Posted by Dick Sidbury on 10/31/00 11:40

In article <1139587541.807481.28860@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>,
"wunnuy" <wunnuy@netzero.net> wrote:

> Dick Sidbury wrote:
> >> Blockbuster employees are required to greet people as they enter the
> > store. I've heard that BB did a study that shows that when customers
> > are greeted that they are more likely to think that they are being
> > watched by the employees and therefore are less likely to steal stuff.
> > I have no idea if this was true or still is. So I take the greeting as
> > a requirement in the same way that Sam's club's check out clerks are
> > required to say "Thank you James" to me when they hand my card back.
> >
> > dick
> > -- as if a 60+ year old is going to think that a 19 year old is more
> > friendly by calling me by my first name.
>
> first off, I'm aware they're supposed to greet you, I doubt it has
> anything to do with stealing.

That's your privilege, but nonetheless, it's what I read several years
ago.

> What are you going to steal? Movies?
> Can't get them through the detector by the door, so that theory is out.

As far as I know, the DVDs are not protected, only the cases. So a
clever thief could open the case take out the DVD and put it somewhere
and march out of the store, assuming of course that the cases are not
empty. I haven't been into blockbuster in a while so I don't know if
the cases are empty or not.

> They greet you because they think it makes it more pleasureable for
> you, which it doesn't.

And you know this how?

> Maybe for a 60 year old like yourself.

Nope.

> I don't
> like being in a conversation with my girlfriend and being interrupted
> by a guy saying "hi...hi!"

I just ignore them when I go in. I've never had anyone demand that I
respond to their greeting.

> And I'm sure some 18 year old giving you
> recommendations on film is helpful, that's great. It's not for me, I
> know more about film than any of those people there will ever know the
> rest of their lives, so it's only annoying to me, and most other
> people.

And you call *me* cocky later in this response.

>
> Second, the whole "here you go Mr. Gripenstraw" is annoying too and
> I'll tell you why. They do this at Pavillions here in Los Angeles too
> and it gets under my skin. I stand in line for 15 minutes, they ring me
> up, bag everything, then I've got to stand there another 30 to 60
> seconds while the cashier tries to figure out how to pronounce my name.
> "thank you mr...mr..." and I'm literally just trying to take the
> receipt out of her hand becuase I've stood in line long enough but they
> feel by saying your name, or making you wait the extra time while they
> try and figure out the correct pronounciation of your name, it makes
> your time there more enjoyable. I can tell by your cocky and
> condescending comment at the end of your post, you like this. I can
> tell you most people under 60 don't.

Well as the rest of this post indicates, you clearly didn't comprehend
what I said. But to be sure, I'll explain it more fully. Sam's
requires its checkout people to thank the person leaving the store by
their first name. There's a note on the side of the cash register that
says if the checkout clerk fails to do this you will get a dollar. *I*
resent people who I don't know and who don't know me, calling me by a
familiar name. They haven't earned the right to do so. Maybe this makes
me cocky, but I don't think so.

dick

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