People who are afraid of technology

I love you!

At lunch time today I had the tedious task of sending off a parcel at the post office which usually involves me having to queue for about 35 minutes behind a slew of different people, ranging from OAPs to youths and normal workers (I use the word ‘normal’ very loosely). 

Now, as I entered the post office, like I have many times before, I was greeted by a wide array of different people, all waiting to send, pay or withdraw something from the post office. But this time, instead of an orderly queue weaving its way to the 4 or 5 post office workers at the front desks, people were randomly scattered around the room, sitting on little red sofas, standing by the walls and leaning on a number of the writing tables. This wasn’t what I expected to see! I would seem that I was not alone in my confusion, as a small number of people had quite randomly started to queue at the entrance to the room, as if not knowing what to do, they then revert to what came naturally for an Englishman, queuing.

It was obvious that there had been changes to the layout of the post office and indeed how the post office works with regards to serving customers. Still in a confused daze I asked the elderly lady in front of me what I had to do to get served, as it was all new to me. The nice old lady pointed me to a touch screen display that had a number of different services on it. Because I just wanted to send a parcel off I pressed the ‘courier service’ box and out popped a little ticket with a number on it. It would seem that I was number 187. Not overly positive, but not knowing what number was currently being severed I could not be sure whether I was to be served next, or in 100 customers time. Moving ever so slightly round the corner form the touch screen display (and cutting in in front of the kind little elderly lady that had just helped me) I looked up at the counter to see a TV screen, much like that at Argos, with lots of numbers on. Baring in mind that I am now number 187, I look at the screen to see that the lowest number is now 160. Feeling slightly rejected at the thought that I will have to stand around in a room of confused people for 26 people to be served before me I re-join the small queue at the entrance of the room. 

While jesting that the post office now feels like buying something from Argos I noticed a pair of big red machines sitting only a number of feet to my right. Walking over they both included a touch screen monitor and a set of scales with a big red post box in the centre. I waited a moment for someone else to finish using the top of one of the machines as a table and I moved in. quickly using the touch screen I identified that I wanted to send a parcel, I then threw my package onto the scales and moments later I had chosen second class delivery and the machine had printed me out a sticker to slap on. I quickly moved over to the big red post box and posted my parcel through and I was done, only 10mins after walking into a room full of waiting people. 

As I smugly turned to leave I peered up to the screen showing what number was to be served next and the lowest number was now 161. Har har, I was finished and my number had not even appeared on the screen. Win! 

In conclusion and to sum up this rather strange blog post title, I thank all those in the post office too afraid to use the new touch screen self service machines. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Without them I would have probably still have been mincing around in the post office right now. Having recovered from my initial confusion at the new layout in the post office, I would conclude that the new layout is very good (as long as everyone stays fearful of the new self service boxes).

This entry was posted on 04/08/2009 at 04:26 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.