"Greeters" in shops

stokesley

Pennywise wrote: »

Not everyone who chooses not to use automated systems is a technophobe.

And the technophones are mainly elderly. It would be more polite if banks, supermarkets etc could wait until they die out before inflicting technology they are never going to master onto them.


In our local eye clinic, they've introduced book-in screens. They are simple to use and cause no problem, unless you can't see how to work them; the clue is in the words "eye and clinic", so most of them can't.


Behind a large desk sit two receptionists. Every time someone needs to book in and can't manage the computer they walk miles round a desk and show them how to do it. Next time they come they still won't be able to work the thing, and on and on.


They haven't saved any staff, they've just made their lives, and those of the patients, more difficult.

Gigervamp

NBLondon wrote: »

At Trafalgar Square at peak times, it makes a lot of sense.

Ooh, what's the Square like now? My dad and my ex both worked there through the 70s-80s.

I remember when it was open 24 hours. Came in very handy one New Year's Eve when I needed the loo, I told them who my dad was and they let me use the staff loo!

nwc389

I have done the greeter role in a high street bank and I can tell you that the staff hate doing it but that's what the people who run the bank want them to do so they have to try to get on with it even though it is a job that comes with a fair amount of aggro and aching feet !
To be fair we did pick up a lot of people who didn't realise we had machines that paid in so they were happy to get a demo of the technology and save time but some people didn't want to use them and in view that was their choice.
The machines could be temperamental , they wouldn't accept Scottish notes, crumpled or torn notes and some cheques were rejected without good reason so if you had pulled someone out of the queue and this happened you were left with egg on your face!
The branch I worked at had an envelope drop box that was badly designed so occasionally envelopes got stuck causing money to go 'missing' until we managed to waggle the envelope out with a ruler !
I'm not a bank worker now but I do happily use technology however I am always mindful of the instances when I saw it go horribly wrong .
If the greeter bothers you Bob just say no thanks firmly and make your way to the counter , or don't make eye contact and ignore them completely (they will be used to it lol) .

pappa_golf

In walked into B+Q this morning , and a greeter asked me if I wanted "decking"


the police say my case should come up at the local magistrates in march

George_Michael

That's almost as old as the one about the man who was prosecuted for punching a Nigerian woman in B&Q,

His excuse that his wife told him to go to a DIY shop and find a black and decker didn't get the charges dropped.

JReacher1

George_Michael wrote: »

That's almost as old as the one about the man who was prosecuted for punching a Nigerian woman in B&Q,

His excuse that his wife told him to go to a DIY shop and find a black and decker didn't get the charges dropped.

Maybe tone down the racist jokes abit

vrbarreto

Gigervamp wrote: »

Ooh, what's the Square like now? My dad and my ex both worked there through the 70s-80s.

I remember when it was open 24 hours. Came in very handy one New Year's Eve when I needed the loo, I told them who my dad was and they let me use the staff loo!

Full of suicidal and aggressive cyclists...

The NATWEST bank is one teller and 16 machines..and lots of greeters who seems to be members of regular staff walking around.

The automated machines are pretty good and the ocr on the cheque scanners is pretty accurate.. Also give you a receipt with a print out of the cheque you paid in!

NBLondon

Bobcrowther wrote: »

As far as I'm aware all Halifax and bank of Scotland branches have this - there's no receipt generated other than the one you fill out yourself.

My Halifax branch(Bloomsbury, Central London) has one like Richard describes; it also has a traditional drop it in the slot one so maybe they are upgrading bit by bit.

NBLondon

Gigervamp wrote: »

Ooh, what's the Square like now? My dad and my ex both worked there through the 70s-80s.

The PO? Full of tourists. 5 or 6 Post'n'Go machines instead of 2 of the old coil of stamps type with one staff member managing the queue and helping the confused. Take a ticket system for the main counter - 5 or 6 open at my most common visiting time of 5.30pm. I wish it opened earlier as that would be ideal on my way in; there's a sub postoffice by West Ham Tube that opens at 8am.


The square? Yep it's a toss-up between the cyclo warriors and the selfie-stickers who are most annoying.

Gigervamp

Blimey, when my dad worked at the PO there, it was known for having the longest PO counter in Europe. It had more people than 5 or 6 on at any one time, during the day.

At night, the downstairs which had all the pay phones, was closed, and most of the counter was shut off, but you could still use the Poste Restant (SP?) bit during the night.

Funny that nowadays, supermarkets are open 24 hours, and 7 days a week, but the PO has gone backwards.