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I've seen many retail stores owned by foreigners (e.g. middle eastern owned) in the northeast where their cashiers sit on tall stools. Maybe it's just easier to reach over and pick up the merchandise the cashier is ringing up while standing up than if the cashier were sitting down. I wish an ergonomic expert would chime in on this one as I am curious as to which one position actually does more bodily harm.
Tele-sales people don't stand. Network operations center personnel don't stand.
I think, all things being equal, working while seated is a more productive method of doing some types of work.
Bank tellers don't stand, either. Maybe it is just low paid/or menial jobs where you have to stand. I stood as a cashier. I stood as a construction laborer. I stood as a tomato picker. I stood washing cars. I sat as a network engineer. I sat as a project manager. I stood as a cable installation tech.
Oh well. No stats to back up either way, I guess.
Just a person's personal observations.
I don't give a rat's ass if my cashier stands or sits. I wish they could sit. When I was one, I wished I could've sat down.
Washing cars, sitting more productive or standing?
Typing at a computer as a NOC tech, sitting or standing?
Installing PCs? Sitting or standing?
Its truly down to each job and the requirements of said job. I'm all for cashiers not having to stand for 8 hours, but I think the issue is that most of them will continually sit, or continually be reminded to stand if they're allowed to, and that will decrease productivity. In THIS situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bibit612
I've seen many retail stores owned by foreigners (e.g. middle eastern owned) in the northeast where their cashiers sit on tall stools. Maybe it's just easier to reach over and pick up the merchandise the cashier is ringing up while standing up than if the cashier were sitting down. I wish an ergonomic expert would chime in on this one as I am curious as to which one position actually does more bodily harm.
From what I read, its important to be able to change. So, if you sit a lot, to stand for a bit, and then back, etc. Its not so much the any one position, its the lack of movement that sucks ergonomically.
Though, I can tell you which one has more direct physical discomfort.
I was a cashier for 4 years, in high school and college. I definitely think sitting would have slowed me down. If I hadn't had to bag groceries as well as ring them up, maybe sitting would have worked, but not ringing and bagging. I was one of the faster cashiers and proud of it, too.
And not for nothing, but I have a desk job now, and I weigh about 15 lbs more. Standing was probably better for my health, and for my figure.
In highschool I worked as a ticket sales person at a local movie theater (about 7 years ago), pretty much I was a cashier and they would not allow us to sit for anything! The counter came up to chest level so the customers couldn't see if we sat or not anywas but they were sitting down nazis!! My friend and I would alternate between selling tickets and sitting up agains the counter for breaks...
At 21 I developed Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.. Esentially what it means is I can't stand for more than about 15-20 mintues without getting tachycardia , sharp drop in blood pressure and eventually passing out. I wear compression stockings to help a little but it just comes down to the fact that I can't stand up long at all. I've applied for jobs such as cashier just to "get back in the workforce" as I've been sick for 4 years and out of commision and they won't hire me becasue they don't allow sitting or don't have a position for me (load of crap what about all those pregnant girls always sitting back by the dressing rooms in target just hanging clothes? You're telling me you can't stick me there?)
For me sitting would speed things up and definetly be more productive, you make me stand and in about 30 mintues I'm a be sitting whether its face first passed out or on an ambulance stretcher being loaded in the back cause everyone freaked when I went down
And so are PC techs, particularly when we carry very large and heavy objects.
Its easier to move around if you're standing.
I think being able to sit while its slow is useful, but because cashier tends to be a job one has in highschool and college, before you've really developed a work ethic, it'd be easier for an employer to just have you stand, rather than have to remind you to stand up.
Again, I believe that standing is just inherently more productive. Thats been my experience.
Ahhha a fellow pc tech...yeah, where I work we each have a chair in our area, but I find myself only intermittently able to use it. Though my work is essentially brought to me, I still have to pick it off the cart and get it onto my bench. And there's no way I could sit while working inside a unit. I do get short breaks while running tests though so that I can sit down and make a few posts on City-Data.
I work in a hospital and the majority of us can't sit, although I do have a nice little office where from time to time I add to these forums on company time. How would you like to be working in surgery for 8 hours and never sitting. I don't do that, but know those that do.
As far as cashiers standing, someone said that is archaic (hope I spelled that correctly.) Isn't the entire cashregister thing archaic. Many stores that I frequent have electronic cashiers. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Loew's, and some Von's all have self checkout areas that for me are much faster, and the unit doesn't care if it stands or sits. I think that it is possible to automate retail even more. But then I like to find jobs that can be eliminated by technology and find ways to exploit that. Eventually I want to make my millions doing that.
This thread reminds me of the Seinfield episode where George got that security guard a rocking chair.....
Seriously though - I agree with those who indicated that different types of work calls for different environmental factors. While its been a LONG time since my cashier days... I do recall getting breaks when appropriate. Also, while having the option is nice, I definitely would prefer to stand when working the register.
If you get a note from a physician for an accommodation, I bet you would get a stool. Stores might be afraid of a lawsuit - if they didn't give you one if you had a medical condition or pregnant or something like that.
As far as cashiers standing, someone said that is archaic (hope I spelled that correctly.) Isn't the entire cashregister thing archaic. Many stores that I frequent have electronic cashiers. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Loew's, and some Von's all have self checkout areas that for me are much faster, and the unit doesn't care if it stands or sits. I think that it is possible to automate retail even more. But then I like to find jobs that can be eliminated by technology and find ways to exploit that. Eventually I want to make my millions doing that.
Not to totally go off on a tangent, but that's terrible!!! People and families depend on these jobs. I'm sick of people trying to automate or send jobs oversees. No wonder we are heading to a recession! These machines that are self-check out are crap most of the time and oftentimes are slower than a cashier.
Not to totally go off on a tangent, but that's terrible!!! People and families depend on these jobs. I'm sick of people trying to automate or send jobs oversees. No wonder we are heading to a recession! These machines that are self-check out are crap most of the time and oftentimes are slower than a cashier.
The fact is that the job can be automated and chances are more companies will do just that. We are in a new economy where people make money doing something other than wringing up your purchases. People used to make money repairing TV sets, repairing shoes, deliviering milk to your doorstep, delivering bread to your home, making cars in Detroit, working in the typing pool, taking shorthand, and hundreds of other jobs that have been replaced because of a new way to accomplish the same thing or because it is cheeper to purchase a new one.
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