Senior Lifestyle with Eileen O’Brien

They’re in all places, they’re in all places, they usually’re in all places! They’re within the low cost shops, huge field shops, grocery shops, residence enchancment shops, pharmacies. I knew they had been there, you knew they had been there. But it didn’t actually hit me or impression my life till two weeks in the past. 

To the strains on the automotive radio of “All You Need is Love” (Beatles, 1967) I park my automotive and head into my native Discount Store. As standard, I go to this retailer to buy three gadgets and after loading ten gadgets in my cart I queue up within the line to be checked out by the very type and affected person workers member, whom I’ve come to know and belief. Problem is, there isn’t a cashier current. As I stand on the counter with all my gadgets assembled on the counter, the road of seniors ready behind me rising quickly, and watching folks resolve to make use of the self checkouts to step forward of me, ten minutes goes by. With the encouragement of these additionally ready on the road to be checked out by a human, I stroll to the again of the shop and let the workers know that there’s a line of seniors who want an individual to examine them out. I’m advised there isn’t a one to personally examine us out and if I can’t self checkout, I ought to return the gadgets to the place I’ve discovered them! I return to the entrance of the road, inform the seniors ready,  in addition to some of us with disabilities additionally ready , concerning the response I acquired. Then I go away all my gadgets on the counter and a number of other of the parents behind me additionally go away the shop and go away their procuring carts behind. Now, if I used to be “Queen for a Day” on this specific day, everybody in that retailer who was unable to take a look at would have gotten all their chosen gadgets free of charge.

Corporate greed is in all places in our nook of the world – I do know it and you understand it. But consider it or not, it’s not worldwide. For instance, in Amsterdam there’s a grocery store chain named “JUMBO” that since 2019 has instituted   “Chat Checkouts,” or   “Kletskassa”, that function social initiatives to fight loneliness,  particularly amongst older adults. These sluggish paced and now very financially profitable lanes enable prospects to talk with cashiers, providing priceless alternatives for social connection and a much less rushed and anxious procuring expertise. Listen of us, the success of those lanes has led to their company enlargement of the “JUMBO” model!

The progress of the company most cancers of self checkout has led to job loss and no extra money within the common individual’s pocket. Think about it, when YOU self take a look at, YOU are working for the shop and receiving NO wage, NO low cost and NO assist! Those “entry level” jobs that all of us minimize our enamel on helped develop lifelong habits of duty, time administration, cash administration, interpersonal abilities comparable to cooperation, battle decision and an added bonus of friendships. 

So what ought to we seniors and anybody else studying this column do? Well, as an alternative of passively noticing signage comparable to “Skip the Line…Express Pay,” my recommendation is to SKIP the Express Line and meet the great, typically overworked, Front Line Staff which might be in all places! Let’s Begin:

MEET DENISE who works on the Foodtown in Valley Cottage.  Denise welcomes you with a giant smile, is bilingual, checks out your purchases, helps you with any issues you may need AND remembers your title if she has helped you earlier than.

MEET TOMAS on the ShopCeremony in West Nyack. Tomas at all times has a smile for you and finds out the solutions you probably have any questions. Tomas gives to assist pack your groceries and can truly allow you to keep on his line when he’s going off obligation or is about to take his break to get you rapidly in your means.

MEET ALEESHA  additionally on the ShopCeremony in West Nyack, who encourages you to purchase raffle tickets to help an area charity that the shop is supporting and shares how a lot she enjoys working at this specific ShopCeremony. Aleesha can be very happy that the bulletin board recognizing workers and their accomplishments in Aisle 11 has been observed. Readers ought to test it out on their subsequent procuring journey.

MEET JORDAN on the Stop & Shop on the Orangeburg Commons. He’s the younger man who runs after the senior citizen who, after paying for his grocery gadgets,  has forgotten his purchases and is  heading out the door. This younger man scurries after the senior citizen earlier than the senior will get out the entrance door with out what he got here for.

MEET ANITA on the Dollar Tree in Valley Cottage. She’s the woman at all times outfitted with a smile, who not solely checks you out personally however calmly and effectively, whereas additionally working interference for all these self checkout machines that malfunction, refuse your card or money and don’t enable you to fill your baggage together with your purchases.

MEET ROBERT the West Nyack ShopCeremony Manager, who shares with this author what an exquisite workers he has and the a number of methods he makes use of to maintain up morale, cooperation and positively reinforcing his crew.

Here are just a few concepts from my nook of the world with how Rockland seniors can help these entrance line employees: A. Do not use self checkout,  B. Use a  type greeting and thank the cashier by title after you pay on your buy, and now for my all time favourite unorthodox suggestion… C. Hand the cashier a greenback scratch off ticket (which I at all times have in my purse) want them an awesome day and good luck.  Try it. The first response you’ll discover if you make this gesture is complete confusion, then shock, then a giant embarrassed smile that somebody observed and acknowledged all their exhausting work.

In the phrases of my previous pal Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see!”

Happy Halloween! Remember, all treats and no tips!

  Rockland, rockland county, self-checkout, Senior Lifestyle