When desktop sized computers first came on the scene in the late 70's, I was one of the fortunate few to begin working with them. I did accounting for 30 corporations on a monthly basis. The computer was going to speed up my work, increase my fees and give me more time to devote to my clients.
Indeed, I was such a wizard then, that one computer was not enough for me. I had it so busy, I had time on my hands, waiting for it to catch up with its work. So they carted in a 2nd computer for me. I now ran two computers, doing accounting on both. I would load one up, while it was digesting my numbers at it's then very slow rate (think little floppy drives) I would then start on computer two, loading it up. Now while both computers were busy doing work, producing reports, which took a lot of time, I met with clients or simply went out to lunch. I could have ran 3 computers, but they wouldn't buy me a 3rd one at the time.
Computers were saving me massive amounts of time. Matter of fact, i took up sailing, joining the Wednesday afternoons races at Lake Hartwell, which was two hours from my office. So I began taking Wednesday afternoons off work. That morning, i would load up my computers with tons of accounting, then let them continue on their own, posting the general ledgers, organizing the Income Statements and Balance Sheets, laboriously printing out in dot matrix the trial balance, while I was already on the lake, out sailing.
I thought this was fantastic! I was doing the work of 3 people, my income had shot up, my time at the office had decreased. Life was great!
So now, 30 plus years later... computers have come full circle.
Computers are no longer used to increase productivity or save time.
Just the opposite.
Computers are used to create extra work for the employees and to make the customer wait endlessly while computer "problems" are dealt with by 2-3-4 employees. It seems cashiers are totally incapable of using a calculator to speed you on your way. NO, you must wait and wait and wait, while they sort out their computer first. The customer comes last. In addition, computers are used to create mountains of paper, far more than we used when we didn't have computers at all.
Remember the old days? When you went shopping and they handed you a minute little piece of paper for your receipt? Often it was from a hand crank adding machine or hand crank register. If you bought 12 items, that piece of paper was barely an inch long!
Just last night I bought 4 items and the cashier handed me 22 inches of register tape for my transaction! Incredible! Let's tear down more trees, heat up the planet, cause drought and hunger. Yes, trees prevent all that, but now our computers are determined to do away with them.
Furthermore, there was a problem with the computer at the store. The cashier had to call the manager, once, twice, thrice before it was finally settled. Still flummoxed, he then called a coworker to come assist. A transaction of buying 4 items that should have and could have taken only 30 seconds (with the old fashioned hand crank adding machine, we didn't call them calculators in those days). But instead, it took 15 minutes for me to check out my 4 little items, 3 employees, one computer and 22 inches of register tape.
We have gone backwards not forward! Am I the only one that sees this?
Then, silly me made a huge mistake at the next store. Well, actually this happened a few days earlier. Let me give you some background. I bought a little carpet runner for my motor-home. It was the perfect color and it was on sale, heavily discounted. I felt so lucky. As without all that good luck, I wouldn't be able to afford such frivolity on my shoestring budget. I wanted two carpet runners at that fabulous price in that color, but they had only one. The clerk said the colors were divvied up and scattered to their various stores, that if I saw another store in their chain, I should stop and check it for another carpet runner of the same color.
Well, sure enough, in my travels, I saw the same small store chain, so I pulled the RV over, to go see if they had another carpet runner on sale in the same color. It appeared they did! So I bought it.
One minute later, outside at the RV, I realized sadly, the color was different. it was an off shade and clashed severely with the original carpet runner. So I gathered up the first carpet runner and the second one, I had just bought one minute earlier, plus receipts for both.
I went back in the store, literally, less than 3 minutes later. The same cashier was on duty, eating her M&M's just like when I checked out. I explained the carpet problem, showing her the runner from the other store, the one from this store of the same carpet but a different shade and asked her if I could take both back to their little rug section to work something out. I showed her I had paid receipts for both. She let me go ponder my problem in the back of the store where they kept the carpet runners.
See last year, my friends and I ripped out my 16 year old filthy, nasty, germ laden, allergen heavy old carpet from the RV. Next we laid down vinyl tile. I was thrilled at the ease of keeping it clean. But when it's cold, I like to put down washable carpet runners, so the dog and I stay warmer. When it's not cold, I generally roll the runners up for storage, except for one I like to keep at the entrance and in the bathroom.
My old carpet runners had been in heavy use for two cold winters. Actually, I used them full-time when I first moved into the RV, to hide the hideous wall to wall carpet underneath, because looking at it, drove me crazy. It was only after the vinyl tile was installed, that the carpet runners began a part time life with me.
Being able to have vinyl floors for awhile then carpet runners for awhile, well it keeps me sane, more or less. It gives the RV a different look for a little change now and then. The carpet runners help keep us warmer when it's cold. I live in 28 by 7 feet, so my space is limited. The engine and front seats take up about 7 feet, so really I live in 21 by 7 feet of space.
Apparently the detergent in the washing machine ate away the rubber backing, making the old carpet runners become slippery on the vinyl floors. The old runners had also been bought for a fantastically cheap price. Adding rubber under-mats to the existing runners was going to cost more than the carpets had in the first place (but be far cheaper than a broken leg).
Housekeeping wise, it would just be more hassle and I'm very lazy. Like Roseanne Barr so famously said "I'm not vacuuming until they build a riding vacuum cleaner I can sit on!" I try to look for easy ways to do things. I like the washable removable carpet runners, because generally, I can take them outside, shake them furiously to clean them, then sweep out the motor-home, mop with my foot and a rag, if I have to, then replace the carpet runners. All looks nice and clean, plus no vacuum cleaners were injured or mistreated on the job.
In case you are wondering, there is no where to store a mop in here, so I just use a rag and my feet for mopping. So far that works fine and gives my ankles a workout.
So in the back of my head, I had tucked away a note to look at the same bargain store, in the future for possible carpet runners. I know this little chain of stores has ridiculous sales now and then.
I've also since learned, if you wash your rubber backed rugs in the washing machine, do not use laundry detergent. Instead use a mild dish soap. They will come out clean and the dish soap won't dissolve the rubber backing. How I wish I had known that much sooner!
So I have digressed heavily...
OK, in the back of the store, I found a matching carpet runner, though it was a different size. I had my measurements with me, since one was going to lay the length of the motor-home and the other the width, the fact they were two different sizes didn't matter, they both matched and they both would work for my purposes. I loved the color, it coordinated the old motor-home. Being on a shoestring is no excuse to be colorblind too!
I went to the cashier to explain I was trading rugs. Oh my gosh.
I thought the world was coming to an end. She punched around the computer, but it wouldn't budge. She rang up the manager who took a long time to arrive. Matter of fact, she arrived while eating an ice cream cone. So I watch this manager type in with one hand, meanwhile she demands my drivers license.
I explained I didn't want to fly away on the magic carpet, I was going to walk on it and there fore no driver's license would be needed. She growled at me "It's because you asked for a refund!"
"No, I don't want a refund, I want to exchange this carpet for that carpet, because I got the color wrong the first time I was in here, 5 minutes ago."
"Well, that's a refund and a new purchase in our book! We don't do exchanges! The computer won't allow it!"
She continued to lick her ice cream cone while perusing my driver license. She then typed in rather slowly (again with one hand) my name and address. Then she asked for my phone number.
"Good grief! I just want to exchange this carpet, not take out a mortgage!"
She ignored me and insisted I could not get a refund for the first carpet runner without my phone number. So I gave her my number. A few minutes later, the computer spit out a small mountain of paperwork suitable for a kid sized wheel barrel. She handed it to me.
"Sign this!"
I began reading the paperwork, while she barked "Just sign it, don't read it!"
Now I ignored her, pretending to read the entire sheaf of papers which was printed in mouse sized print, so I couldn't really read it anyhow.
Finally I signed it with a wiggly line that resembles nothing like my true signature. She banged a few hundred more buttons on the computer, then handed me a refund.
"But I wanted to exchange the carpet runner for this one!"
"The computer doesn't do exchanges! I told you that! You have to buy the other carpet runner!"
So I paid for the carpet runner, then they made me wait while another 11 inch receipt (for ONE item!) printed out of the computer.
19 minutes, one clerk, one manager, one computer, 11 inches of paper, plus the kid sized wheel barrel of refund paperwork, I was finally cleared for take-off. They kept the small mountain of refund paper for their files, complete with my drivers license number, my address, my phone and my strange signature.
The accountant in me wonders and ponders, just HOW profitable was that heavily discounted carpet runner to the store? Hell, I think they could have GAVE me the runner for free, and made more money than they did, tying up two people, one computer and all that paper for 19 minutes. Meanwhile, customers behind me loudly sighed, groaned and whispered not so polite things.
Honest to goodness, I hope I never buy another carpet runner in my lifetime. I am going to use this one for decades and decades. Maybe by then, mere humans will have figured out how to train computers to save time, personnel costs and paper, not waste loads of all three, plus did you notice?
Yeah! Did you notice it too?
The customer came last! No one thanked me for my purchase. No one apologized for the ridiculous delay and interrogation. They just crammed the receipt in the bag, shoving it at me, as if I had done something horrible to them.
Note: If blogger has messed up my formatting again, I am sure 5 people, 3 computers, 49 sheets of paper and 2 hours can straighten it out again.
Share
|
|
Testing the comment area, I saw on other blogs that some folks can't post comments with this new blogger format (they changed it all recently to keep us confused). Of course you can always email me at Author@DearMissMermaid.Com
ReplyDelete