What is it with people and computers? Are we not capable of thinking for ourselves anymore?

A few days ago I went to collect some tickets from a place that I shan’t name for fear of offending the proprietors but let’s say it was the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee! In fairness it could have been anywhere in the world.

There were two people in front of me having their order processed, which basically meant picking up pre-ordered tickets. After an unbelievable 15 minutes wait I made my way to the desk and handed over my voucher containing all the pre-booked information, date, time, place, tickets required and their reference number. After 10 minutes of the guy staring at his computer screen, consulting with a colleague and asking me for further confirmation I eventually got what I wanted.

Why, why should this happen?  Surely, if a clerk places the company’s own reference number into the computer it should immediately come up with the relevant booking. It’s hard not to conclude that it was actually quicker to process orders in the old days, when orders and references were written down on index cards and then placed alphabetically in a box for easy reference. Nobody seemed to struggle then.

Another gripe. Why is it that bar staff no longer seem able to utilise basic mathematics? Not so long ago, a good bartender would add up the order in his or her head and take the money off the customer. I appreciate that computerised tills are useful since they do all the additions, print off receipts and help prevent employee theft and fraud but there are times when an elementary use of mental arithmetic or even remembering what something costs can be useful to the customer. Why is it that a bartender can’t even take the money for a single drink without first telling the customer, “I’ll be with you in a second” or “I’ll be right back with your check”?

Computers are all well and good and are no doubt necessary in this modern hi-tech world but it’s such a shame that the price is a loss of human initiative and imagination.