DepravedFurball
Well-known member
True. I rescind my previous comments. Because I enjoy looking at beautiful young women.
Yes, well... 'Nature' has been around for billions of years. A gorgeous young woman is a certified miracle when compared to that. ^^
Would I hit on them or talk to them about inane things? Oh, Hell no. But just their presence is sometimes enough to elevate my mood.
Though the effect is ruined with the first generational 'lolwhutomfg' to come out of their mouths. >.< They don't even speak English anymore. Damned youth...
Holy bloody responses, Batman.
Alright, so... where to start...
Ah. The Self-Checkout. First and foremost, it's a cost-saving measure. The company doesn't have to pay out hourly wages, vacation, worry about sick time or shilling the till... within a year, a single machine more than pays for itself. And with a grouping of six to eight scanners, it can be watched over by a single newbie staffer. That's why they have them. Not to get customers out of the store faster or to reduce wait-times. It's purely a selfish desire by the company to screw honest people out of a job. I'd take a crowbar to every single one of them if I could, my own anxieties be damned...
Next up, hmm... oh, and you're right. If I had two or three items (I usually go for 6. It's a fun number. ) then I'd hop right into the self-checkout, despite my previous crowbar-claim, merely because at 7am the WalMart employees are liable to ring my purchases up numerous times, or they'll find a problem with their system, forcing me to wait. Nuts to that. But if it's equally busy between the two exit-options, I'll take the normal express-line, simply because that's the one typically staffed by cute highschool girls. And yes, I feel terrible for thinking that they're cute... and if they want to ask me a couple more questions, then it's a few more seconds of testing my personal limits (and smiling at the previously-mentioned beautiful teenager).
From a security stand-point, a shopper in sweats and pull-overs signals 'I've got nothing to lose'. That's why you've got to force yourself to dress up a little. Just a bit. Blend in or try to be noticed as the person that's fashionably over-dressed. It can be difficult, I know, but people pay far less attention to a decently-clad person than someone that's shabby and might pose THEM a threat. The further you go to put others at ease, then the less they're going to hassle you.
Next up... you need to shop at different stores. I know that the ones you visit now you must consider a 'safer' place to shop... but that kind of treatment is absurd. If I got followed around once, I would chalk it up as them trying to meet a monthly quota... but repeated instances means that the owner of the store DOES NOT TRUST THEIR CUSTOMERS, so why the Hell should you give them your money? Screw them. They don't own your loyalty... unless they personally pulled you out of a burning building... which I highly doubt.
And the LPAs don't much talk to the employees. They follow their own whims, and are continually watching for people entering the store that they believe pose a threat to the bottom line.
Anyways, what I think it boils down to is a bunch of little factors coming together in such a way that it brings you a lot of attention. I wouldn't 100% blame the staff or anything, 'cause they're just sheep that are doing what their bosses tell them to, just so they can take home minimum wage. True, it sounds like they're targeting you... which means that they're either hyper-vigilant model employees, or they've been robbed so often that the owner is going bankrupt with all the losses.
At any rate, find new, perhaps quieter places to shop. There's bound to be a small deppaneure/corner store that greets you with a smile, and stocks a few of the items that you'd normally pick up. Or a small independent grocer that has non-Chinese-grown vegetables at a comparable price. Really, you've got to change things up, 'cause it's not gonna get better, and having to continually go through with this treatment is giving you far too many headaches. Other than, y'know, the normal stress-headaches we get whenever we shop.