Tills
Whilst it'd be tempting to lump the computers I use at my current work into the catchall term 'redundant technology', I'm enough of a tech-lover that if it doesn't fellate my eyeball with technological joy then I'd probably consign it to the bin.

No it's the till systems I've used in a million other past jobs that really annoy me. Working in HMV as a Christmas temp I was astounded that they use a till that looks like it crawled out of the 70s. Now I get that upgrading the whole thing would cost millions, but when Tie Rack can swap their plastic behemoths for a svelte touch-screen lovvie then surely HMV can. I went back in recently (several years later) and they're still using them. Do they not break down? Is there a factory somewhere in Devon that churns them out? A wizened man slowly pulling a handle on a steel contraption, the steam squeals and like a fully rolled turd a new till emerges.

It's not like they even work properly. Discounts have to be applied by scanning a barcode that's sellotaped to the top of the till, and woe betide anyone whose barcode falls off or gets too scuffed to read.

Thank goodness I only had 2 months of that hell.
(chuckle_h0und You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 9:49, 4 replies)

There's a great story about old tills..
"apparently" before credit cards and computerised tills became popular, some wise-guy turned up at a top London store called "Harrolds" or some such.

Now this chap didn't turn up empty handed, no he brought his own till and spent the entire day merrily selling goods before packing up and going home.
( Signify, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 10:14, closed)

Did they not do that...
on the real hustle?
(chuckle_h0und You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 10:44, closed)

why would they make tills in Devon?
we don't have money down here
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 10:45, closed)

They make trainers in Cambodia
But they all wear flipflops.
(chuckle_h0und You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war, Mon 8 Nov 2010, 11:20, closed)