTF is that both Google Translate and my Spanish-speaking manager say "Ingles" means "English" - not groins at all.

    (Actually,  the EXTRA WTF is that I just did the opposite via G.Translate and entered Groins and told it to go to Spanish... and it comes out with Ingles as well... So English and Groins is the same thing?)

      Heh.  The difference between them is that one has an accent on the E and the other doesn't; I imagine that babelfish assumes people won't get accents correct on the words they enter and so it takes a guess at which one you mean.

         inglés   =   english  (pronounce it like "ing-layz")

         ingles   =   groins    (pronounce it like "in-glez")

    If you ever find yourself being ranted at by an irate spaniard, you could probably defuse the situation with a touch of humour by saying "¡No soy ingles, soy inglés!"

    And the last time I was in the south ('lanta over the summer), I heard the store's name pronounced as "een-gulls" (I suck at phonetic-type stuff.  Think like Laura Ingalls Wilder).  Actually, before going to the store, I expected to be a Mom 'n Pop-type place named Ingall's or somesuch.  Seeing the "Ingles" sign was a bit of a shock.

    Also, cconroy, you asked about Carl's Jr.  IIRC, CKE also owns Hardee's, and they share a number of similarites in menus, logos, etc.



  • @cconroy said:

    The thing is, a good cashier should be able to do all the scanning, charging, etc. faster than the average shopper.  I'm all for doing stuff myself, but I'm not too proud to defer to someone with more experience, especially someone who's getting paid to be better than me.  I pretty much avoid the self-checkout unless there's no line and I have a very small order (and don't have to worry about punching in lots of PLU codes).  As someone else mentioned, it's sad that customer service is seen as expendable these days in order to cut costs.  I'd rather pay an extra 10 cents for a can of soup or what have you if it means hiring more experienced cashiers that can do their job faster, or better training for the less experienced ones.

    CConroy, I agree with you.  If I am buying fruits and vegetables and such in the grocery store, I usually go through a checker's line.  I don't want to have to go through the self-checkout hierarchical menu to find what kind of tomatoes or avocados I have bought; the checkers generally know them by heart.

    I do go through self-checkout if I am only buying regular barcoded merchandise.  It depends of course on how long the lines are in the various places.



  • @Fred Foobar said:

    @newfweiler said:

    @webhamster said:

    I worked in a gas station during university.  The number of people still flummoxed by the pump and/or the car wash is just stunning.

    Around here you put in your credit card and it says, "ATM/Debit Card?  Y/N"

    As opposed to what?  Yes it's a card.  No it's a credit card.  You've got the card, you stupid machine.  Look at it yourself.

     

    Some cards can be used for both, though. I personally run my card through as credit rather than debit all of the time. The reason? My bank charges me a 50 cent per-transaction fee for use as a debit card, and nothing to use it as a credit card.
     

    get a new bank. 


Log in to reply