Today's picture is from the 1920's and shows what looks like a Meat Market in the District Grocery Store. I will have to say that this does not look much different than the grocery stores I remember growing up in the 60's. Note the simple signage and functional layout.
This is another one of my gripes about modern grocery stores. Did you notice a couple of years ago how the "self" checkouts started popping up. At first it was just one or two, for the people that wanted to do the cashiers job for them. Now, I notice that more and more of the checkout lanes are self checkout. I notice that fewer and fewer have a traditional cashier, and the lines are getting longer in the cashier checkout lanes, while the self checkout lanes sit idle. You see, they are trying to "train" us. Each year, it will take longer and longer, and be more and more painful to continue to use the lane with the live person. Finally, we will give up waiting in the one lane with a live cashier and will cave in, and start checking ourselves out. Then, their training program of us will be complete. Again, I hate the blatant manipulation. Perhaps we should resist with passive aggressive behaviors. How about this . . . use the self checkout lane, but don't be real easy on the equipment . . . put that big jar of pickles down on that little glass scanner window like you mean it.
