Blogimore.com

I read recently where Baltimore had been rated the slowest city in America. I’ll admit, I enjoy the leisurely pace of most of the restaurants we’ve visited in Baltimore. Eating out is just part of the daily routine in Dallas. In Baltimore, you don’t just “eat out,” you dine. Dining out in Baltimore is as much about the experience as it is about the food. Restaurants give you time to study the menu and wine list, enjoy the ambience, and savor not only the food, but the overall experience of having someone feed you and wait on you. You are never rushed to vacate your table after the dishes have been cleared. People typically eat out because they don’t want to cook or wait on themselves. Baltimore restaurants understand this and try to provide the best experience possible when dining away from home.

Retail shopping is a different matter entirely.

My only question about the study mentioned above is: where are they shopping in Baltimore where they only have to wait in line for 5 minutes? In the 3 months I’ve lived here (and approximately 12 trips to the grocery store), I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than two cashiers working at a time. Once you finally make it up to the cashier, she (and it’s always a ’she’ I’ve noticed), doesn’t even acknowledge your presence. You usually get two statements out of her, if you’re lucky. The total for your bill and “credit or debit.” Usually no thank you, and rarely is eye contact established. If pressed into conversation, you might can get a sentence or two out of them. And to be honest, it’s no wonder these ladies seem to lack a personality, they are working too hard. In other parts of the country, the grocery store check-out process involves a two-person team: a cashier and a bagger. The cashier scans your items, chats with you about the weather, and tries to upsell you on items or programs you don’t need. While she’s doing this, the bagger (usually a 14-17 year old kid) sacks the groceries and loads them into the cart. If it’s a nice enough store, the bagger will help you to your car.

Now here’s an idea to lower the youth crime rate in Baltimore: consumers should encourage grocery stores to employ kids as baggers. It will get them off the street and put a little cash in their pocket to help their hard-up family. At the same time, it is easing the burden on cashiers and speeding up the process that makes Baltimore the slowest city in America.