Every so often a small change wakes me up and reminds me of larger changes. I went into CVS the other day and they had, seemingly (or perhaps literally), installed automated checkout machines overnight. In the middle of a recession when unemployment keeps going up, they suddenly replaced employees with machines. When I went back a couple of days later, employees were chatting with some customers about how no one wants to use them, and they don't understand why the customers don't want "to help us out" when the line at the one remaining checkout counter grows long. A guy in line said, hey it puts the work on us.
Um...that's not the problem. The problem is, they are replacing employees. Not only that, but aparently they already aren't hiring employees who are educated or with-it enough to realize they are being replaced. Or perhaps to even be any better at customer service than a machine.
But what this small change woke me up to was this: CVS is a chain store, a nearly lone outpost of coprorate America in my neighborhood. I know it is a rare and precious thing in America at this point to actually have any locally owned stores, let alone so many. Yet over the years shopping at CVS became such a part of my routine that I'd actually not set foot in the locally owned pharmacy in years. I have no idea how the prices compare, what the hours are like, how knowledgeable, friendly or discreet the employees or owner are, because I haven't even gone. Now I will.
And I'll just go ahead and bulk order my breakfast cereal from Amazon.com. I know my UPS delivery guy, he's very friendly, and has not been replaced by a robot. Yet.
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