I believe that the Argos-style staff-retrieving-everything is the way a high percentage of shops used to be, and there are still a few vestiges of it in some in

I believe that the Argos-style staff-retrieving-everything is the way a high percentage of shops used to be, and there are still a few vestiges of it in some industries and areas. I'm not sure exactly where to find information on how the individual retail experience has changed over the decades, but I expect that direct consumer retrieval of items became the standard as larger stores and department stores became more widespread. Notably in general retail, dedicated shoe stores in the USA are quite often like this though discount shoe stores now often tend to simply have stacks of boxes below a display shoe and it's up to the consumer to find which sizes/styles are in stock. It's also the standard for compact high-value goods such as jewelry. There are probably still also shops (even grocers) in high-crime areas that simply work everything this way.