The War on Self-Checkouts Shows the Make-Work Bias Is Alive and Well

Fee.org ^ | 2/26/20 | David Youngberg

[Impala64ssa]

More advantages, automated checkouts and robots don't demand special treatment, or do they file harassment or discrimination suits, unless Robotic-American becomes a new protected class.

[TomServo]

The biggest “make-work” employer continues to be the US gov’t.

[Jewbacca]

Small purchases, the auto-checkout things are fine.

A large cart worth? Need a human.

[VanDeKoik]

I visit almost no store that does not have one.

[Captain Walker]

I think John Pinette had the right take on self-checkout lanes in a supermarket.

"Don't do it!" he said. "Next, they'll have us stocking shelves and calling us for a cleanup on aisle six."

[fella]

Since the customers are doing the work of a checker and of a bagger shouldn’t they get compensation of some sort?

[I cannot think of a name]

I'm always concerned when an article starts out with something that is blatant nonsense. That story about spoons actually started with a union guy talking about a steam shovel, and it has been in business books since the 1930’s.

The second part of the story misses the whole point. I never stood in lines in grocery stores. That's because as 14 year old I was what was called a “bag boy.” The 16 year old girl next to me was a checker. We weren't really making much money (.32 cents per hour - I still have my first pay stub.)
but we were learning invaluable lessons about life.

Thanks to minimum laws and other such nonsense, that type of experience has been shut down for young people. And believe me, every time we hire somebody straight out of high school it shows.

The answer is not more stinking computers - it's to go back to practical, common sense based society we once were.

[max americana]

There’s still a human who checks if the machines are working. The ones I hate are those with the CAMERAS (Target) as if they think I’ll steal/not scan one item..

[metmom]

I hate self-checkouts.

[buckalfa]

Work is not the goal of economic activity. The goal is human flourishing. "

That is an accurate academic argument. Yet can society be stable without work? Does idleness lead to social upheaval if everyone does not have the capacity to learn to code?

[Jamestown1630]

This is true - especially if you have coupons that don’t read properly, or something that should be on sale doesn’t register as on sale. But if the order is small enough, self-checkouts in my area usually have at least one human attendant who manages to cover the issues that arise.

Another problem is that if you have a large order, and you’re alone, the self-checkout doesn’t have enough space to hold all your stuff - they always make them very small in holding area. We were going to try it at Lidl today, but even with two of us there was no room to hold all the stuff while bagging it.

[yarddog]

The only ones around here are at Walmart.

Once a few months ago, I noticed an item on the bottom of the cart as I was loading the car. I probably should have gone back but I was tired and it would have been awkward so just let it go.

I always just assume they have cameras.

[Buckeye McFrog]

A cashier put out of work likely ends up on welfare. I eschew self checkouts in the name of preserving the society.

[EvilCapitalist]

Same here. I also pay my bills by check. Keeps the post office in business.

[Jamestown1630]

I signed a union petition last year in favor of giving supermarket workers more hours, better pay and benefits.

I remember the old days - when people worked full-time for supermarkets for decades, and retired from them with benefits.

I also recall when people in all sorts of stores actually knew all their stock, knew where everything was, and could answer your questions intelligently - and the butchers would actually do special stuff for you.

[BudgieRamone]

I dislike them because I have to work and balance stuff on too small tables. After getting off my second job, I dont need a third unpaid job checking my own groceries.

[thoughtomator]

I hate auto checkout with a burning passion and will never use one voluntarily again.

If they think I am going to do the job of checkout clerk while a machine lectures me repeatedly about putting the item in the bag, with some bored employee standing at a podium watching when he could just as easily be running another checkout lane, they’re crazy.

[familyop]

You’ll find out before long, that the customer is always right. Things change. Investors change. Give us service, or the new management will be replaced. If we want more automation and less human interaction, we’ll go with the likes of Amazon. And there will be more businesses like Amazon.

[LibertyWoman]

I refuse to use the ‘self checkouts’. Now, if they offered a discount on the overall bill, to compensate me for doing the job they have factored into the price, then I’d be the first in line. As it is, I am not going to shop and a bill, which has labor costs; overhead; profit margins et al. factored in, unless I get paid for it via discount. (this is strictly a personal opinion and not trying to diminish anyone here if you use SCO)

[protoconservative]

Someone who worked for decades in a supermarket, guess you found places for the people who were not right in the head back in the old days.