Retail Watchers

A local cafe started using the straw-less sipping lids and they work great. I walk a 12 - 15 minute mile and they don't pose any problems for me. Plus, I can toss them in the recycling bin when I get home if I don't reuse them.

rwsandiego wrote: ↑June 27th, 2021, 12:13 am A local cafe started using the straw-less sipping lids and they work great. I walk a 12 - 15 minute mile and they don't pose any problems for me. Plus, I can toss them in the recycling bin when I get home if I don't reuse them.

I have not had as good of luck with the Starbucks cup, especially as part of my walking was on rocks/dirt. I also do not like having to stop to sip the drink - with a straw it works to sip and walk at the same time. I can toss the Starbucks cup, lid, and plastic straw into the recycle bin too...

I was also rather concerned with the employee touching the area where the sip takes place. Honestly if I were the employee I may do the same thing... without thinking about it. Rather than comment on that, it seemed a little less combative to ask for a normal lid/straw.

storewanderer wrote: ↑June 25th, 2021, 5:10 pm Costco Food Court is very efficiency driven. Unless they install 20 kiosks this is not going to be very efficient.

Customers seem to be very inefficient when using kiosks to order food. Or the kiosks have a poor cumbersome interface.

All the Costco's I've been to have 6-8 self service registers at the food court. You touch a picture of the food you want, press checkout and tap your card. How much more efficient can it get?

It is simple to use for those who know how to use computers. However, I have seen many senior citizens completely baffled by the self checkout machines. That holds up the line.

babs wrote: ↑June 27th, 2021, 2:51 pm

storewanderer wrote: ↑June 25th, 2021, 5:10 pm Costco Food Court is very efficiency driven. Unless they install 20 kiosks this is not going to be very efficient.

Customers seem to be very inefficient when using kiosks to order food. Or the kiosks have a poor cumbersome interface.

All the Costco's I've been to have 6-8 self service registers at the food court. You touch a picture of the food you want, press checkout and tap your card. How much more efficient can it get?

I guess if there is no modifier on the items it may go pretty quickly...

I work at Costco (not in the Food Court, but I did spend a few years back there when I started out with the company) and my location also has the ordering kiosks. There are 4 kiosks. Those paying cash can still go up to the counter to pay (they used to have two registers, now only one).

I'm not sure if it was really necessary seeing how they cut the food court menu down to almost nothing now (although my location just started selling churros again, at a higher price and what seems to be a 'meh' response), but it does free up someone from continuously having to ring people out, handle money, change gloves, etc.

Also, the picnic tables went back out last week (inside food court) and you can tell traffic is not like it used to be. Around noon on weekdays there would be lines to order (nearby office workers, and from a large senior complex) and every table would be full, same thing on a Friday night. Not so much anymore.