Re: Cobol books & experiences

There is a Wal-Mart near here that is apparently testing a self checkout
system. At least, I hope they're just testing it. Boy, would I really like
to have a word with whoever designed that thing! It is clear that the person
who designed it never actually used it in a real situation. It is the
dumbest, most counterintuitive system of the kind I have ever seen. Last
time I went through one, every cashier had a line of several people, but
*nobody* was going through the auto checkouts. As soon as one of the
managers saw me walking toward one, she started toward me. Obviously, she
knew from experience that nobody went through that thing unassisted. I won't
try to describe all the problems, but when you register an item, the system
expects you to place the item in a bag on a scale, where it can be weighed.
You must place the item in that area *precisely* when it expects it, not too
soon. Apparently in development they must have timed some person afflicted
with severe arthritis or something, because I was constantly putting the
item in the bag too soon, unable to believe it wanted me to wait *that*
long. I registered one tiny item, waited, then put it in the bag. Evidently,
the item was too light to register on the scale, so the system just sat
there, telling me to put the item in the bag. You can press a 'skip bagging'
key, but only twice during checkout. Note that if there are two glitches of
any kind, you're out - the system waits for a manager. All the while, this
poor manager stood there with a grim expression on her face, having to enter
an override code after almost every item I entered caused a problem. I
wanted to rant and rave, but I felt too sorry for the poor lady - it wasn't
her fault. I contented myself with gnashing my teeth, describing the design
engineer's obvious mental facilities, and ripping out a bit more of what
little hair I have left. It wasn't the delay that bothered me so much, it
was the sheer, unbelievable stupidity of the design. Justice would be to
force 100 criminals to go through that thing, then pen them up with the
person who designed it. This thing must have been designed by the CEO or
president's fair haired kid or something, because Wal-Mart is a savvy
competitor, and I can't imagine them inflicting this thing on their
customers for long.

In contrast, the grocery store chain Winn-Dixie (there's a recent movie
about a dog in a Winn-Dixie store) has auto checkout stations that work much
better, and lots of customers use them. Ironically, Winn-Dixie filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year (For those not familiar with US
bankruptcy law - Chapter 11 means you want to restructure, get debt relief,
and make a comeback - Chapter 13 means you want to liquidate & shut the
doors).
--
Judson McClendon judmc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (remove zero)
Sun Valley Systems http://sunvaley.com
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."


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