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[–] 3 points 3 days ago (5 children)

we've never had them. we went from over-the-counter to small corner shops to larger stores. the only times someone has bagged your groceries here is when you called to let them know you would be coming, or all the products were behind a counter. the last major over-the-counter chain closed here in the 90's. in that light, people hired specifically for talking to you or handling the things you've bought just smells of "bullshit jobs".

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  • [–] 9 points 3 days ago (4 children)

    They're not bullshit jobs, they're like adornments on buildings. They're not strictly necessary, but they're signs of a thriving society that can afford a little wastefullness to make things more pleasant

    Like greeters were often people who couldn't physically or mentally perform a full job, and baggers aren't just laziness - they move the checkout line faster, as well as give the cashiers someone to talk to when it's slow

    If you've never had it, it's not a marker of anything, but when you watch the removal of all the nice little frills from society, it feels really damn dystopian.

    It feels like all encompassing decay

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  • [–] 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

    Like greeters were often people who couldn’t physically or mentally perform a full job

    I really like that you point this out because a thriving society takes care of their vulnerable and disabled populations in this way. A lot of disabled people in the US want to work, but mostly due to disability asset caps along with the actual disability, they can't.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    True, people with down's syndrome make great greeters, because they're usually just super happy to be there

    Older folk too, it used to be common for retiree's to take that role just to keep themselves busy

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  • [–] 3 points 3 days ago

    i thought you were going somewhere else with that, since most adornments on buildings are skeuomorphs: vestigial likenesses to features that were once needed when constructing buildings but no longer serve a purpose.

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