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Q
Member

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 49

quote:
Originally posted by Madkins007
All of the Omaha Public Library branches that I have been in do- they are great... most of the time! They have been there for a couple years now and are quite addictive!

Hmmm... the DC area (Northern VA, at any rate) needs to catch up. On the other hand, Harris Teeter (a local grocery store, for those who don't have them in the area) recently put in self-checkout counters...

06-05-2002 12:19 AM

terrysalmi
Member

Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Washburn University in Topeka, KS
Posts: 450

Well, that is what I get for always going to the Bellevue Library. Atleast I still get the 'hello' from the old lady at the counter...

In response to the DC grocery store - I know of one or two Hy-Vee Grocery Stores in Omaha that have self-checkout scanners. I think there is one where you don't even need your credit card (it stores the information for you, and you use a fingerprint or something). Of course, there is always someone overlooking the self-checkout counters making sure you don't cheat.

One of the benifits of living in a decent-sized town in the middle of nowhere is that a lot of companies like to use us a test market. For example, we were using the credit-card pad things that you swipe then press 'ok' for a couple months before everyone else.

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06-05-2002 03:28 AM

BobbyMike
Member

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

I get irked when a grocery store doesn't have self service!

Pricechopper (our local "big" chain) has them in some of their stores. In fact, the store in Latham has two 'runs' for a total of 8 stations. The only problem for me usually is when people with more than 15 items use the "15 items or less" to check out gobs and gobs of stuff.

Annoying pests, begone!

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06-06-2002 04:29 AM

Madkins007
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

Some of our Bakers stores have self-checkouts as well. I have not used one yet, but I am not the main grocery shopper in the house.

Self-check-out libraries, gas stations, grocery stores, toll stations, banks... I know some places are experimenting with automated and self-service fast food (I sometimes think it would have to be an improvement!)

I guess this will be the big fad of the 90's-00's, like 'drive thrus' were in the 70's (anyone else remember when you had to physically GO INTO the bank or McDonald's? Wow- and McDonald's was a serving counter on one wall, and a stand-up eating counter along the other wall?)

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06-06-2002 03:40 PM

jhappel
Member

Registered: May 2001
Location: NY metro area
Posts: 219

quote:
Wow- and McDonald's was a serving counter on one wall, and a stand-up eating counter along the other wall?

I can still remember the first time I went to a McDonald's. It was before they had any restaurants East of the Mississippi. A hamburger was 9 cents, a cheeseburger was 11 cents, fries (they only came in one size) were 7 cents, etc. At the time their ad campaign was accurate - you could get change for a dollar and still eat (almost) real food. This was back in the mid-60's.

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Jonathan

06-06-2002 04:48 PM

Yorick
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:
Originally posted by Madkins007
Self-check-out libraries, gas stations, grocery stores, toll stations, banks... I know some places are experimenting with automated and self-service fast food (I sometimes think it would have to be an improvement!)

I don't understand why one would want to use a "self-serve" checkout for grocery or the library. I get it when it comes to gas, tollbooths, or banks, etc -- you're not likely to run into a problem or wrong price. Groceries, any number of things could be in the system incorrectly, what a hassle. The library, it would be too easy to walk out without checking out (does happen, shockingly). Automated fast food gives me the willies -- not very enthused about machines preparing my food. On the other hand most of what one gets at the grocery store is prepared by a machine ...

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06-07-2002 04:18 AM

BobbyMike
Member

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: "Children are a gift from God, they are a reward"
Posts: 1049

"I don't understand why one would want to use a "self-serve" checkout for grocery or the library. "

I've been using the Pricechopper self-serve since it came up because most of my shopping is of the "honey can you pick up diapers, half & half, cereal, etc. on the way home?" and I hate waiting in a '15 item or less' line behind a person lugging a basket full of food (I have never seen a store employee chastise a customer for breaking that rule) who waits until after the last item has rung up before they haul out the checkbook. I can shave 10-15 minutes off my total shopping time by doing so.

I often get home right at my boys bedtime and I'd rather be spending that 15 minutes talking to my boys then staring at some person stuffed into polyester bicycle shorts (why do people who obviously don't exercise seem to spend all their time in athletic clothing?).

I've never had a wrong price come up at the grocery store, but if I did there is a cashier on duty there to monitor what's going on.

I don't go to the library much anymore (we own over 3000 books), but would probably not use self checkout there because I don't go to the library when I'm in a hurry.

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06-10-2002 04:08 AM

Madkins007
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

quote:
Originally posted by Yorick

I don't understand why one would want to use a "self-serve" checkout for grocery or the library. I get it when it comes to gas, tollbooths, or banks, etc -- you're not likely to run into a problem or wrong price. Groceries, any number of things could be in the system incorrectly, what a hassle. The library, it would be too easy to walk out without checking out (does happen, shockingly). Automated fast food gives me the willies -- not very enthused about machines preparing my food. On the other hand most of what one gets at the grocery store is prepared by a machine ...

At our libraries, the books are magnetically encoded, so you cannot leave the protected exits with a book without decoding it- which the self-service checkout does 100% of the time, and the human librarians (who have to pass it through a scanner to read it and a seperate machine to decode it) forget to do about 5% of the time (I really HATE the buzzers!)

The machine is usually faster and less crowded- although it has the same quirks all bar-code readers have now. The scanner ALSO is coded for the thickness of the book, so you cannot slip an extra under it and decode both.

Personally, I like it because it frees humans up to HELP other humans, and automates a process that usually does not an experienced librarian to accomplish. My wife, on the other hand, prefers the human touch and like to chat with the librarians.

......
Now- what process would you LIKE to see automated like this?

I would vote for an automated driver's license renewal system in a heartbeat. Go to a kiosk (located where it can be monitored by some sort of athorities) and stick your old license in it. Do the test(s), get your picture taken, answer some questions. While you are doing this, a scanner is comparing your photo/fingerprints to those on record, and checking your driving record.

If everything is OK, it takes your money and spits out a new license. Every so often, it would instead flag people for a real driver's test or some other check.

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06-10-2002 04:25 PM

Yorick
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:
Originally posted by Madkins007
My wife, on the other hand, prefers the human touch and like to chat with the librarians.

This would probably account for my dislike of the machine as well.

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06-11-2002 02:17 AM

Madkins007
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Nebraska- the Good life
Posts: 695

quote:
Originally posted by Yorick

This would probably account for my dislike of the machine as well.

Now- in my 'best of all worlds', machinery would be used when/where it made sense.

Like I said, I think that many check-out processes can and possibly should be automated- especially if there is still a human to go to if the automated system does not work for whatever reason. The perfect model of this is a bank. ATMs are handy (and were more so when they did not cost an arm and a leg to use!), but there are still tellers and other bankers available to work with.

I am glad when librarians can be freed up from mechanically checking out lines of people so they can actually help people find books, learn to use the library system, and so forth. I am also glad that they are running the check-out system in parallel so we can use the system that fits our needs the best!

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06-11-2002 04:03 PM

fixitgal
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Posts: 253

The best!

quote:
Originally posted by K. Cannon
"Oh, Bwoom Hiiillldaaaa, you're so wovwey..."

KC - Stop! You're killin' me! Now I'm going to walk around all day thinking...

"Sword and Magic Helmet! Sword and Magic Helmet!"

... and humming Wagner. I guess there are worse ways to spend the day. That cartoon is my all-time favorite!

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06-11-2002 10:15 PM

K. Cannon
Member

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

HA! Now I've got "Sword & Magic Helmet" in my head. I love Bwoom Hiwlda's reply: "Yes, I knoooow it, I can't heeelp it"

Hey, at least I didn't say

"You're such an iiiinnnnnnteresting monnnster, you need an iiinnnnnteresting hairdo"

which comes from one of my other favs.

Or how about

"do de do de do de du Abraca-Poooocuus....Pocus-CaDabra"

06-12-2002 02:16 PM

fixitgal
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Posts: 253

We're not getting old...

And who could forget:

Bugs: "Duck season!"
Daffy: "Rabbit season!"
Bugs: "Rabbit season!"
Daffy: "Duck season!"

... Bang! (Daffy's bill spins around his head...<classic> )

We're not getting old, we're just "skwooey"...

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06-13-2002 05:44 PM

bookrats
Member

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 501

Re: We're not getting old...

There are so many quotes. I'm just impressed that I can no longer hear the overture from Barber of Seville without plugging in the lyrics from "Rabbit of Seville".

"How Dooooo you dooooo....."

===========================

"Would I turn on the gas if my pal Mugsy were in there?"
"You might, rabbit, you might!"

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Last edited by bookrats on 06-13-2002 at 06:16 PM

06-13-2002 05:48 PM

Toby
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Re: Re: We're not getting old...

quote:
Originally posted by bookrats
There are so many quotes. I'm just impressed that I can no longer hear the overture from Barber of Seville without plugging in the lyrics from "Rabbit of Seville". [...]

I alternate between that, Alfalfa, and Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat tribute to Alfalfa.

06-13-2002 05:56 PM

K. Cannon
Member

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Did y'all ever hear Robin Williams' doing Elmer Fudd singing "Desire"

...I'm dwivin' in my cawh
I tuwn on the wadio...

Hilarious.

I used to love Saturday mornings--up at around 6, pester parents until they said to go watch cartoons, then layed around on den floor in PJ's until Soul Train or Dance Fever or American Bandstand came on, which meant the cartoons were over and it was time to go play.

(See how I brought it back close to the thread!! )
Kelley

06-13-2002 05:57 PM

fixitgal
Member

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Posts: 253

I'm impressed

quote:
Originally posted by K. Cannon
(See how I brought it back close to the thread!! )
Kelley

I'm impressed! I had forgotten what we were talking about... must be getting old!

But you forgot the part about Cap'n Crunch cereal...

The scary thing is that my kids are HUGE Scooby Doo fans. They can also can quote most of the "classics." Not to mention Monty Python and Mr. Bean episodes... (although that part is my husband's fault!)

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06-13-2002 06:11 PM

bookrats
Member

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 501

Re: I'm impressed

quote:
Originally posted by fixitgal
Not to mention Monty Python and Mr. Bean episodes... (although that part is my husband's fault!)

Hey, I've noticed that Monty Python (at least in my nieces) leads to literacy. It appears Holy Grail lead them to read The Once and Future King.

Same can be said for Looney Toons, actually...

----

"And do you think (fop that I am) that I could be the Scarlet Pumpernickel?"

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"And he died like he lived: with his mouth wide open."

06-13-2002 06:19 PM

K. Cannon
Member

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Re: I'm impressed

quote:
Originally posted by fixitgal
But you forgot the part about Cap'n Crunch cereal...

Yeah, I wish. My parents were a little freaky on the food thing. Mom used to cook us breakfast EVERY MORNING until we complained "so and so gets to eat cereal for breakfast, why don't we ever get to eat cereal." Then, you guessed it, we got our cereal and she never cooked breakfast again.

But their rule was that if sugar was listed in the ingredient list first, you didn't get to have it. So, Lucky Charms was usually okay but Cap'n Crunch was a much-coveted sugar-laden special treat.

She used to make stuff that I thought was weird but would love now, like stuffed bellpeppers and zuchinni (sp?). I remember my mom putting wheat germ on our hot dogs one time instead of chilli--okay, I still wouldn't like that. Also, we churned our own ice cream sometime for Sunday supper and occasionally baked our own bread (back in the day where you had to knead the stuff for hours).

Yep, the good ole days.

06-13-2002 06:21 PM