AP Poll: "Americans are Impatient" (???)

[Yollam]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/28/national/a154230D00.DTL


I'm sorry, but the wording throughout this article just bugged the HELL out of me.

Almost one in four in the AP-Ipsos poll picked the grocery checkout as the line where their patience is most likely to melt like the ice cream turning to goo in their cart.

It's not impatience. The lines at the supermarket at longer than they've ever been, waiting up to 20 minutes in line is not uncommon - much longer during a rush period. I'm not that old, but we never had to wait this long at the supermarket when I was younger. Could it have to do with the fact that there are the same number of checkers for a supermarket that's twice as big and serving twice as many customers? More of that "Corporate efficiency" making life a pain in the ass. And supermarkets STILL can't turn a profit?

In short, Americans want it all NOW. Or awfully close to now.

Yes, a lot of Americans are impatient, self-important, cell-phone gabbing pricks, but the places mentioned in this article are SLOW.

The typical supercenter shopper spends 25 to 30 minutes in the store, but many think they've been there an hour, Underhill says.

I'm not even sure what a "supercenter" is, but if it has longer lines than a supermarket, I don't need it.


The snail's slither to the post office counter drives her the nuttiest. "By the time you get there and it's your turn, there are only two people working there," she said. "It's not only me getting angry. Everyone is talking about it."


Would that be our wonderfully PRIVATIZED postal service? The lines are astounding in San Francisco. I thought privatization was going to make it better and cheaper? Since it has not worked, when the hell are they going to un-privatize it back?


Underhill says post offices and some DMVs have improved in recent years but grocery stores are notably poor at managing crowds, especially considering busy times are so predictable.

Tell me about it. Last time I was at the SF DMV, I took a number and waited only about 8 minutes in a seated waiting area. The DMV is much better than I remember it ever being. Besides< you only have to go there once every few years. The supermarket is a nightmare several times a week. I took to shopping at 9 at night to avoid the crowds.

The article suggest we order groceries online to avoid the wait. HELLO. Online ordering is still not available in most areas and IT COSTS MORE.

As if by some cruel joke, phoning the phone company is often a path to madness.

I'm pretty sure that AT&T is the worst. They have kept me waiting almost an hour at times, being passed between operators, because the first two never have any idea how to help with my specific problem, and the language barrier dealing with some Punjabi with the pseudonym "Beth" is always a fun challenge.


Sorry to whine about this but it bugged me that Americans are being described as impatient, when the article should say this:

"Americans getting shittier, slower service than ever from penny-pinching, outsourcing greedhead corporations"

[acmejack]

1. Oh no, we're to blame for this.

The corporations and their media mouthpieces are really adept at telling us we're at fault. Whether it's jobs we won't do, we're impatient, poorly educated, unmotivated, you name it if it's bad Americans are afflicted with it, and if it is desirable, we lack it.

[Yollam]

2. Just wondering, is your avatar an ewok in a gas mask?

Just asking.

[acmejack]

9. It's a porcupine (more or less)

[BayCityProgressive]

3. We really are quite impatient

my partner went to Europe for 2 weeks and he said at first he was dumbfounded by how slow service in a resturuant for example was. We are accustomed to going out to eat when we are starving and want food NOW..he said over there everything came out slowly and it was more of a social thing for people to chat. We don't ahve that here of course because we get a half hour lunch!

[Yollam]

5. Yeah, we went to an Indian place last night...

...and it took a while for the food to come. But I don't get as impatient at a restaurant. Anything up to a 1/2 hr wait at the table seems reasonable, esp. if there are drinks and a little appetizer. Over 45 minutes is a bit long, though... The food last night was great though.

[Lib Grrrrl]

8. As Long As

the waitperson comes by regularly to check on the level of my drink, I have no problem waiting for food service in a restaurant.

It's when the waitperson completely freaking forgets about you that I get annoyed.

As long as they come by every 15-20 minutes just to check if everything's okay, and do we want more drinks, I'm good.

[bdamomma]

11. Some Americans can be very impatient

too bad, that is not good for their health.

[EST]

4. What's the cure?

Either you, yourself, or a moneyed entrepreneurial friend, should be encouraged to open a full service, well stocked establishment, with local, well paid help and then everyone patronize that place to the exclusion of all the made in China, stocked by illegal invaders, worshipped by so many mega-corps.
This could happen, but is highly unlikely. We all know all the reasons.

[Spangle]

6. Only places that are understaffed!

10 check out lines, only 2 opened.. with tons of people in each? Yea, I have a problem. The store knows when it needs more people to work the lines. But don't want to cut the check.

When I see long lines, all I can think of is 'over worked people at the FRONT of the line.' When I see shorter lines, I think the person I'm waiting to see will be able to spend more time with me, not feel rushed. .and I don't feel rushed or guilty about holding up the line. Doesn't matter where the line is.

But as for a long line, I don't have a problem standing in them.

[originalpckelly]

7. Just thought you should know why the grocery store lines are longer...

My aunt works for King Soopers (also known as Kroger) and she said managers get a bonus if fewer lines are open. I can only guess they want that because they can pay employees less money.

[acmejack]

10. They collect metrics on utilization

then try to optimize staffing levels to that level of shoppers. When a spike in the number of shoppers occurs that is not in accordance with the collected data,you get the long lines and the store doesn't have the staff on hand to compensate for it. Everything is driven by the metrics, x minutes per customer, x customers per hour, etc, etc.

In the old days we had a staff and if we didn't have a lot of shoppers some of us got to go home. Can't do that today though, might cost them a couple of dollars.

[bumblebee1]

12. Americans, an impatient lot?

Hell, too many of them yell "hurry up" to the microwave oven.