"Tim J." wrote


Hmmmm. . . I purposely look for this type of checkout. I find it much
faster


That's why I think this is a cultural deal ( generation ) .. my kid's
generation seems to PREFER cell phone chatting to face to face conversation
.... I'd guess ( based on noticing what groups don't seem to notice being
dehumanised but do seem to always be in a hurry ) you must be around 50 or
less if you think talking machines are 'cool' ?





When I go into Home Depot, I'm normally stopped by two or three employees
who ask if I'm finding what I need, and, if I'm not, they usually take the
time to walk me to the spot I can find it.


I got decent/good service, at that "on the floor" level




FWIW ( nothing?) I moved from San Jose here in 1976 to open an Orchard
Supply Hardware ( first out of the Bay Area ) .... I was in middle
management. and at that time OSH was a family owned business that took great
pride in customer service and knowledgeable help ... it's been sold and
resold since then and is now owned by Sears ... it's not even close to the
same ..... but I'm sure that background working there affects my opinions on
service. For retail it was a great place to work ... they let me
maintain management pay level, work part time, and set my own schedule when
I was starting my own business, one of the VPs even sent me a dog to train
and became my hunting buddy ... as I said, it was a family biz, if you
worked for them you were family, if you shopped there you were too and
treated like it ( this wasn't a small biz ... just a family one ). Times
change, some things get better, some don't .....


Larry L ( who doesn't want to go back to Seal Dri waders )