Frequently Asked Questions
The old system worked fine for me. Can you give me one good reason why I should use the new system?
We've already heard more than one critic say something like the following: "Oh Puhlease, a barcode scanner? I can log in, buy my drink, and log out in 3 seconds tops."
Here are a couple reasons why we think you should use the new system. First, when you use the barcode scanner to purchase a product, Chez Bob records the exact product you purchased (For example, not just 'Gatorade', but 'Gatorade Frost Glacier Freeze'). Assuming everybody uses the barcode scanner, Chez Bob can accurately keep track of the entire inventory. This benefits two groups. The first is the Chez Bob staff, who used to keep track of Chez Bob's inventory by hand. The second is you, the Chez Bob customer: Ever make a trip to the lounge only to find that we're out of your favorite snack? Now you can just check out the inventory online at http://chezbob.ucsd.edu.
The second reason you should use the new system is simple: you'll have more fun, believe us.
Sorry, your reasoning wasn't good enough. Can I still use the old system?
Sigh. Well, we thought there might be a few of you. In fact, we went to some pretty extraordinary lengths to make the new system look almost identical to the old system (on the surface at least). All of the old commands are still there.
Why won't the barcode scanner work on my soda can?
Make sure you wipe off any condensation on the barcode before trying to scan it. Also, try to hold the can a bit lower so that the beam hits the can at a slight angle.
What is Chez Bob's privacy policy?
Chez Bob does not make available to the public any information from its database. This includes email addresses, login names, barcodes, transactions (number and type of products purchased), and passwords.
Does Chez Bob keep track of how many of product X I've purchased?
Technically, yes. There is a transactions table in Bob's database that keeps track of your past transactions. If you purchase an item with the barcode scanner, the exact product name is recorded in the transactions table. However, this information is for YOUR EYES ONLY. Go to the 'Transactions' option on the main menu to look over your past transactions. Bob does not use your personal transaction history for any other purpose.
What is this 'Privacy' option on the My Chez Bob menu?
For those of you who are particularly sensitive about Chez Bob keeping track of your purchase history, enabling this option will prevent Bob from recording the exact products you purchase (No one will ever know how many packages of Corn Nuts you consumed last week). Enabling this option does not affect the inventory tracking in any way.
Why are the dates on my transactions all screwed up (1994??) ?
The computer Chez Bob runs on is not Y2K compliant and sometimes gets the date wrong when booting up. However, this should only occur when the machine boots without network support, so if you do notice such oddly dated transactions, please contact us!
My apple has no barcode on it. Can I still use the barcode scanner to purchase it?
Yes. There's a list of barcodes next to the computer for specialty items like fruits. If you have any suggestions on better ways to do this, let us know.
What's up with the British accent?
We're using the Festival Speech Synthesis System from the University of Edinburgh (http://www.cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival/). It came with a number of voices, but we found the English voice to be the most intelligible.
I buy stuff with cash sometimes. Is there anything I should know?
Those who pay for purchases with cash can potentially throw off the inventory statistics (We don't know how many of you are out there). We ask you to please scan a special barcode right next to the scanner labeled "Buy with Cash." Upon scanning this barcode, Bob will prompt you to scan your product.
What's the best type of money to put in the cash box?
Glad you asked! We have a strong preference for bills, and large ones. Coins, especially smaller than quarters, are frowned upon. Just to give you and idea, take a look at this graph:
BOB APPRECIATION FACTOR
App(D) where D is the denomination of deposit
App(D)
|
| * <--- $20 bill and greater == Friend
| of Bob!
| * <--- $10 bill == you're pretty cool
|
| * <--- $5 bill == we still like you
|
-+----*----------------------------------------------- D
| * \___ $1 bill == you're ok
| * \____ quarters == you're trying our patience
| \_____ dimes == grr...we're getting annoyed now
| * <---- nickels = please don't make us hurt you
|
|x <--- pennies (negative infinity) == use your imagination
|Get it?
Did you enter all of those books in by hand?
Heck no. We found an interesting set of Python scripts that, given a text file containing a list of EBN barcodes, can query Amazon.com for the authors and titles of all of the books. So, all we had to do was scan in the barcodes from the back of the books and let the scripts do the dirty work. If anyone wants to volunteer to scan in the remainder of the books, please contact us.