De-Evolution

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120 years ago, when you went into a general or dry goods or grocery store, you went to the counter, got hold of a clerk, and gave or related a list of what you wanted. That clerk would then run around the shelves in back and bring the order up front, ring it up, and send you on you way.

The bottleneck is obvious. Shopping speed is limited by the number and speed of the clerks available.

So a little over 100 years ago, when the chain now known as “A&P” rolled out a model where the customer could walk through the aisles and “pick” the order themselves, and get it rung up by dedicated cashiers when they were good ‘n ready, removing the bottleneck? It revolutionized shopping. The old fasioned “Warehouse PIcker” model pretty much disappeard.

Until now.

A new Walgreens concept being tested in Chjcago brings back the “General Store” model, with a thin veneer of technology to cover that 19th century smell:

In what was once a typical Walgreens, there are now just two short aisles of so-called “essentials” where “customers may shop for themselves.” If you want anything else—a bottle of booze, a deodorant brand deemed “non-essential”—you’ll need to order it at a kiosk and pick it up at the counter.

After undergoing a few weeks of construction, the store reopened on Tuesday. The pharmacy is in the back and to the left, equipped with a fancy new kiosk system of its own. An employee will teach you how to use it.

To the right, gated by anti-shoplifting devices to protect the inventory, two rows of low-rise shelves offer a very limited selection of those so-called “essentials.” Unlike the tall shelves you’re used to seeing in your neighborhood Walgreens, this store’s shelves are no more than five feet tall, giving everyone a clear look at what everyone else is up to…After placing your order, a plastic-framed sign next to the computer instructs, you should “relax while we shop for you.” When your order is ready, head to the pickup/FedEx/Western Union counter to claim your goods.

It’s because of crime, of course.

Democrat governance – dragging us back to the middle ages, a century and an industry at a time.

62 thoughts on “De-Evolution”

  1. The picture of the store from the cwbchicago article looks like an urban gas station.

    Wondering. Can’t “guests” just jump the pickup/FedEx/Western Union counter and head off into the backroom for an expanded shopping experience?

  2. I remember the first time I had to pay for gasoline before I could pump it. It pissed me off, and I asked the clerk “you think I’m going to steal gas?”

    “Not you” he answered…he knew I knew.

    This step was inevitable. Locking everything behind plastic doors costs money and time, and there’s no guarantee the ‘customer’ won’t just empty the shelves once the door is opened….what are ya gonna do, stop him? Lol.

    How much more will our lives have to be tailored to meet the demands of living with a violent, 85 IQ species of humans, that are not coded for living among civilized species?

    Going back 100 years is the answer, but not in this way.

  4. Of course they can, JDM, and they will.

    Going to these extremes kind of destroys the “small minority of bad apples” excuse, don’t it?

  5. Slowly, but surely, retailers are separating blacks from their stuff.

    How much longer do we have to wait before we separate them from us?

    How many people would get pushed into the path of a subway train if there were separate accommodations for our 80 IQ fellow citizens who are completely incapable of controlling their violent impulses?

    How much better educated would our kids be, if they didn’t have to navigate a gauntlet to get from one classroom to the next?

    And how much happier would *everyone* be if they were allowed to mingle among their own people?

    Y’all have scoffed at my prognostications before, but time has proved me right. This isn’t rocket science; we simply cannot continue to live like this.

  6. Another bitterly/ironically humorous aspect of that cwbchicago article is the links on the right side to other stories that are completely unrelated but aren’t.

  7. … but nothing like hitting the cwbchicago logo at the top to get to the home page.

    Geez, the Twin Cities are such punks when compared to Chicago.

  8. Democrats want to export their madness from the urban centers they control to still healthy communities. That was what the DFL 2023 legislative session was all about.
    I suppose the plan goes something like this: Court & count the votes of the people most alienated from society, meaning the people least invested in existing institutions. Use the tiny majority obtained to dismantle existing institutions while replacing them with nothing.

  9. The model formerly emphasized the customer, who was presumed to be honest.

    Mom and Pop General Store with limited selection – only the things we need to survive – was replaced by Sears, Roebuck catalogue (had to wait for delivery but what a selection), which was replaced with Rosedale having dozens of shops under one roof for immediate purchase and nicer shopping in winter. Handle the goods, try on the clothes, sample the make-up, grab a bite in the food court.

    Then the thugs came.

    Now we’re devolving, less emphasis on customer satisfaction because the “customers” are no longer presumed to be honest. Now we’re moving back toward survival mode. Lock up the goods. Bar the windows. Or the store will go bankrupt.

    Seems as if the solution should be obvious. Don’t lock up the deoderant, lock up the thugs.

  11. Just like the light rail: “progress” means trying to solve 21st century problems with 20th century prog ideals, using 19th century technology.

  14. It’s an interesting economic questions: how do you sell enough goods in a nigh-shoplifting area to make a profit? If you assume shoplifting will remain high (i.e., no effective extraneous input like law enforcement reducing the number of shoplifters) you go to loss prevention, meaning making it harder to steal things.
    I have a friend who recently returned from doing some contract work at a an inner city Milwaukee Walmart. He told me that even the athletic socks & cheap sundries like toothpaste were under lock & key. Only thing I can think of is that the internet allows you to sell anything you can steal pretty easily. Maybe you would never steal a six pack of athletic sox for your yourself, but if you can lift a couple and sell them for $10 in a short period of time, there’s your crack money, right there.
    Since selling online takes a few days, I imagine that there are fences who pay immediate cash for these items & then sell them on ebay or whatever at a profit.

  16. It’s not quite ‘right under the Willis Tower’, but 2 East Roosevelt is not a bad neighborhood by Chicago standards, as it’s really close to the Field. If I were on the board of aldermen, or high up in the CPD, I’d see this as something of a wake up call for the city.

  17. UMMP, I think the EBay/internet selling path is pretty good, as a few thugs were arrested recently in Atlanta after having stolen a bunch of tights from a Lululemon store–and were hilariously chased out of the store by a cute young lady in pink tights. (who sadly was fired for having a bit of spunk)

  19. If I don’t affirm the DNC’s chanting points 16 hours a day, Hillqry will have me suicided.

  22. (Bill Gleason’s protégé)Emery,
    once again front and center in your effort to capture this blog for your own with all this moral preening from someone who is terrified of answering these simple questions:
    At what point in your mother’s pregnancy with you would it have become unacceptable for her to abort you? Full.Stop 🙂

    As a bonus question where can I find the text in the Constitution that supports this claim you made:
    “The Constitution before amendment said Clarence Thomas should be counted as 3/5ths of a person.”

  24. I guess Mitch loves having his blog threadjacked. Lack of action, unless Mitch is still asleep, is proof positive who runs this blog.

    MITCH: Nah. From 8AM to 5, sometimes later, I have things to do OTHER than babysitting a bunch of grownups in a comment section. Call me a pollyanna, right?

  26. Hillary Clinton is Tweeting a pic of her wearing a “But Her Emails” hat.

    Yeah, she’s a wretched cunt. But either she’s got more balls than the entire GOP Congress put together, or she understands that the Uniparty has her back.

    If this stands, it’s over.

    We need someone with a big reach to give us a little push; won’t take much…just ask “How much are you willing to take? What are you going to do about this?”. Tucker Carlson has the opportunity to instantly become the most influential person on the planet. I’m praying he pulls the trigger.

  27. To paraphrase Jello Biafra:

    Nazi troll fuck off — you’ll be the first to go.

    (Hope you don’t mind, Mitch – want to be of service)

  28. jpa, I think we may have finally gotten through to Mitch.

    Troll, funny that the shamdictments drop the day an FBI doc has proven the Bidens took 10 mil in foreign gummint money.

  29. I spent my life exploring
    The subtle whoring
    That costs too much to be free
    Hey lady I’ve been to paradise
    But I’ve never been to me…

  30. Remember that annoying acne-faced boy in middle school who was none too bright, had no creative ability, no physical skills, all the girls loathed him and he got stuffed in lockers a lot? The guy who thought the pinnacle of wit was saying, “I know you are but what am I?”

    Turns out it IS possible for a pathetic loser like him to make a living, posting nonsense as a troll getting paid by the word to clutter up Mitch’s website.

    Who woulda thunk it?

  31. Lol!

    You mad rAT? Yeah, you mad.

    Hopefully you’ve reinforced the SkI ShAK to make a good defensive position.

    Lmao.

  32. I wouldn’t survive a protracted civil war. But thanks to technology, a 50 year old guy, in excellent health is capable of doing much carnage. I don’t need to get within 600 yds to be a very formidable threat to an enemy.

    That’s good enough for me.

  33. ⬆️ A fit physique is the ultimate status symbol. It shows that you can commit to one thing for years with slow results. People trust you more because they know you won’t throw them away at the first hint of difficulty. Go to the gym.

  34. FedEx Friday — just mailing it in 📫

    It’s good to see there are cities and neighborhoods that decided to create an environment that attracts shoplifters, drug addicts, homeless folks and criminals in general so they don’t harass the rest of America where the the rest of us live.

    Our northern community is safe, clean and welcoming. Crime and homelessness have a price that goes beyond the immediate victims. These are two of the main factors that ruin communities. Until residents feel safe, and businesses can operate without fear of crime, they won’t voluntarily operate in such an environment. It is not rocket science.

  35. Fuck you rAT.

    I don’t need a fucking lying, mentally ill piece of shit to remind me not to forget leg day.

  38. ^ proof positive Mitch cares naught for the content of the comment section. I guess he is a dump and run blogger. Well, it is HIS blog after all.. or does it just exist for trollbots to hijack at whim?

  39. You know, blade, 600 yd is nice but you might need a few more firing points. A buddy of mine has been watching the zombie attacks which began as single individuals then 3 or 4, then a couple dozen bum rushing the stores. He thinks they’re being trained to act in small unit tactics and are already up to company size.

    You’re gonna need more guns.

  40. Lol..

    rAT, in my long and storied career of slagging leftist degenerates online, there were 2 that requested a face to face.

    They knew who I am, because everyone does. I’m not hiding from anyone.

    I’d be lying if I said I crushed them into mush, but neither left intact. I gave them credit for having the balls to actually show up, see? They did their best to act like men, and fell short.

    I rate the chance you’d ever show up for a chat at 0/10.

    1. Because you’re a cowardly cunt.

    2. Because you’d leave less than intact, and you know it.

    Drop me a line. Prove me wrong. LMMFAO.

  41. “My Morton building”

    Jfc, you can’t stop, can you, you miserable wretch?

  42. Bigman, I have a Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5CM, with top of the line optics. I also have an expert training me, who easily and repeatedly hits 3 shot groups at sub 2 MOA at 1000 yds with my rifle.

    Shooting >600 yds is a whole new game. I’ve hit targets out to 1000, but I cannot claim to do that consistently.

    I have the equipment. I have the trainer. I have the time. I will get to a mile sooner or later.

  44. jpa, I’d live stream a meeting with rAT. For that alone, you’d think Berg would facilitate it.

  45. Bigman, for Zombies, I have another platform which I decline to identify.

  46. Abother platform….Does one side say “Face toward enemy”?

    🙂

  48. Lets see, rAT! Fuck your dupetube.

    Wouldn’t you knocking me tfo be worth the risk? Have your LakeFrOnt EsTatE staff film you kicking the fuck out of me. I’ll squeal!!!

    Send Mitch your deets…I can be on a flight tonight! 😁

  50. rAT, if you fear having the shitty little hovel you call home doxxed, we can hook up anywhere… Idgaf.

    Fair?

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