NY Times: More Consumers reach out to Touch-Screens

[La_Serpiente]

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More Consumers Reach Out to Touch the Screen
By AMY HARMON

INDIANAPOLIS — Striding into the airport here one recent afternoon, Kimberly Ward did not so much as glance at the two ticket agents waiting at the counter. Like most of her fellow travelers, she instead claimed an automated check-in terminal, touched its screen a few times, and took the proferred boarding pass with a quick smile of thanks.

Ms. Ward, 37, pays for gas only at the pump. She shops at Marsh, a supermarket in her neighborhood that has machines that let customers scan, bag and pay for groceries themselves. Her favorite bank teller is her A.T.M.

Dealing with humans in such situations "just slows you down," she says. "This is a lot more convenient."

more....

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/17/technology/17MACH.html
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I guess this is what the unionized workers are going up against.

[PATRICK]

1. NYT gushes over obsolete news

Those experiments ended dismally in my area. The movie theater cmae and went and came again(but it is gathering dust as people queue in fromt of the real tellers. At KMart they finally ripped the suckers out. They took more time to monitor by clerks doing double duty. The banks still have the dual system as does BJ's. Only the most desperately cheap businesses trying to reduce their workforce kkeep them.

Hardly seems the ideal yet. As far as slowing one down, the glitches, limitations and caution one must use mean you still form long lines. ONLY the bosses happy in their increasing solitude truly love this stuff- unless the bottom line gets hurt too much.

[Gulf Coast J]

4. That's not my experience at all

Maybe I just run with a younger crowd. The grocery store self check-out lines are always long. E-tickets for flights are very popular. I don't know anyone who steps foot inside a bank (why with direct deposit and ATMs?) I pay at the pump all the time, even if I have to go inside for other reasons. The theater ticket thing might not be as popular, but that's because they charge an extra dollar there. Anything that's gets me on my way faster is OK by me.

[Melsky]

2. My husband is like that

He will only go to gas stations that have pay at the pump. I think it's strange. I like buying from a human.

[Mel]

3. I won't use the self check outs

at the grocery for a number of reasons, one it may put someone out of a job if enough people use them, two they aren't as convenient as this article makes it out to be, three the business has factored in the salary of an 'employee' Why should I do work I'm paying for from the purchase of their product?<---it's a trick! why should I do work I'm paying for? :evilgrin: duhhhh! Yea, right if we all check our ownselves out the cost of the product will go down.....NOT!

Funny, I don't see things the way Ms. Ward does Dealing with humans in such situations "just slows you down," she says. "This is a lot more convenient."

Dealing with humans as a part of slowing me down? I happen to like humans and enjoy most of them, heck I'm one :)