[aap1966]

THe issue is the poor sap at the checkout is not responsible for the sales procedure. Some "clever" young kid with a marketing degree and ponytail has convinced the board that the company needs to create a "relationship" with the customer, that this will evolve into some sort of "friendship" and the customer will then be captured for life.
The decision makers are too insecure in marketing and technology to think it all through and call out all this crap as "the Emperor's New Clothes 101".

My personal beef is when the kid is too busy asking "How my day has been" and "what have I got planned for today" to tell me where the friggin item I want is. It got to the point where I said to one kid "Look, I'm flattered, but I don't want a date, I just want to buy a shirt"