Are Cashier-Free Stores The Answer For The Future?

For several years, we've seen various stores, mostly big company stores, add self checkout lanes. At first, I was reluctant to use them, but after a while, I gave it a shot. My thoughts about self checkout are mixed.

A report from KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa is reporting a Walmart in Fayetteville Arkansas is testing their checkout lanes cashier free. The idea is to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and cut down on wait times.

I have to admit, the wait times can be long, given the time of day I tend to shop. Obviously if I shop early, late or even overnight, my wit time would be shorter, but for the most part,  those are not good times for me to shop.

If I use the self checkout, it's only if I have a few items. I'm not comfortable unloading a grocery cart full of items one at a time. I'm too slow for that. And if the machine doesn't think you placed the items in the bag, it lets you know, even though the item is clearly in the bag. It's not my fault if a pack of gum isn't heavy enough to trip the sensors or whatever system it uses to detect an item being placed in the bag.

I can't count the number of times that something has gone wrong, and I have to summon a store employee over to to whatever magic is required to get back to checking out. That is, until the next issue comes up, and it usually does for me.

And, I'm really not in favor of people losing their jobs to a computer, again. My opinion is that a few self checkout options are fine for a fast checkout, but I will always prefer to go to to a checkout with a smiling cashier.

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via KWWL-TV