The are many facets of modern life that when observed and compiled paint a dark picture. What follows popped up on my radar over a year ago. It was a just one venue at that time but I knew it would spread to others and it is.
To bring our cats to the vet closest to our house now requires that we open an on line account with them, which my wife has, then log in and make an appointment online. No more walk ins. Must have an idiot phone or some other portable internet access dohickey to do this. I was reminded of this when I rescued Shadow at the end of May.
Not in the mood to be bothered with having to go online and log in, the first time for me, on their website and try to navigate it, I just opted for another vet near by. As we originally thought we would give this kitten to a coworker of my wife’s who recently lost their cat, I did not think anything of going to a new vet. They accepted walk ins, but strongly suggested opening an online account with them and all the rest. Since that time, they too have switched to reservation only and these must now be made online.
Clinics that deal with human patients are doing the same. While where I went to have my knee looked at does not yet, they do now require making an appointment over the phone. No more walk ins. Online and app not far in the offing is my bet. Some of the clinics we take our kids to are also online appointment only and require online sign up to make one. All, of course wear masks, animal and human clinics alike.
There have been others that I do I not recall, the short of it is, if you want any service, you will soon have to first sign up to their online account and then make appointments online….and receive a tsunami of promotional emails from.
Various retail stores have long had apps that you need to download and sign up for to redeem coupons and access other sales. Some I have run across require you to have the app to check out. Pizza delivery and pick up too, in my recent experience.
For those who believe that just taking their business elsewhere solves the problem, I urge you to consider this situation more deeply. First, places that do not require online membership and or their App on your idiot phone are disappearing. Those that do not offer these are fewer still. You may not want to be bothered with them, but you will still have to wait longer in lone behind those who do. These people never have the appropriate apps open when their time comes and must first quit whatever app they were using and then do the “swipe this way and that way thumb dance” to open the ones they need, usually two; one to order and get their points and another to pay.
More and more businesses are pushing their apps, first strongly recommending them and then moving to requiring them to receive a service or make a purchase. Before you can going shopping, you must first open that individual store’s app and log in…for each store. Of course, this requires an idiot phone.
In other news. I raked the sub director at the med school. She’s been hulled and is taking on water. She will not be in charge of the first year students’ English education next year. Solves nothing for me for this year and there is an email from her that I have yet to open. Have other work to do today and do not want to be put in a bad mood until after it is finished. So, there may be a shell sputtering away somewhere aboard that has yet to explode.
Masks are still worn by more of my students than not.
It all works until the electricity goes out.
a few days ago out shopping I saw a surprising number of customers using cash, but I agree with you they are furiously working to make life impossible without an idiot phone.