less help visible in stores

**tunisia** · 01-30-2009, 09:15 AM

Not a vent or a whine but just a general observation I have made of late and am just wondering if it is coincidence or whether anyone else has noticed this as well.

Seems that since companies are trying to save money, cut down on their workforce, having employees cross-trained to do more than just one task, I've noticed lately that the stores I have gone into, the lines are longer, and the number of cashiers is less...as well as there not being as many floor staff around to find and ask for assistance.

Maybe it is the after-christmas cut back, or maybe not.

I can't remember going to the pharmacy in the late afternoon/early eve and having just one register open. same w/the grocery....fridays and only having a couple of non-express lanes open.

It just seems that there are longer lines. I'm a patient person and am not that important or entitled that i can't wait, but I'm just noticing it more.

anyone else?

**Advertisement** · 01-30-2009 09:15 AM

**keoka3** · 01-30-2009, 09:23 AM

I went into food lion the other day and we were lined up thru the store there was just one cashier,i went and ask for another cashier and got the assist. manager he run the register, and when I go to Cvs i have to wait at the window cause there is only one person doing the inside and out. and even walmart is bad, I won't use the self service register cause i lost my job cause of them.

**mosdata1** · 01-30-2009, 09:31 AM

I also refuse to use the self checkout. The stores push that service & say they are doing it 'for the customer' so we don't have to wait so long in line. What a bunch of hooey! They do it so they don't have to hire as many cashiers.

**Jenefer3** · 01-30-2009, 09:35 AM

I've noticed that at some stores, like Walmart, but I haven't noticed it at Target, the grocery stores, or any of the department stores.

**tunisia** · 01-30-2009, 09:39 AM

I so agree Mosdata1 regarding the reason they give for self-checkouts. hooey for sure. and you can't go through them w/alot of groceries because that spinner thingy w/the bags doesn't hold alot and impossible when you bring your own bags. I gave up long ago when it would yell at me and "please place the item in the bag" when I already had. lol problem was...it was my canvas bag.

**mosdata1** · 01-30-2009, 09:46 AM

Home Depot is the other store I know of with self checkouts.

**Jenefer3** · 01-30-2009, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by mosdata1

Home Depot is the other store I know of with self checkouts.

Around here it's Lowe's, Home Depot, and Fred Meyer...our Walmart took ours out about 2 years ago. They took them out but didn't add any more cashiers..checking out is a nightmare.

**sdb_ngc** · 01-30-2009, 10:06 AM

I have always had a problem finding someone to assist me in Walmart it appears as if they are are hiding out somewhere. It's such a pain to have to walk through the store to find an employee to answer a question.

**atprm** · 01-30-2009, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by tunisia

Not a vent or a whine but just a general observation I have made of late and am just wondering if it is coincidence or whether anyone else has noticed this as well.

Seems that since companies are trying to save money, cut down on their workforce, having employees cross-trained to do more than just one task, I've noticed lately that the stores I have gone into, the lines are longer, and the number of cashiers is less...as well as there not being as many floor staff around to find and ask for assistance.

Maybe it is the after-christmas cut back, or maybe not.

I can't remember going to the pharmacy in the late afternoon/early eve and having just one register open. same w/the grocery....fridays and only having a couple of non-express lanes open.

It just seems that there are longer lines. I'm a patient person and am not that important or entitled that i can't wait, but I'm just noticing it more.

anyone else?

I do mystery shops at Krogers -- usually 5-6 a week -- and part of my job is to encounter 5 non-front end employees.

In more than half of the stores, I can barely find 5 TOTAL employees!

Drastic cuts on their part and hard for me to do my job adequately.

**suzski** · 01-30-2009, 11:35 AM

I was in Harris Teeter's yesterday and they are a store that is known, and prides itself, on their customer service.

I didn't have any problem with employees asking if I needed assistance as I walked around the store, but in there was a definite cutback in the number of cashiers were working. Normally they will be standing in front of their registers, asking if you're ready to check out. Yesterday there were maybe 4 (out of 10 or so lanes) that were staffed. Very sad since I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be happy to get a job there.

**baragabrat** · 01-30-2009, 11:42 AM

It's all about the bottom line for these companies and it always has been, regardless of the economy. When I worked, all they could think of was the labor cost and subsequently cut down on the work force or sent folks home early, regardless of how it affected the consumer and the type of service he got.

I do know that Jan-Mar at least are very very slow months and if you do have a job in any type of retail/food service you can count on losing alot of hours.

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