Buying / using a used item vs new almost always involves some trade-offs, primarily higher cost for convenience vs lower cost with imperfections. Can be tremendously rewarding to repair or jerry-rig something that's worn or needs replacement. Too many people can't assess these considerations and their additional time, skill & cost implications. However, there's tremendous value in sweat equity. I would call it priceless - the pride of DIY, learning something new, entering, exiting, shrinking, expanding your discomfort zone, shaping a before and after, at least giving something new a try are all essential life skills that are critical to growth, creativity, and problem solving.
Our Whole Foods self-checkout (we alternate between one in Navy Yard just south of Capitol Hill and in South Alexandria VA) stopped taking cash on Juneteenth. Go figure.
Also, Walmart has openly been prosecuting folks who don't ring up properly and have replaced most of their checkouts with self-check lanes.
And the CVS near our soon to be old apartment shut down and the one downstairs from our new one closes at 10 now. Sigh
Thanks for lifting up ventilation! I have all the masks in the world, but ventilation and HEPA filters and CO2 monitors are the next move if we actually want to clean the air and eradicate the virus in the air, along with better therapeutics and funding for said therapeutics. Masking is non-negotiable with our existing chronic illnesses, but we also have air purifiers and monitors and I would love for stores, hospitals, and public transit (including planes) to make this universal!
Prosecuting improper ringing up is interesting. From my retailing days I remember that stopping somebody for shoplifting required having to see them enter empty handed, choose and conceal merchandise, and walk past the last possible point of sale. It's pretty easy to ring up something improperly at a self-checkout, whether done with malice or simply by mistake. That's a pretty rough policy!
And I wish more people would focus on ventilation. It's good for preventing COVID but also any other airborne disease. Lots of places were already doing it during the pandemic- it's strange to me why it seems to have ceased. It's like washing your hands during flu season and then just not.
Buying / using a used item vs new almost always involves some trade-offs, primarily higher cost for convenience vs lower cost with imperfections. Can be tremendously rewarding to repair or jerry-rig something that's worn or needs replacement. Too many people can't assess these considerations and their additional time, skill & cost implications. However, there's tremendous value in sweat equity. I would call it priceless - the pride of DIY, learning something new, entering, exiting, shrinking, expanding your discomfort zone, shaping a before and after, at least giving something new a try are all essential life skills that are critical to growth, creativity, and problem solving.
We are speaking the same language- I couldn't agree with you more!!
Our Whole Foods self-checkout (we alternate between one in Navy Yard just south of Capitol Hill and in South Alexandria VA) stopped taking cash on Juneteenth. Go figure.
Also, Walmart has openly been prosecuting folks who don't ring up properly and have replaced most of their checkouts with self-check lanes.
And the CVS near our soon to be old apartment shut down and the one downstairs from our new one closes at 10 now. Sigh
Thanks for lifting up ventilation! I have all the masks in the world, but ventilation and HEPA filters and CO2 monitors are the next move if we actually want to clean the air and eradicate the virus in the air, along with better therapeutics and funding for said therapeutics. Masking is non-negotiable with our existing chronic illnesses, but we also have air purifiers and monitors and I would love for stores, hospitals, and public transit (including planes) to make this universal!
Prosecuting improper ringing up is interesting. From my retailing days I remember that stopping somebody for shoplifting required having to see them enter empty handed, choose and conceal merchandise, and walk past the last possible point of sale. It's pretty easy to ring up something improperly at a self-checkout, whether done with malice or simply by mistake. That's a pretty rough policy!
And I wish more people would focus on ventilation. It's good for preventing COVID but also any other airborne disease. Lots of places were already doing it during the pandemic- it's strange to me why it seems to have ceased. It's like washing your hands during flu season and then just not.