Dimitri wrote:
>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> 5.247...
>> On Fri 13 Mar 2009 10:25:21a, Jean B. told us...
>
> <snip>
>
>> It depends... The store I frequent most often has, I believe, ten
>> unlimited item checkout lines, two 12 items or less checkout lines, six
>> unlimited item self-checkout lines, and four 5 items or less
>> self-checkout
>> lines. At the time of day I usually shop, the checkout lines with
>> cashiers
>> and baggers have long lines of people waiting and the cashiers and
>> baggers
>> are fully occupied. None are closed down. If there are short lines
>> waiting I go there. If not, I use self-checkout. It doesn't appear that
>> any employees are without work in that store, nor are they being laid
>> off.
>> The self-check lines have very sensitive scales on the bagging platforms,
>> so I doubt that many items get through without being scanned or charged.
>> This is probably not the typical scenario, but it works for me and I
>> don't
>> feel bad about using the self-checkout lines then.
>>
>> --
>> Wayne Boatwright
>
> I think using a self check out ultimately costs jobs.
>
> The more we do for ourselves the less staff the stores need and will
> employ.
>
> Dimitri
Unfortunately our local supermarkets are chronically short on employees.
The local Kroger has 11 checkout lanes with two being express, ie 15
items or less, and four are self-checkout. I seldom see more than three
checkers on the lanes that take more than 15 items.

Store manager and I are friends, he tells me he can only get high school
kids to come and work and they work just long enough to get a little
spending cash and they're gone. There are two retired men working there
as baggers and cart boys, they like the work they do and get a little
pocket money too.

Up until about a year ago there were three or four cashiers who had been
there from 20 to 30 years but they all retired, as did the produce
manager who had been there 29 years, the meat market manager, aka
butcher, did the same.

Our area is in a construction boom and anyone who can walk and talk can
pretty much get a job paying $15.00 an hour or more and most with
benefits. There are about 27K construction workers in our parish and we
need another 10K just to complete the work we have on hand, not to
mention the 3 or 4 billion dollars of work waiting to start.