# "Convenience" products and services that do the opposite **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173 "2018-04-10T17:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![wanderer2575](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@wanderer2575](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wanderer2575)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/61 "2018-04-13T08:03:23Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > What chaps my hide are “convenience fees” that are actually more convenient for THEM than they are for YOU. Example: The State of Illinois charges a “convenience fee” for registration payments made on line. Really?! Doesn’t paying on line actually SAVE them money? When you send in a check, there has to be a human to open the envelope and process the payment whereas, if you pay on line, it is handled by computer automatically. So, in essence, they are punishing you for saving them time and money. There’s going to be a human there anyhow, because online payments will never be at a 100% rate and the human is probably doing other tasks as well. So there’s no additional marginal cost of the human. There _is_ a marginal cost for every credit card transaction because, like every other merchant, the state pays a fee to the credit card processor. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/62 "2018-04-13T10:35:48Z")
For its utility payments, the city of Mesa started charging extra for card payments – credit or debit, in person or on-line – last month just for that reason. I had been going into the office to use my debit card because it would be declined on-line for some reason\* and the office was a mile away in any event. The last time I went in I predicted to the cashier that the policy would be changed back the first time they get knocked over and the bosses figure less cash, more receipts is the better option. \*Not unique to Mesa ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/63 "2018-04-13T11:21:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They’re not worried you’re stealing life savers, they’re worried your scanning life savers and walking out with something more expensive. The registers know about how much each item weighs. If you scan lifesavers and put a hammer in the bag, it’ll call the attendant over. Similarly, if you drink half of your Dr Pepper while in line, that’ll throw it off too. Knowing how much an item weighs doesn’t help much if you can’t weigh it. The self-checkouts at my local Wal-Mart can register a pound or more, but not an ounce or two. Try buying a candy bar or a greeting card. Putting the purchase on the scale does no good because the machine can’t detect it. Bringing a clerk over to solve the problem does little for the efficiency concept. Buying liquor isn’t a good idea at the self-check stations, either. A clerk is summoned. Why don’t they use the scanner to read your driver’s license and figure out your age? That would actually be more accurate than a clerk’s intuition. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/64 "2018-04-13T12:02:10Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Buying liquor isn’t a good idea at the self-check stations, either. A clerk is summoned. Why don’t they use the scanner to read your driver’s license and figure out your age? That would actually be more accurate than a clerk’s intuition. Because the machine can’t tell if you’re using your older sibling/friend/random stranger’s ID. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/65 "2018-04-13T12:02:51Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I doubt that’s done for convenience; probably the opposite, like clamshell packaging you need an axe to open: they’re trying to make it a pain to get to one, so you won’t take too many. > > I’ve heard that home washers & dryers were supposed to make laundry much simpler, but it had the opposite effect… people used to not have so many clothes and would send them out to be cleaned, and do a little spot cleaning during the week. Now that houses all have washers & dryers, somebody has to devote half a day every week (at least) to keep up with all the laundry. This claim is nonsense. I remember my mother doing the wash (dry cleaning was expensive and you wouldn’t want your underwear dry cleaned) and it was a pain. Let the mangle washer run for a while, then put the clothes through the mangle one by one, then hang them up on the clothes line, inside in the basement all winter and outside the rest of the year. The automatic washer and dryer are a tremendous improvement on that. Blister packs of drugs are convenient–for the pharmacist. Users hate them of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/66 "2018-04-13T13:27:55Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Are self checkouts the new “What’s the deal with airline food?” Maybe it’s because I had a brief stint working as the self checkout person at a grocery store, but I almost never have issues with them. You scan the item, you put it in the bag. Don’t set your coat, purse, child, etc on the platform. My last experience was two days ago. I got waved into the self-checkout by the attendant (the manned lanes weren’t crowded but I guess her job is to drum up self-checkout users) and told “It’s so fast and easy!” It might have been except I committed the sin of wanting to double bag something and lifting it out of the bagging area and putting it back a moment later. A reasonable motion in most circumstances but it sent the machine into a tizzy and I had to wait for the attendant to unlock it. Which took a few minutes as she had two people ahead of me who needed help. So much for fast and easy. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/67 "2018-04-13T13:47:39Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > This claim is nonsense. I remember my mother doing the wash (dry cleaning was expensive and you wouldn’t want your underwear dry cleaned) and it was a pain. Let the mangle washer run for a while, then put the clothes through the mangle one by one, then hang them up on the clothes line, inside in the basement all winter and outside the rest of the year. The automatic washer and dryer are a tremendous improvement on that. > > Blister packs of drugs are convenient–for the pharmacist. Users hate them of course. I don’t think you sent it out to be dry cleaned, you sent it out to be washed by some poor person using a washboard and a hand wringer. This is a generation before your mother. My grandmother’s diaries are full of washing drama. The underlying point–that it doesn’t matter how much work something is as long as cheap labor means you pay someone else to do it–is sound, but I rather prefer living in a world where poor women don’t spend 12 hours a day with their hands in boiling water just to make enough to scrape by. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/68 "2018-04-13T14:32:46Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > My last experience was two days ago. I got waved into the self-checkout by the attendant (the manned lanes weren’t crowded but I guess her job is to drum up self-checkout users) and told “It’s so fast and easy!” I’ve noticed attendants doing that, but I usually refuse. Perhaps due to the items I have, it’s not fast or easy. One time, the attendant said she would do all the work, so I accepted. She did. The only difference between this self-check line and the clerked lines was…which side of the counter the clerk stood on. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/69 "2018-04-13T14:41:51Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > For its utility payments, the city of Mesa started charging extra for card payments – credit or debit, in person or on-line – last month just for that reason. I had been going into the office to use my debit card because it would be declined on-line for some reason\* and the office was a mile away in any event. The last time I went in I predicted to the cashier that the policy would be changed back the first time they get knocked over and the bosses figure less cash, more receipts is the better option. > > \*Not unique to Mesa I’d actually think employee embezzlement would be more of a problem than a robbery. I imagine there are still plenty of unbanked people paying cash at the office. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/70 "2018-04-13T15:17:15Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > It’s a bonus that I can easily do it one-handed, since the other hand is often holding a wiggling 2-year-old at the checkout. :eek: Do the parents know?:eek: I love my Samsung pay app and self checkout. Both are, to me, faster and more convenient than the alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/71 "2018-04-13T15:37:10Z")
Our closest grocery (Jewel) ELIMINATED their self checkouts. No explanation. The Jewel on the other end of town still has them. Historically, I’ve not been a huge fan of self-checkout, but I miss them now, because the checkout lines in this store are notoriously slow. Drives you crazy to be standing in line 15-20 minutes, while your ice cream is melting, waiting to be allowed to hand over a couple hundred $ to purchase what you selected. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/72 "2018-04-13T15:39:53Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > My last experience was two days ago. I got waved into the self-checkout by the attendant (the manned lanes weren’t crowded but I guess her job is to drum up self-checkout users) and told “It’s so fast and easy!” > > It might have been except I committed the sin of wanting to double bag something and lifting it out of the bagging area and putting it back a moment later. A reasonable motion in most circumstances but it sent the machine into a tizzy and I had to wait for the attendant to unlock it. Which took a few minutes as she had two people ahead of me who needed help. So much for fast and easy. I’ve taken to not bagging anything at the checkout and grabbing some bags as I leave so I can bag more methodically somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/73 "2018-04-13T15:46:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I love self-checkouts! I don’t even mind doing produce with them. Probably because, from working in a grocery store, I have a lot of the PLU’s memorized. The only problem I have with them is that they are too slow. I worked for Safeway for 12 years and still remember most of the PLU’s (though they hadn’t yet gone to 4-digit codes when I learned them). The store employees are always very impressed that I don’t have to look them up. I’ve even given the PLU’s to the checker in the manned checkout line when I see them go for their cheat sheet. Tip for people who never worked in a supermarket: most produce these days has a little sticker on it with a number on it. That’s the number you should punch in to the self-checkout thing when ringing up produce and not waste time going through their list. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/74 "2018-04-13T16:09:17Z")
> [@wanderer2575](#): > > There’s going to be a human there anyhow, because online payments will never be at a 100% rate and the human is probably doing other tasks as well. So there’s no additional marginal cost of the human. There _is_ a marginal cost for every credit card transaction because, like every other merchant, the state pays a fee to the credit card processor. I see the logic, and you’ve made me feel better about it, though only marginally so because I think their fee exceeds what they are paying the credit card companies. I think “convenience fee” is a very poor term psychologically speaking. It implies that they are simply taking advantage of the fact that it has been made easier for you by charging you extra. If it is actually a fee to cover the credit card transaction, then they should call it “credit card fee” on the bill. I would have viewed that very differently from the get-go. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/75 "2018-04-13T16:47:42Z")
My son’s doctor went to an online medical record and bill payment system… for the convenience of the patients, according to them. But when I need access to his record sent to the specialist, I still need to call someone, then fill something out online, then call someone again, then call the specialist, then fill something out with the specialist, then call the primary care physician’s people. When my daughter had a similar issue a few years back, I filled out one paper form and it was taken care of. And don’t even get me started on the hassle of setting up the account so I could even do this stuff. And I’m no technophobe; I would rather order my pizza online than call someone. I have a degree in Computer Science. But saying that their patient portal is for my convenience is not wholly accurate. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/76 "2018-04-13T17:03:12Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I’ve taken to not bagging anything at the checkout and grabbing some bags as I leave so I can bag more methodically somewhere else. This is kind of what I do. Scan and dump on the platform so the machine is happy. Pay and then bag it as I want it bagged. Seems much faster to me. The Official “GaryM” of the Internet ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/77 "2018-04-13T17:03:28Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > I’ve noticed attendants doing that, but I usually refuse. Perhaps due to the items I have, it’s not fast or easy. One time, the attendant said she would do all the work, so I accepted. She did. The only difference between this self-check line and the clerked lines was…which side of the counter the clerk stood on. I’ve thought that should be the way self check-out worked anyway. They should open up all the lanes for self check-out, and have a few attended to help the people that want help. During busier times, more cashiers can work the lanes to make them more efficient, but there is no reason for the lane itself to ever be closed. > [@dropzone](#): > > I’ve taken to not bagging anything at the checkout and grabbing some bags as I leave so I can bag more methodically somewhere else. That’s a really good idea. I’m gonna try that. Especially since I often ignore the 20 items sign. There’s two lanes open with a line, and 12 self checkouts with 4 people at them. I worked as a cashier for a bit, so I’m actually as fast as they are anyway, and I know all the PLU’s for the stuff that I buy.I can do a 40 item load faster than most people can do a dozen items. Bagging after the transaction should speed that up even more. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Tip for people who never worked in a supermarket: most produce these days has a little sticker on it with a number on it. That’s the number you should punch in to the self-checkout thing when ringing up produce and not waste time going through their list. That also means that after you have looked at the sticker a couple/few times, you start to remember the PLU for it for next time. Then there are things that don’t have stickers, and aren’t in the computer, but can still be bought if you happen to know the PLU. (I’m looking at you, Shallots, #4662). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/78 "2018-04-13T17:58:23Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Especially since I often ignore the 20 items sign. I think that’s rude to the customers behind you. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/79 "2018-04-13T18:17:08Z")
How on earth do you carry twenty items away from the register without them being in bags? Also, since when is it difficult to bag the items as you scan them? Presumably being efficient shoppers you scan them in the order necessary to get nicely filled and sorted bags anyway. Heck, half the reason I like self-checkouts is because then I can bag things myself rather than some checkout person who has a different idea of whether the donuts should be under the cans or not. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173/80 "2018-04-13T18:21:27Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I think that’s rude to the customers behind you. You can care about people who don’t exist all you want, good luck with that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convenience-products-and-services-that-do-the-opposite/812173.md?page=5)