Checkout Clerks

Here's a first for the blog, I'm going to make a social comment! Bet ya can't wait! ;)

So tonight I'm walking through the biggest SuperStore in Atlantic Canada when I come across some clerkless checkouts. The customer swipes the items.. bags them.. then swipes their debit or credit card and bob's their uncle they're done. There were two ladies at the machines to "introduce" them to the customers. When I stated I wasn't impressed they were shocked.

I don't know how customer service is fairing elsewhere in the world, but here in Atlantic Canada it is in it's death throws. Banks that used to have 6 or 7 clerks now have 1, maybe 2. And it looks like now we're going to get to pack our own groceries as well. When we go to a store here the only attention we get from staff is hard-sells and up-sells.

The poor young women were stunned that I preferred to get good service over self-service. They couldn't fathom why I would want to interact with a human being during my purchase experience.

I'm not sure what my point is here, beyond this - when we devalue human beings it makes it that much harder to spread the Gospel. As we become more and more disposable it will be harder and harder for people to believe God valued us enough to give up His only begotten Son. Don't get me started on the signs and commercials that equate pets with your children....