Technology today can be daunting for those of us in the older crowd. Ten years ago I never thought we’d own a computer much less spend the amount of time on one that I do now. It took me approximately 2 months to learn to email, surf and copy articles. More recently I turned my phone in for a Blackberry. Of course, they were practically giving them away because of the newer smart phones and droids but hey, I felt good that I could receive emails & it only took me 2 weeks to learn how it use it! I try not to remind myself that my granddaughter had a Blackberry 3 years ago when she was 11 yr. old and probably had it figured out within the first 15 minutes!
Lately three new areas of technology have immerged in my relatively small world. The first was receiving a GPS for my birthday. Thankfully, the kids had programmed their addresses and mine into it. “Mr. Garmin” has helped me navigate once I figured out how to type in the names or addresses of places I needed to be. It is a god- send for me when driving at night, that’s for sure!
The second new thing is the computer at the bowling alley. I recently joined a senior bowling league and Wow, keeping score has never been so easy as long as you can figure out how to insert each name!
The other new one is the “self-service check out” at the grocery store. After the first encounter, I vowed I’d never go back to that particular store again in the morning because it was just too stressful! Not being a quitter I did go back and try it again. First of all they have programmed a woman’s voice into the machine, I suppose thinking a woman’s voice is more soothing. Whoever imagined the sequence of events when checking out did not factor in a woman with children or even just a single woman with her purse, wallet, and cart. This woman kept asking me for my ______card. I finally found it while juggling my purse and wallet and swiped it successfully. Then as I’m trying to put my store’s card back into my wallet, just as fast as anything, she told me to scan my first item and place it in the bag. She repeats this command in this annoying tone until you comply. Then she proceeds to tell you to scan the second item. I got that done and placed it into the same bag but you can’t put it into the first bag with the first scanned item as that messes up her weighing system. So she tells you to remove that item and you have to be quick, take it out and put it into another bag because she keeps telling you the same thing over and over until you comply! Honestly, if I’d had more than 4 items, I would’ve been a total wreck at the end of this ordeal. Trying to figure out the right buttons to push while she is asking if I have any coupons is nerve wracking at my age. There should be a button to mute her while you are trying to figure out each step. She just keeps repeating her questions or commands and she is annoying! I pushed the button that gave me my total and then the real fear started- this time I was paying with cash. My total came to $4.32. I gingerly put the 2 pennies in first incase the machine jammed. The voice said “you now owe $4.30”. So I popped the nickel in next. She kept prodding me along until I’d given all my correct change. Now was the real test as I never have brand new crisp perfect one dollar bills. I just knew one or all of them would be rejected and I’d be standing there in a total fiasco trying to get an employee’s attention and help. But somehow they all fed through and I got my receipt. During this whole procedure, she is talking incessantly, telling me to remove my bags and to basically get going. I was trying to situate my purse and pick up my bags but by the 4th time this lady’s voice told me to get moving I had had it and said “I am going as fast as I can!” I guess I said it in a fairly loud voice because several people looked over at me and miraculously there stood an employee asking me if I needed any help. Sheepishly, I said no but thanks for asking. I guess they get that a lot or maybe he thought I was a crazy talking to the machine and was an “employee specially- trained negotiator”. Whatever, I just hope this doesn’t become a real trend as I like a human asking me if I found everything ok and even if I get a check- out clerk who seems tired or annoyed-I’ll take that any day over this mechanical woman!