Monday, January 18, 2010

The not-so-express lane

I think the concept of the express lane at store check-outs has officially become lost on the service provider.
Why on earth would you put the oldest or the most cognitively challenged individual on the express check-out? It's not just another register than needs manned; it's the damn express check-out. This means that the average shopper, attempting to purchase 10 items or less, can expect to be through the line in two minutes or less (use of the debit/check card included in that 120 seconds).

Why did I just spend 11 minutes in line waiting to pay for my two items? There were four individuals in line in front of me with what appeared to be maybe 10 items total between the four of them, but the old, challenged Korean woman took her sweet arsed time processing their transactions. I was wondering if I was just in one of those moods where the slightest pause can make me feel like time is moving slower than it really is, but it was not the case. I noticed the "regular" check out next to us was processing the person who got into his line the same time I got into mine (I know this because I was pissed he beat me to the registers, and, to make it appear as though he hadn't beat me, I made it appear as though I was headed for the express checkout all along).

Now, I get that I am in Korea and that Koreans could care less about our express checkouts and other conveniences, but if this is happening within the post exchange (PX) on the military base, which makes it an American corporation, I have the right to expect an express checkout.

2 comments:

  1. It's all relative. Just picture what it's like at the Korean grocery store; you're standing right up against the register with your goods when someone waves their arms over your head with their item and the stupid clerk takes their stuff and rings it up before yours! That KILLS me. So the PX seems so much more civilized, if slow, in my opinion.

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  2. I was at the regular checkout today at the BX on Andrews. I intentionally skipped the express lane because the lady there (coincidentally Korean)was moving way too slow. I could see that because I was one of 3 people waiting for 2 registers. The regular line guy was 10 times quicker, and I was out in about 3 minutes because I was't ready for his efficiency. Would've been less than your prescribed 2 minutes,if I'd had my card ready.
    I don't think it's too much to ask for the express lane to move quickly. Seems like a breakdown in the base exchange system.

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