You have to read this.

skou · Post by **skou** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:56 pm

OK, first a disclaimer. I work at a grocery store, WITHOUT self checkout lanes. I also tend to use SCO lanes, when I can. I like them!

Now, since we brought up HomeD, here's a story from last May. A friend asked me to help out with his getting and setting up a new BBQ grill. We ended up at his local HomeD, and he picked out a good looking Weber gas model. (I tried to talk him into the Performer, the propane starting charcoal kettle, like I have. Best grill EVER!) If any of you watch America's Test Kitchen, they have the same model I have, except my kettle's red. ATK has NEVER used the propane charcoal lighting feature on TV, though.

We got the guy to get us one, and proceeded to the check out line. He got in a regular one, not a SCO. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, the clerk asked if my friend was a Veteran. He isn't but I am. Clerk accepted MY VA ID,and gave him a 10% discount. (Which he gave me.) I asked the clerk if that was just something for the weekend, or an on-going policy at HomeD. He said it is a standing (not a holiday) policy.

Any expensive purchases, I'll be of to HomeD!

steve

kalynzoo · Post by **kalynzoo** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 11:35 pm

Lowe's also offers a discount to veterans at the register.
Thank you for your service to our country.

jayp413 · Post by **jayp413** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:03 pm

I have to pipe in here. I honestly feel that the self checkout lines are quite simply taking jobs away from people. Kids, retirees and everyone inbetween have relied on jobs like these as primary and secondary income. It's easy to say how easy and fast they are to use and not realize that you used to go to a HD and there would be 5 or 6 cashiers waiting to ring you up and help you out. Now it is typically one cashier and 4 self checkouts.
This is just a way for HD and any other buisness to obviously pocket even more profit at the expense of the people who used to work those jobs.
The more we are ok with companies outsourcing our work to robots, and the more we use these use thes machines the faster we lose jobs.
We are all aware that the manufacturing industry is all but dried up. College kids are coming out of school $100,000 in debt with no job prospects to be seen and much of the political world would like to make every state a "right to work state". Wich just means a "right to work for less state".
I'm sorry for the rant but I am watching jobs disappear and never to return. We are too quick to say, "Wow this is easy!" And not realize that there used to be a smiling face ringing you up, and that person had real life bills a touch screen will never know. So please...stand in line to be helped by a human. A human with bills, possibly kids and possibly more jobs ontop of that. The longer the line gets the more they will call for someone in the store to open another register. and that means another job!

wiredone · Post by **wiredone** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:09 pm

Nicely put Jay.
Thanks

swampgator · Post by **swampgator** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:45 pm

Very much agree, Jay.

When I was making databases for the Navy/Marine Corp, my boss kept saying that labor was the most expensive element. Well, if the folks don't work, we pay them something through state aid. I would rather they have a job, have some dignity and I get to talk and deal with a person who can reason. The machines are not built that way.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:03 am

When was the last time you picked up the phone and the 'operator' said "number please"?

When was the last time you got on an elevator and told the 'operator' what floor you wanted to get off on?

When was the last time you saw a 'flagman' at a railroad crossing?

When was the last time you did not pump the gas yourself?

When was the last time the garbage 'collector' came to pickup the garbage can contents up by the house and carried it to the truck?

After all we are supposed to be DIY types!:D

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:48 am

jayp413 wrote:I have to pipe in here. I honestly feel that the self checkout lines are quite simply taking jobs away from people. Kids, retirees and everyone inbetween have relied on jobs like these as primary and secondary income. It's easy to say how easy and fast they are to use and not realize that you used to go to a HD and there would be 5 or 6 cashiers waiting to ring you up and help you out. Now it is typically one cashier and 4 self checkouts.
This is just a way for HD and any other buisness to obviously pocket even more profit at the expense of the people who used to work those jobs.
The more we are ok with companies outsourcing our work to robots, and the more we use these use thes machines the faster we lose jobs.
We are all aware that the manufacturing industry is all but dried up. College kids are coming out of school $100,000 in debt with no job prospects to be seen and much of the political world would like to make every state a "right to work state". Wich just means a "right to work for less state".
I'm sorry for the rant but I am watching jobs disappear and never to return. We are too quick to say, "Wow this is easy!" And not realize that there used to be a smiling face ringing you up, and that person had real life bills a touch screen will never know. So please...stand in line to be helped by a human. A human with bills, possibly kids and possibly more jobs ontop of that. The longer the line gets the more they will call for someone in the store to open another register. and that means another job!

Jay
A lot of what you say is absolutely correct, however and it is a big however.
HD is a corporation and as such has stock holders that demand a return on their money. To accomplish this HD has to
1. sell more, hard to do when there is a building slump.
2. increase prices, again hard to do when people are already complaining.
3. cut costs, best approach.

To cut costs;
1. employees have to produce more, not likely to happen in today's environment when most people believe the company owes them a job.
2. cut down waste, again have you seen the fork truck drivers in HD most would rather spear the products than just pick them up.
3. Cut the number of employees, require new technology which is being developed daily.

Now we can always go back the stock holders and say hey you are making enough money you don't need more. And at one time people did that themselves but in today's world everyone wants what ever they can get and more.

As far as college students graduating with huge huge student loans. They has a choice go to work in HD or go to college. Most didn't want to do "Manual" labor so they went to college where they began working on their retirement plans. Again at one time people were expected to put in a days work for a day pay and do what they were most qualified for. Today people want as much money as they can get for as little effort as they have to put into it.

When I went to college I worked before class and after class to pay for class. But kids can't do that today it conflicts with their social development.

Jobs going over seas. Tough nut to crack. But US workers demand annual increases or they aren't going to do the work. But if you hire a lawn guy and he came to you each year and demanded a huge increase and another guy said hey I do the same job but I only want paid every week which would you use?

I worked for a corporation and was involved with employee sat to some extent. You know what they complained about? Too much stress. I did their job and on the worst day their stress amounted to answering a phone and saying I don't know that answer. They also demanded a workout gym with shower and locker room, covered parking they didn't like their high dollar cars sitting in the sun. And not having bottled water supplied to them. Incidently we started having water brought in and our usage went from 100 gals a week to over 400. Want to guess where the upswing was? 200 est was taken home each week.

It all comes back to one thing GREED. The stockholders what more, the corporations want more, the employees want more, the customers want more, the colleges want more the professors want more, the students want more and no one wants to do any more to get that MORE!

lightnin · Post by **lightnin** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:46 am

I was at Meijer late nite early morning there was only self checkouts open
the employee said I would have to check myself out I said "No I don't... I don't work here."
Then walked away from my cart with a few hundred dollars of stuff in it and went elsewhere.

I don't like the self check outs because I'm not there to steal.
I absolutely hate a salesman or store employee telling me what I have to buy or do.
We don't have that in stainless you'll have to buy the zinc.
We don't sell them by the box you'll have to buy them individually.
I'll tell them "NO I DON'T I'LL HAVE TO GO SOME PLACE ELSE."

jayp413 · Post by **jayp413** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:30 pm

[quote="Ed in Tampa"]Jay
A lot of what you say is absolutely correct, however and it is a big however.
HD is a corporation and as such has stock holders that demand a return on their money. To accomplish this HD has to
1. sell more, hard to do when there is a building slump.
2. increase prices, again hard to do when people are already complaining.
3. cut costs, best approach.

To cut costs]

When is enough profit enough? They will keep squeezing us by outsourcing our jobs, raising prices when the cost of production is actually going down for them and then cry poverty when the people who now have no jobs can't afford to buy the crappy products made overseas by questionable labor practices and standards.
I really am not concerned with the stock holders. I'm concerned with my family being able to eat and have a roof over thier heads. Big companys do not concern themselves with the common working american anymore. It is simply how cheap and how fast can I mass produce a product to maximize profit.
There is no excuse in the world that makes any of this ok to me. Keep our jobs here and keep prices fair and we will buy the products we are making because we have jobs to pay for the products we build.
I am lucky I have a skilled trade under my belt or what would I do for a living? What's left out there?
It really is like a snake eating it's own tail. It can only last so long before we are all out of jobs and the big companies go bankrupt from us not being able to afford thier products.

jayp413 · Post by **jayp413** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:32 pm

lightnin wrote:I was at Meijer late nite early morning there was only self checkouts open
the employee said I would have to check myself out I said "No I don't... I don't work here."
Then walked away from my cart with a few hundred dollars of stuff in it and went elsewhere.

I don't like the self check outs because I'm not there to steal.
I absolutely hate a salesman or store employee telling me what I have to buy or do.
We don't have that in stainless you'll have to buy the zinc.
We don't sell them by the box you'll have to buy them individually.
I'll tell them "NO I DON'T I'LL HAVE TO GO SOME PLACE ELSE."

Good job. That is exactly what needs to happen!