The bins and racks over here aren't quite the last fixtures this store had to sell, but it's pretty close. Oddly, the jewelry cases never seem to have been put up for sale -- sure, they're probably pretty well built in, but so was a good amount of other things that were sold in the fixture sale.
Speaking of random things, did you hear the supermarket news out of the Netherlands today? Granted, most people don't follow Dutch supermarket news like I do, lol. Anyway, major national Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has announced that they plan on introducing more 'chat cash registers' in their stores where shoppers can have a chat with presumably the checkout clerk. This is being done to combat loneliness which is reported to be a major problem in the country.
ReplyDeleteSelf-checkouts have become quite normal in the NL, even more so than here, and some stores there are self-checkout only. With that in mind, I don't know if these 'chat checkouts' are really just regular checkouts that have been rebranded or if the clerks are really expected (and trained) to engage in meaningful conversation with the shoppers.
We'll have to see if this becomes a thing here in the US as self-checkouts become more popular! Perhaps the likes of Safeway can gain an edge by offering this service over the Walmarts and Krogers of the world who likely will eliminate regular checkouts as quickly as they feel that it is socially acceptable to do so.
https://nltimes.nl/2021/09/27/jumbo-looks-combat-loneliness-chatty-cashiers
That's an interesting concept for sure! I can't see that catching on around here, but you never know. If anyone was to do it around here, it sure wouldn't be Safeway -- they don't even staff their stores enough to handle current checkout standards. Luckily, my current local Safeway isn't too busy so lines don't tend to be too horrible, but still, they seem to normally just have one normal checkout open and one person covering both self checkouts and the customer service counter. Certainly a far cry from either Safeway or Albertsons before their merger. From your comment, I'm guessing it's a different situation in your area, but still...
DeleteI tried posting this yesterday, but Blogger kept eating my reply! Grr! I'll try again today.
DeleteOut of the handful of Randall's I've visited since the start of 2020, all but the one nearest to me have had pretty well staffed normal checkout lines. In fact, the Kosher Randall's didn't even have self-checkout machines! Even the Randall's closest to me seems better staffed now than 2-3 years ago when they generally had only 1-2 checkouts open and no self-checkouts. Now, they generally have at least 2 checkouts open plus the self-checkouts. Other locations have even more clerks.
Randall's did have a bad reputation for long checkout lines before the merger and for a bit after it, but it seems that they have worked on that issue. Of course, Randall's has not been shy about closing locations here so perhaps the only remaining locations are strong performers where increased staffing can be justified. I'm not sure.
Kroger is a bit of an odd case. If you go there during peak times, they tend to have a decent number of lines open. Off-peak, however, you may find that they don't even have a single regular checkout open! Just about everything Kroger does these days screams cost-cutting and so I think Randall's would be more likely to have more in-store shopper frills than Kroger.
As annoying as shopping at HEB can be, they do generally have several regular checkers at the store and the clerks usually operate efficiently. Thus, lines are rarely super long at HEB even with their large number of shoppers. That might make HEB seem like a good candidate for chat lines, but HEB generally goes for low-paid labor, teenagers in other words, as compared to Kroger and especially Randall's who are more likely to have older clerks. I have nothing against the teenagers. Like I said earlier, they are very efficient checkers. That said, I don't know if the people most likely to use 'chat lines', which are presumably older people, would want to chat with teenagers. Maybe I'm wrong about that though!
Back to the chain Jumbo for a second, check out this produce decor at one of their stores! Link: https://goo.gl/maps/R2ARs2zHofnmEBkMA
Ugh, it's been giving me problems again too.
DeleteAround here, I feel like Kroger (especially QFC) versus Safeway is the exact opposite! Kroger stores tend to be reasonably well staffed, and they only do the self-checkout-only thing at very weird hours (late at night). Around here, Safeway is the lower-cost/cost-cutting store, and their stores are never staffed very well (especially the checkouts, but the service departments are often quite bad too -- their big delis generally have only one person working them, who focuses on the hot foods side; good luck ever finding an employee in the bakery or floral department).
That store does look quite nice! I wouldn't expect anything else from the Netherlands, though 🙂