A Point of Personal Privilege
Everybody reading this spends at least part of every day wondering if you are raising or have raised your kids right. We’re Democrats so we worry about that. We want our kids to know that we are all God’s children and to be mindful that to whom much is given, much is required.
I rarely talk about personal matters here but Little Bubba answered my wondering today for at least today.
Little Bubba and Bubba
Little Bubba, Attorney at Law, favors Bubba in the looks department. A little.
To be honest, I’m not sure that I had much to do with his birth and had I not been there when he was born, I would need convincing that I’m his mother.
And Little Bubba, who is known professionally as Mark D. Bankston sent an email to his Bubba and me today.
You guys would be so proud of me. I just chewed out the CVS V.P. for Texas over the new installation of self-serve checkout machines in their Main Street store. The poor lone employee was totally overwhelmed trying to run a conventional counter plus supervise five self-serve machines, and the manager refused to help or even speak to me about the machines. The employee told me that three employees had been fired and basically replaced with these infernal machines.
So I used some google magic to find their corporate number in Texas, and found the VP for Texas. I told him those machines are offensive to working men and women, and that it caused me to be stuck in the store for 20 minutes on my way to work. I told him that I used to like CVS because they had been good to the working man in the past, and that CVS always had great customer service. Also, the Main Street store typically had lines at 9am and 5pm (understandably), and that it’s insulting in this economy not to hire additional help in the store, but rather fire people and replace them with machines.
I told him that as long as those machines are in the store, I won’t be. He got very nervous and told me he would call me next week.
I want to tell you one thing about this kid. When he gets hold of something he don’t let go. I pity the Texas Vice President at CVS. Nah, I don’t pity him and neither should you.
You can call him and tell him that your Momma raised you right, too.
And Little Bubba, I am proud of you every day. Every damn one.
Little Bubba and his proud Grandma at his office.
Great job beautiful! Congratulations on a job well done!! 🙂
1You are an inspiration. Most people don’t think twice about the effect on the workforce of those self-checkout registers.
2Little Bubba, you have done your mama proud. And I’m proud to call you by the name I have reserved only for my own brother – until now, that is. (He’s another fine human!)
Your mama and daddy have done well in their parenting, but it does look as if they had mighty fine stuff to work with.
Kudos to you all.
3Thank you, Little Bubba. I will be watching my CVS closely so I can do the same thing if/when they go to self-checkout.
4So that son of yours is a trial attorney, Susan? A litigator? Tell Little Bubba that if I’m ever involved in a civil or criminal court case in Texas, I’d feel very good about having him represent me.
5I had a similar problem in Walmart yesterday. Yes, they had 8 lanes open, but none of them was the express lane (and I really don’t think 20 items or fewer is express). I had 4 items and the 3 folks behind me each had fewer than 10. I finally gave up and went through the self-serve, where I was forced to pay by credit card (and scanning a 3-foot-tall trash can is a real joy when they don’t put the sticker on the end).
No self-serve at Walgreens so far, but keep an eye out for switched meds in the pharmacy, according to one of my medical friends. She’s been having serious problems with them substituting meds that are not “equivalent.” Check your labels before you leave.
Thank the Lord for people like Little Bubba who care enough to speak up and be stubborn about speaking up when they see something is not right. I’m afraid I’ve had my own problems with CVS and have already voted with my feet.
6I expected nothing less from the Bubba/Juanita Jean Genetic Combo Plate.
Well done, Little Bubba. Well done.
7Attaboy Lil Bubba!
I had a similar encounter this morning at the same CVS store. The single overworked cashier was constantly having to go over and help folks at the robo-registers, slowing down the people who refused to use the robots. I chewed out the assistant manager and then called the 1-800 complaint line. CVS will not get any of my business while those machines are in the stores.
Sav-A-Center grocery in New Orleans had “express-checkout” stands in their stores before Katrina. After the flood a local chain, Rouse’s, bought out Sav-A-Center. First thing they did was to rip out the robo-registers and add more lanes staffed by actual humans. Now when I go in there, there are always two or three smiling faces at the end of the lanes, waiting to guide the customer into their lane, with no waiting. This generates priceless goodwill between the store and community, which CVS brain-dead management does not seem to understand.
CVS will find that the increase in “shrinkage” rate from shoplifters will more than offset any savings from firing minimum-wage cashiers.
Better yet, fill up a shopping cart with lots of random stuff. Then find an assistant manager, explain that you will not tolerate robo-registers, and walk out, leaving him to restock all the items back onto the shelves.
8Give some love to Little Bubba for me. I LOATHE self-checkout machines and won’t use them unless I have only one item and no coupons to deal with. The ones at CVS totally suck. I use Target for my prescriptions, even though it isn’t nearly as close as the CVS. They are top notch in that department.
9The local Home Depot has a few robo checkouts and they are staffed out of necessity by real humans cuz the dang things don’t work more than half the time! If the regular registers at the front end of the store are all jammed up with long lines and there is a lot of business going on with the robo checkouts, I go to the contractor’s register at the other end of the store where they have real people and no robo checkouts. I know I must look kinda funny with my stuff compared to the lumber somebody else is buying, but, hey!!!!!!
10Wow, you did a great job and have much to be proud of!
I hate those machines and refuse to use them unless the store pays me a decent wage for my time. (No chance of that ever happening.)
11Little Bubba is obviously a chip off the old Bubba and his Momma. Well-done to all of you for tolerating neither fools nor foolish companies.
12Good for you Little Bubba! Make your Mom and Dad proud!
13Thank you for all this good information. I have my prescriptions at my near-by Walgreens. For a while, things went well. Recently they have been sending me all over the East End to their other stores to pick up meds, because they don’t have enough of the particular medication to fill the order. Friday I called in a re-fill and was told it would be ready Saturday afternoon. Saturday afternoon, I picked up 5 days of a medication (which was all they had) …. my doctor had authorized a 3 month refill. I have, on occasion voiced my displeasure at this, and did receive a call from the store manager. Yesterday I picked up three more prescriptions, and they were all filled correctly, and complete.
I was going to transfer my prescriptions to CVS. I think I’ll hold off on that.
My son and I were discussing all this the last time he was at my house. I asked him “Is anybody working in the retail end of business competent any more?” He said “No mom. I don’t think so. Not for what most people get paid.” And, sadly, I think he’s right. I just think they are all about the same, and an occasional complaint straigtens it out for a while, anyway….. until the next time.
14@Bruce – I didn’t even think about the shoplifting. You have overwhelmed (and probably constant turnover – minimum with that stress?) staff at the front only. Sounds like a shoplifter haven for some.
15When I was in a small city Nebraska the Walmart installed the self-check registers. I used them on occasion, but they always had some sort of error an employees had to correct. One day I went in and they were all gone. I asked about them and was told they lost too much from shoplifting. It’s just too simple to “miss” screening an item or two.
16Now I don’t shop at Walmart at all. Don’t like the company. But I have choices where I am now. Kearney, NE, didn’t offer any choices!
What all y’all said! I go to HEB (sorry, foreign states that don’t have it) even for items I could pay less for at Walmart, since Walmart found out they can screw a few more struggling workers our of their pathetic paychecks by using the self-checkouts. A pox on CVS and Walmart. Good job Little Bubba!
17I could not agree more. Your Bubba and Big Bubba are adorable and I am going to take a leaf from your son’s book and call my local CVS. They haven’t replaced all the staff yet but they have moved in a lot of machines and made it harder for you to deal with a real live person. I hate that–I think its wrong to get rid of the workers and I dislike having to wrestle with the machine for the benefit of a large corporation. I have been avoiding CVS for a while but I should really call them up and tell them. Thanks to Bubba’s good example I will!
18I love #8
19I did something similar at a super market (not Chinamart) last week, but only two items at their robo-cashier.
You just gotta love any democrat named Bubba!
20Well done!
BTW, all of our Costo stores here on the Kansas side of the KC-mtero area, have removed their self-service cash registers and hire a lot more people. Lines are shorter and faster now.
Costco is class act. Their CEO refuses to be paid more than $500,000 a year, saying that is ample reward. Plus, they pay their employes almost $20 an hour an still make fantastic profits. Oh, yeah, and they provide benefits and help theiir employees further their education.
21I always go through a checkout person at Kroger. I don’t like the idea of denying a person a job. Besides, a scanner might say “welcome valued customer,” but it is so much nicer to hear a real person say “how are you”?
22There’s good automation and bad automation. Good if it enhances the customer and employee experience – bad if the experiences deteriorate. The CVS situation can be traced to bad management. Nothing wrong with automated checkout if it works well and improves productivity. CVS messed up because it is not supporting the new scanning equipment with designated employees to assist customers in learning and making good use of the new technology. The register cashier can’t possibly do double duty here. If nothing else, the manager should be right there to help with the scanners, or otherwise expect to be held accountable for letting the store front end checkout experience deteriorate.
CVS needs to ask itself what it’s doing to improve its customers’ experience so that they will want to return. Apple offers a great lesson here. This morning I dropped in to an Apple Store to exchange a pair of EarPods. After nine months of heavy use, the headphone jack was beginning to act up, and the product has a 12-month warranty. I didn’t have the receipt, but that didn’t matter. Using an iPod with a card scanner attached, the Apple employee scanned my credit card which enabled her in five seconds to hook up through the store’s WiFi network, locating the transaction where I’d bought the original earphones last October. A few seconds later I had the replacement product and was walking out of the store. The receipt was emailed to me. No paper – no hassle – no problem. Think I’ll want to go back to that Apple Store, even though it’s always crowded with other shoppers? You bet! I had a great experience, and so did the Apple employee who worked with me because she had the tools and support to do a great job.
Let’s not confuse point-of-purchase scanners with putting people out of work. The world of work constantly evolves, and new technologies constantly open new job horizons, while obsolete and less productive activities dwindle and fall by the wayside. We rejected the Luddite philosophy two centuries ago.
23Out of lurking to say good job Mom!
24I won’t use express checkouts. They mean lost jobs. Unlike his ickiness, I don’t think everyone should work at McDonald’s xhim.
25I love it when wonderful apples fall from amazing trees.
26I do not use self service checkouts…. anywhere. I often tell the human at the real checkout lane why and they almost always thank me. Now if they were to offer me a discount for doing the work, I MIGHT consider using the things but as of yet no one has made the offer..
27I’ve been boycotting CVS since early this year after they bought out a strip mall and ended the lease of my independent pharmacist, took over his store and imposed a gag rule. Luckily he has found means to survive.
Good for Little Bubba, Susan!
28Yeppers. I stopped going to my South Austin CVS as soon as I found they had installed these job killers. Told the M.O.D. That I’ld be back when the machines were gone! Every big box store I see these self-serve checkouts in, I make a point to complain – it’s the least I can do!
29Since you won’t disclose Little Bibba’s genetic origion, I’ll just make an assumption. Regardless, Atty. Little Bubba has gained my respect. I’ll abstain from lawyer jokes, at least for the rest of the evening.
30Good job, Bubba’s Mom. And I’ll be sure and watch the CVS where I shop. I’d rather stand in line and flirt with the one year olds than to use a robot. I do use the automated checkouts at the main downtown library; there’s always lines for the real people. Then I stop to hug the real people.
31While we’re complaining, I complained today at HEB about the overpackaged fresh spinach in the plastic boxes. Our grandson has about given up trying to get me to behave. Bless his heart.
Let me also add (as I’ve said here before) that though I have never set foot in a Walmart–and never will–I am quite fond of Costco. They pay their people above minimun wage and they are useful when you need to think of buying in bulk. This last part is important for people like me who live in a high-rise, inner-city apartment without much storage space. Still, I have neighbors who pay the membership fee and will take me there to shop when I need to. Like tomorrow morning, when I need to pick up stuff for a party. Costco is planning to open a store in DC, as is Walmart. The difference is, the DC City Council is demanding that WalMart pay above the federally mandated minimum wage. Costco has no problem with that. Which one of those do you guess will get my business?
32Hate, HATE, all the CVS stores in Houston. Nasty carpet in all their stores. Ugh! Who decided gross, filthy carpet was the flooring of choice for a hot, humid climate? Who? I ask you? WHO!
Also, all the candy bars are right under the check out registers and I like taking my time when deciding on the day’s treat. I can’t efficiently cruise their sugary delights when there’s two or three irritated, restless, impatient YUPs loitering in front of all the check-out counters, waiting to pony up for their Claritin D and Vitamin Water! Payday or Chunky, Peanut M&Ms or York Peppermint Patties-these are decisions upon which my world turns ?
Wait… I mean… Yeah, Right On, Bubba Jr!
(Sorry for the digression into my own personal CVS hate.)
33I refuse to participate in “play like you are a cashier” booths. I like to smile at real people, thank them for packing my groceries carefully, and know I am helping keep someone in a job. Hooray for Little Bubba!
34Well done, Mark, well done.
35