I bet there's a correlation with people pushing on doors marked "pull"
There are profound moments where I wonder if America has become irrevocably addled in regards to what is and is not "self-serve." Or maybe it's that an abundance of bare breasts and possibly exposed pink bits has a cumulative effect on mental function and we've crossed the event horizon here and are well on the way to critical mass, where no thought more complex than "Fire bad. Tree pretty." is annihilated in the grip of incalculable quantum libido physics. Just don't touch the particles; it would require Stephen Hawking to define their "stickiness."
Now, before I lose my increasingly tenuous grasp of my topic to pursue the contemplation of constructing a mad hybrid of strip club, isotope enrichment facility, and cyclotron to test the theoretical point of absolute zero "G!"1, which is the threshold when viable neural tissue assumes electric transmission potential of nil, essentially rendering a human being to the cognitive capacity of a virus, I should continue.
The first of the two major examples of confusion has to do with a bank of small bins arrayed fairly close in proximity to the register. Each of these bins is oriented toward the customer as well as any associated signage. Short of a huge flashing neon sign proclaiming "Help yourself" it should be quite obvious that patrons are welcome to make their selections at their own convenience.
Despite this, scarcely a day goes by when there will not be some sot hovering in front of those bins waiting for I or another staff member to reach around to collect the desired items for them. The vast majority of instances, they exhibit surprise when informed they're allowed to stick their hands into the jars so handily placed for their convenience. One would think I had suddenly started speaking in Etruscan or unveiled an army of land-walking sharks loyal to my faintest whim. At what point does this set-up defy common sense?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is a section of the store with several shelves set upon the walls well behind some display cases. I would think it quite obvious from the layout in that area that customers would require assistance with the merchandise placed in that section. If it's not easy for patrons to access, one would assume it's not for patrons to access. Nonetheless, I am frequently herding people out from behind the display cases. Almost every time, they profess apologies and statements they were unaware. At times, they will even take umbrage at being addressed with a clipped tone while they rummage around the shelves. Once again, why is the train of logic disengaging from the rails?
On the positive side, my theory that humanity is terminally self-absorbed and/or stupid in general enjoys an increasingly substantial quantity of supporting evidence.
1) Scale of measurement coined in the late 1990's by the obscure Scientist G. W. Corvidae so named for the tell-tale sound of a significant downward shift exhibited by subjects.
Now, before I lose my increasingly tenuous grasp of my topic to pursue the contemplation of constructing a mad hybrid of strip club, isotope enrichment facility, and cyclotron to test the theoretical point of absolute zero "G!"1, which is the threshold when viable neural tissue assumes electric transmission potential of nil, essentially rendering a human being to the cognitive capacity of a virus, I should continue.
The first of the two major examples of confusion has to do with a bank of small bins arrayed fairly close in proximity to the register. Each of these bins is oriented toward the customer as well as any associated signage. Short of a huge flashing neon sign proclaiming "Help yourself" it should be quite obvious that patrons are welcome to make their selections at their own convenience.
Despite this, scarcely a day goes by when there will not be some sot hovering in front of those bins waiting for I or another staff member to reach around to collect the desired items for them. The vast majority of instances, they exhibit surprise when informed they're allowed to stick their hands into the jars so handily placed for their convenience. One would think I had suddenly started speaking in Etruscan or unveiled an army of land-walking sharks loyal to my faintest whim. At what point does this set-up defy common sense?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is a section of the store with several shelves set upon the walls well behind some display cases. I would think it quite obvious from the layout in that area that customers would require assistance with the merchandise placed in that section. If it's not easy for patrons to access, one would assume it's not for patrons to access. Nonetheless, I am frequently herding people out from behind the display cases. Almost every time, they profess apologies and statements they were unaware. At times, they will even take umbrage at being addressed with a clipped tone while they rummage around the shelves. Once again, why is the train of logic disengaging from the rails?
On the positive side, my theory that humanity is terminally self-absorbed and/or stupid in general enjoys an increasingly substantial quantity of supporting evidence.
1) Scale of measurement coined in the late 1990's by the obscure Scientist G. W. Corvidae so named for the tell-tale sound of a significant downward shift exhibited by subjects.
posted by Lanius at 11:20 PM
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