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A comment on New research: cashiers who have their own lines move customers more quickly. Parent comment

Re:New research: cashiers who have their own lines move cust... by Broken_Hippo on Sunday June 12, 2016 @04:01AM (#11887168)
Pay based on efficiency? This might be something if efficiency were something that a cashier had much control of. As a cashier, you cannot control for folks that write checks, can't find their credit card, are confused by the machines to get cash back, or can't find that last penny in their pockets. You cannot control for folks that stand there and ask about every price, nor for the ones that are chatty or just move slowly.

It sounds like a trap. Move quickly, get higher scores for that, yet get reprimanded for poor customer service.

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Re:New research: cashiers who have their own lines move cust... by massysett on Sunday June 12, 2016 @06:49AM (#11887535)
True, but on average each cashier gets the same number of slow customers. The cashier can control how fast he bags, whether he can identify produce items, whether he dawdles and chats, etc.
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Re:New research: cashiers who have their own lines move cust... by Broken_Hippo on Sunday June 12, 2016 @07:28AM (#11887612)
If only that were actually true. Depends on the day, honestly. The cashier has absolutely no control over which customers are slow.

From experience, some customers are simply difficult to get to move on. You can do some things, but go too far and you wind up getting complaints about rudeness. It is all a balancing act.

Regular slow customers you can call for backup, if the place allows for that, but sometimes you are simply stuck.

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