Because It's Friday
4 hours ago
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Resisting the future
The local big box store has installed a whole new section of self service check outs. I'm avoiding them like the plague. No doubt the corporate masters have dreams of eliminating more jobs and milking a few more dollars from their operations.
A restaurant chain that my lovely wife and I used to occasionally visit has taken to putting little electronic menus on all the tables. Not only do I refuse to use them, I'm no longer giving that restaurant chain my business. Those tablets are just distasteful enough to drive me to their competitors -a place with humans to take my order.
I'm such a Luddite that I don't have one of those electronic toll EZ Pass things on my windshield for road tolls. Instead I pay a human being cash money. To be honest, I probably use a toll booth about 15 times per year. I might feel differently if a toll was part of my daily commute. Then again, maybe not. When the system was first set up in my state, there were significant discounts for using the electronic passes. Now there is very little price difference.
Maybe someday there won't be a choice. Being able to interact with a live human being will be history. Of course, then there will be very little reason to do business with those companies. Humans need interaction with other humans. Take that away and there's no reason to go out at all. Might as well stay home and order everything on-line.
-Sixbears
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I actually had one of the folks who oversees about four of those automated registers get miffed at me because I wouldn't use it. She asked me why, so I told her that the company's ultimate goal was to perfect them so they could fire her, and I figured that she needed a job. She still kept her bad attitude!
ReplyDeleteWhen one treasures a bad attitude it's hard to let it go -even when it makes no sense at all.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAuthor Jeff Rubin's projections of mega financial collapse and the rebirth of small town local business seems to be the most logical progression but then again, when did logic or reason affect social development?
ReplyDeleteDo you know where things really started to go down hill in western society?
It was when hood release catches were moved inside the car.
From that point onwards we've been on the slippery slope....
You know, I think you are right about hood releases as a marker of decline. When in high school I worked at a gas station and would always check the oil while filling the tank. The release was still on the outside back then, on most cars.
DeleteWe also trusted society that no one would steal our car's engine.
A lot of stores around here have those self check-outs.
ReplyDeleteThey are always empty.
Good that yours are empty. I see folks using the ones in the big box store and they often are people who look like they could use a job themselves. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteI don't use the self check-outs either.
ReplyDeleteThe resistance grows . . .
ReplyDeleteLuddites unit, say I
ReplyDeleteAll together now.
DeleteThey track those toll EZ pass devices and save the information. I figure folks know too much about me and my doings as it is, so pay cash.
ReplyDeleteThe pass records are used by the police.
Deleteone should always fear a future like this
ReplyDeleteWildflower
That's my take on it.
DeleteHello, my name is Judy and I am a Luddite.
ReplyDeleteHi Judy, I'm Sixbears, welcome to our little group.
Delete