Lets’ face it, the general public is just stupid. Plain and simple, people are dumb. While the majority are this way from birth, the remaining few are converted to dumbness by advances in technology. Take going to the pharmacy and the seemingly simple task of ‘checking out’. It’s horribly complicated in today’s society. Worse, you receive miles of receipt tape offering everything from Depends coupons to ‘points’ for signing up for some damn retail program that promotes unwanted inquiry. And, random comments about said programs … . I hate listening to people bitch and moan about things neither of us can control. I actually hate talking to people in general, but it’s kinda part of the job. So, … . I keep telling everyone to buy my book so I can move on from My Life As A Retail Pharmacist. But it’s not happening as quickly as I would like, okay. Trust me, I NEED to move on. Let’s get this shit to go viral. And, everyone, especially me, will be happy.
Semi-rant on stupidity is over. Back to this amazingly complicated retail task of purchasing items.
The newest advancement to baffle the struggling consumer is the chip called the EMV.
- Banks/credit companies are issuing new cards, which look like their old cards but are fitted with a small metallic high-tech chip
- EMV, which stands for Europay, MasterCard, Visa — the three companies that created the standard
- The chip’s goal: keeping thieves from easily accessing consumers’ personal information
- the high-tech chip creates a unique code for each transaction, making it difficult for criminals to duplicate consumers’ information
- if fraud occurs when a magnetic stripe card is swiped at a chip-enabled terminal, the bank is responsible for the fraud
- EMV technology won’t protect consumers with online purchases
- Gas stations have until 2017 to replace readers at pumps
Yes, I believe the intention with this concept is good. It’s decreasing fraud. Unfortunately, the ‘conversion’ is not so good. Few establishments are chip-enabled. And, if they are enabled, the chip reader is so damn slow. It’s just agonizing. The impatient customer complains and the innocent cashier is trapped in retail hell, listening to the customer’s opinion about technological advancements.
Me, I handle every interaction like the person is, in fact, stupid. I tell everyone what to do in the fewest words possible, thwarting comments and questions with the look of ‘don’t even think about it’ on my face. And, it works. I buck the system. Most actually prefer my method – I ask what is needed and handle things from there. My goal is to streamline each transaction. Unless, the customer is on the phone, of course. Then, then I talk so much the customer gets really mad and has to end the call. Once the person hangs up, I complete the sale swiftly, grinning at my ‘little’ success.
Hopefully, my rant was too … painful. Though nothing can be as painful as a Depends coupon. When you’re only 51.
