If you look down the road in ten years, I don’t think the bulk of cashiers working at operations like Wal-Mart or grocery-stores...will still be around. It simply makes sense to cut some people each year and introduce scanners into the mix. Last month, I went through a grocery where one clerk stands there around 8 scanner stations and you would scan your own items.
Automation is good for corporate AMERICA, but bad for the unskilled and seniors trying to make ends meet.
The ‘Amazon Go’ system uses your smartphone to scan items as they are picked up. Putting them back on the shelf removes them from the list (RFID). Walk through the door and your smartphone transfers money from your bank account.
Then they’ve got to fix these automated check-out machines. At Walmart, I’ve never gotten out without a cashier coming over and fixing the snafu. And it happens at ShopRite and other stores.
I don’t like “scan your own”. Beer purchases bring that to a halt as a nanny has to see your ID to permit the sale to complete.
I don’t get paid or see a discount for doing their work for them. When are they going to have me stock shelves?
Take the human interaction out of the equation and it’s just another monopolistic corporate box.
Hope Amazoners love paying sales tax on their purchases in any state that has Whole Foods stores.
The union successfully got the self-scanners pulled from our Safeway. Now, the “express” line is like going to the DMV.
My nearest Costco removed its self-service registers about a year ago. It’s all human cashiers and packers, and much more efficient (from the customer POV).
I refuse to use self checkout lanes. If I walk into a store and that’s the only option, I turn around and leave. There’s a Wal Mart here that went all in with them about 4 years ago. Enough people refused to use them that they cut back on the automatic aisles and brought back a bunch of cashiers. Home Depot did the same thing. The only manned checkout was the one for contractors. They’re now back to cashiers.
At our local home improvement centers I use self checkout almost exclusively. Way faster. I notice at the walmart I use the self checkouts are always busy, so much they probably need 5-6 more of ‘em.
The whole concept of ME pumping my own gas or doing my own checkout and bagging makes me angry. I want service. We are supposed to be in a “service economy,” but that seems to mean you get less and less service every year. Just try to get a human service agent on the phone.
Sure miss the old days when the gas station attendants flocked to your vehicle to check everything out and the grocery store took your groceries to your car and loaded the bags for you.
Bah! Humbug!
I detest those self-checkout systems. Do NOT want to bag my own groceries. Plus, the checkers at Trader are upbeat and friendly. I ran in for a little something the other day, right after ophthalmologist appt. Eye looked horrible. Fellow who worked there asked what happened, gave me a big hug, and then gave me a bunch of flowers. On Valentines day, another checker asked whether I lived alone and when I said yes, handed me a very cute card they were selling.
Keep your stupid electronic checkers.
#2 I use the self check out when I can but they fail quite a bit and the clerk has to fix it.
That’s how it is at the Target near me. Only the people who need to do returns or something complicated go to the human cashier, everyone else uses the scanner and is on their way in a fraction of the time.
When they start giving me a discount for bagging my own stuff I’ll think about it. I can though, see the attraction for folks who have only one or two items.