A government owned Australia Post outlet I see regularly has someone now next to their self-serve units to help take more customers through these than at the counter. Is this is a concerted education campaign to get more shoppers using the self-serve units?
In recent visits I have noticed the line for the human counter is shorter than the line for the self-serve counter.
Supermarkets do this and the result for them has fewer human counters and more self-serve locations.
I went through the Coles self serve last night and after putting the last item through it went all temperamental and said to wait for assistance. 2-3 minutes later with no help in sight I wheeled the already packed trolley to a normal register. Not a fan of self serve at all.
The retail landscape is changing so rapidly, it makes me wonder if newsagencies even have a chance in the next 3 years. Customer service is fast becoming a memory, just like the corner stores. It is not hard to see lotto slips and re-charge vouchers being printed out soon.
I also don’t use the self-serve. Why should I contribute to putting people out of a job?
Soon it won’t be a matter of choice.
Customer service is what gives every small business a strong point of difference. Ignore it at your own peril as many people will pay a little more to be looked after properly.
There is nothing wrong with self service but a lot of people will be our of work.
I love self service! I wish they offered it everywhere.
I don’t want to make small talk with a register operator – if I’m at the register I’ve bought everything I plan to buy and just want to tap my card and get out of there.
For things like supermarkets, convenience stores, , Australia Post (which I’ve visited once in 3 years and that was because I needed one stamp) and department stores I always use self service, even for big ticket items where possible
Neil, thank goodness everyone doesn’t think the way you do.
I love my customers and I hope they at least like me even if they don’t love me.
Service with a smile and a caring compassionate word or two for people never hurt anyone.
I definitely feel an empathy for my customers and even when I go to Coles I rarely go through self service because I like to talk to the girls/boys on the checkout and find out what they are studying or whether or not they are enjoying their work.
I have 9 grandchildren and 4 of them have had a job with me at weekends or after school (3 still) and it has given me a chance to re-engage with the younger generation on a personal level that helps me to understand where they are coming from in this brave new world.
How can you get that in self/serve?
How can our children (grandchildren) learn to understand and help people if shops don’t employ them any more?
I use my grandies to update my FB page on a weekly basis and it encourages them
to co-exist with dinosaurial me.
I agree with FRUIT AND VEG that a lot of people will be out of work if SS reigns supreme.