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Comment by floren | Hacker News Reader

"Please listen closely, as our menu options have changed. Did you know you can check your account balance, order checks, apply for a loan, or get a new debit card online? Visit w w w dot your bank name dot com forward slash banking for more information." ---> Please hang up before we actually have to make somebody pick up the phone

"Due to the ongoing pandemic, for the safety of guests and staff we will not make up your room unless requested" ---> Thank god, we can cut our cleaning staff

"Due to the ongoing drought conditions, water will only be served for customers who request it" ---> We wash half as many glasses this way

COVID in general was a great excuse for a lot of companies to do something they've wanted to do for years (reduce business hours, cancel contracts, cut staff, reduce stock on hand, etc.) while acting like they're doing the world a favor.

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I saw this on the doors of my local shopping mall:

    MALL HOURS
    ==========
    For your convenience, The Galleria's operating
    hours are available online

Followed by a huge QR code. Um, no. It's really inconvenient to have to grab a phone, scan a code, wait for the slow site to load, give apologies to others who want to walk in the door, etc.

Oh, and let's say I get there before they open. Before I could just drive by and see the hours on the door. Now I have to stop, get out, scan the code, ...

It's a small gripe for sure, but those are my favorite types.

Oh of course that reminds me of the explosion of QR code menus we saw during the pandemic! A laminated code, the lamination bubbling up, covered in peeling tape, damn near impossible to scan depending on the lighting conditions. Much better than a sheet of paper!

And this directs you to a PDF that was designed for print. :(

Or a menu developed with react that takes a full minute to load.

and loads tracking/analytics from 100 different places, and sends an XHR every time you move the mouse.

I have toyed with the idea of carrying a sharpie with me, and adding ironic graffiti to such messages. This article might just push me over the edge.

I like how self-checkouts or ordering kiosks are framed as automation, but are actually just making your customers do work your paid workers used to do. There's no automation involved, just a shift in who does the work.

Maybe the 'y' was a typo.

Quite a few shopping centres where I live (Norway) have the opening hours in half metre, or more, high type high up on the wall outside.

The sort of thing you describe has a lot to do with the culture of the place. In Norway being cooperative and helpful is highly prized, in the US individuality and getting ahead are. I don't mean that both countries don't appreciate both things, just that the emphasis differs.

At least that's my biased opinion, :-)

Ticketmaster: "We've switched to app-based digital tickets for a safe, contactless experience" -------> The pandemic provides the cover we need to corner the resale market and collect the personal data of every customer.

How about the bald absurdity of tacking on a "convenience fee" for purchasing things online instead of in person? The theater near me will add a couple bucks if you buy tickets online, but that fee is not present if you buy in person at the theater! There's never more than one person behind the counter, so I have no doubt they're saving money by leaving registers unstaffed, yet they still have the gall to charge us extra for using the online reservation system--they want to have their cake and eat it too! Of course, complaining about the ethics and pricing practices of theaters and the entertainment industry in general is like shooting fish in a (very expensive) barrel.

I always wondered if this cut into what could potentially be made as a profit by the company producing the movie. If a $10 matinee ticket has a defined percentage split between movie theaters and producers, then a $3 convenience fee for an online purchase might go only to the theater, allowing them to take in a higher effective percentage.

I love these. Another one I've seen recently is large Manhattan office buildings asking people to use revolving doors "to help save the environment".

(i.e. help us save on electricity costs for heating and A/C)

I always thought there must be big money to be made as a call volume forecaster, given how many major companies are stumped when its "unexpectedly high".

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