Kiosks are the future

You know, you continually make statements that are incorrect – this time regarding the gas in NJ. In the tri-state area, the gas in NJ is actually cheapest, as less insurance is required by the gas stations who have trained employees pumping the gas, and therefore the cost is considerably less than in NY. On average, gas is currently around 2.80, while in NJ it is $2.45. Actually, average gas price in the US right now is $2.65. So how is it that NJ is more expensive? Or are you just making up information with no proof behind it?

I disagree a person can answer and solve problems better then any automated system. People hate those automated systems . Also the more tech you put into something the more likely you will run into problems.

It's not so much "What ever happened to service," as "What ever happened to jobs?" Now is not the time to yearn for a restaurant with no employees, when so many are out of work already. Got a hankering for a personalized pop? Okay. I guess you can't stop progress, but let's prioritize our efforts. Ask for your pop the way you like it...then tip appropriately. Everybody wins.

I concur with Kelly – I live in PA, outside of Phila. but work in NJ. Gas is at least 30 cents a gallon cheaper in NJ, and consequently, that is where I buy my gas.

kelly, You are right but your statement is slightly off the mark. NJ does have lower gas prices... however, it has nothing to do with our insurance companies. It is because we pay less gas tax per gal.
NJ pays 31.9 cents per gallon of gas the second lowest in the nation.
Georgia is lowest with 31.4. NY is 63.4, PA 50.7, DE 41.4 and MD 41.9
You can check this out on the CNN link below, just copy and paste.

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/gas_prices_by_state/index.html

you can click on the red button for gas prices and the blue button for gas tax.

Question........ How do you compare prices on the cnn.com website when say CO gas is 2.57 per 85 Octane gallon and GA is 2.59 per 87 Octane gallon. They don't say this on the web site, but it's true. You get a cheaper grade of gas for very little less, compare their 91 Octane rating and GA is much cheaper. Can we compare apples to apples somewhere more easily?

Why would you want all your interactions to be with machines? Personally I like talking to service people at restaurants and happily go to full service gas stations in Toronto where I live. Sure some automation is fine, but people have to work and have jobs, plus people have a natural desire to socialise and retain the human touch. Also there's a lot of lonely people especially the elderly and often the only people they see in a day might be a server at a restaurant or store. What are they supposed to do?

If automation takes away all the jobs, no one will have any money to buy things anyway. I personally don't want a future that is so automated. I think there's plenty of others who feel similarly.

This guy has to be joking... It's people like this that are destroying the world, namely by taking away the need to use our communication skills and limiting human interaction. This is getting ridiculous! What about the good old days when there was such a thing as quality and customer service, not just pushing productivity to its limits for as cheap and labour-free as possible. I just can't wait for the day when we don't even have to leave our house because everything we could ever want is done for us by a computer, including doing our job for us... Next up: the handheld device that tells us what to say in a conversation (since we won't even know how to communicate pretty soon)

Everyone is entitled to their opinion... and preferences. In New Jersey, gas is CHEAPER than all the other states surrounding it... and they pump it for you. Just because you like to mix your soda in some peculiar way doesn't make you 'good' at service, it merely means you are finicky. Just like you probably don't fix your own transmission, fly yourself to Europe, or diagnose and treat your own illnesses... there are people who are VERY good at customer service, and their 'service' adds value to the event. You obviously don't know a good bartender when you see one... and maybe you think you can teach yourself to ski.. or that all ski instructors are 'the same'. And when you order your steak maybe there will be a 'button' for "burnt on the outside, and just past medium on the inside". A good waiter/waitress would know how to get that done the first time.
No, a kiosk doesn't 'help' you when you have a particular need, or give you 'insight'. A kiosk helps you order 'pre-packaged' standard fare with minimal human interaction... a sad trend in these days of Ipods, Blackberries, IM, Twitter, and the ever baffling pervasiveness of personal bottled water. Hopefully, there will be still be people giving good service and adding enjoyment to the things I enjoy doing in my life for a long time to come. While a kiosk can take your order for a Gin and Tonic with lime, it won't give you any insight how the Phillies will beat the Yankees.

Kiosks are the future ?