Time to get the hair off my chest (it's going grey anyway)..
The local station I use to get home from work (Bümpliz Sud, Bern) has an automatic machine outside and a manned (I use the term loosely) counter inside the corner shop just adjacent to it. Yesterday, I had 3 mins till my train and the automat was being used, so I popped inside to get 1 at the counter. My first mistake. I asked for a single to Fribourg (easy enough, I thought, wrongly) and all I got was a blank stare. She called over the 2nd woman who proceeded to look at code lists, tap on the keyboard and generally pretend to know what she was doing, but didn't really have a clue. "2 zones?" she asked. I said I had no idea, I normally use the automat, and pointed out my train was approaching and that a simple one-way to Fribourg was not exactly deciphering the enigma machine (well, I didn't, but you know...). She responded with a "it's not my fault" shrug and continued to play on the keyboard. So I stood there patiently, sighed a bit, looked around, tapped my foot.
Meanwhile my train left, but there was another in 30 mins. Another few minutes passed, she looked at the list (again), moved the mouse imperceptibly, tapped a few keys, shook her head "How much does it cost normally?" she asked. I said I wasn't sure, I normally buy a multi-journey ticket. She hurrumphed a bit more and moved the mouse back to it's starting position. At that point, I'd had enough, the automat was free (had been for 10 mins or so), so I said "leave it, I'll get my own, it's more efficient". All I got in reply was a "wie Sie wollen" and another shrug.

OK, so it's a minor inconvenience, but why bother with a ticket counter in a shop, where none of the staff present know how to use the bloody thing? the dismissive attitude of the witch behind the counter didn't exactly improve my demeanour and I'm not one to kick up a huge fuss in public.
Anyway, it's off my chest and a few more have gone grey in the meantime.

It's all in the title !

...well, it is Bümpliz Süd, what do you expect?

You ever been to the Bahnhof restaurant? Order a half portion of bratwurst and roesti and you really get half a bratwurst!

Haha...Are you serious? You really thought a service person would be quicker here than a machine? While I have been served with many really competent SBBCFF peeps, there has been the occasional slowpoke, that made a big line of polite customers wait and wait and wait...I think only folks who need some kind of week/month passes go to the manned counters, or old folks who have ton of time or tourists who don't know how to use the machines. The machines are always on the platforms, too, specifically for those in rush.

Like I said, the only machine was in use and people sometimes take forever to work them. I took a gamble on the counter. I lost.

There is the crux - these are not actually SBB/CFF folks, but shop assistants. They only handle the ticket counter on the side of normal business. Big difference if it's a SBB/CFF counter and a shop - the latter are not actually trained for it...!!

How much trouble would it be to actually train all staff that has access to the ticket counter..I know, SBBCFF is going through some financially rough times, read that in papers the other day. They will have to lay off peeps.

Was it this woman who served you?

Of course, that would be ideal. But when they introduced their Trainstation = coffee shop/sunday shopping in the country experience, they had to save money already and therefore put some untrained peeps in the shops and closed the real counters at the stations... Thus, the shop assistants are usually Migros, not SBB. And yes, it will get more expensive, not cheaper in the next few years and decades...

You know, some people here if they feel you are in a hurry will even slow down their service, happend to me quite a few times. Just like when I wait, driving a car, for the pedestrians to cross, you would be surprised how many people even slow down looking at the driver, when they know somebody is waiting on them. It is a weird passive agressive thing I encountered here. Or some folks putting their groceries away in Migros at the cashier- looking at you thinking, I will take my damn time.., I won't hurry because of you. It makes me laugh.

Could well have been, except the one in the clip is more helpful