> You can't not have them there, or you'll get customer complaints when they can't find someone to help them, there's too few lanes, etc.
Aldi (in Germany) operates on a system were they don't have that insurance, and trained the customer to accept it. But that low level of customer service would only ever fly in Germany.
Re:Why Wal-Mart Will Never Pay Like Costco
by cantankerous on Thursday August 29, 2013 @12:35AM
(#6294284)
This. I used to work in a supermarket. Courtesy clerks (baggers) and even cashiers could be given bizarre tasks during slowdowns, but the crowds would always pick up during their shifts and they'd need to be called back to their posts. Seemed like this was usually at the top and bottom of the hour and various rush points of the workday. If the overflow labor wasn't there, lines would back up into the aisles and customers wouldn't just complain, they'd go bonkers.
Re:Why Wal-Mart Will Never Pay Like Costco
by jusben1369 on Wednesday August 28, 2013 @09:39PM
(#6293770)
Yeah, I don't mean to bash on them. And goodness knows I'm sure Walmart knows what it's doing with it's staffing levels. That's why I just added it as a random anecdotal PS.
Those people you see shooting the shit and slacking off are necessary. The reason why they're there is because if the store suddenly gets packed, they will be split up and given tasks. They're insurance. You can't not have them there, or you'll get customer complaints when they can't find someone to help them, there's too few lanes, etc.
And that's just during the day in front-end customer facing situations. They're constantly called back to inventory to do warehouse-type jobs, even if they're cashiers.