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Comment by 8bitsrule | Hacker News Reader

>The waiter hasn’t been replaced by an iPad, they’ve been replaced by you.

I've noticed as well that in grocery-store lines. Where customers are being conditioned to patiently wait in long lines to be next at the checkout machines. To wave their purchases over lasers, then pack them into each and every bag they'll pay for. Be careful what you put in the bagging area! the machines' metallic voices shriek at the customers. They must do exactly as they're told. Or else the single human attendant will walk over to ask them what they did wrong. While others still waiting trade impatient glances. Oh the shame.

Meanwhile the silent rows of unmanned registers wait in the gloom, just in case. Are they waiting for an EMP?

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I recall reading that when they introduced self-service checkouts theft went up significantly; people were much less reluctant to still if they were only being served by a machine. However the solution was not to simply go back to use manned registers again, but instead make the systems for theft detection more sophisticated. I wouldn't even be surprised if the final systems that we have now are not even cheaper than manned registers, but the way the transition worked was that it was always sold on "potential savings" on idealised conditions.

As long as theft is less than minimum wage it’s financially viable.

Your experience with self-checkout is drastically worse than mine.

I use it because it's always faster than the cashier lines unless those are empty, which they never are.

Part of the slowness of the cashier lines is based on the business deciding that delay is acceptable when deciding how many lines to open

The shop I use has the "scan as you shop" scanner guns, if I'm doing a big shop they're so much more convenient than having to load and unload at either a self or normal checkout.

If I'm only getting a few things I'll use the self checkouts, this store doesn't use the scales to weigh the "bagging area" so it's as easy as scanning the items, Apple Pay and away I go. As an autistic person I much prefer this experience to having to awkwardly stand and make small talk with a cashier.

You might 'enjoy' this: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/16/self-checko...

>>I've noticed as well that in grocery-store lines. Where customers are being conditioned to patiently wait in long lines to be next at the checkout machines

Man I just realized I have not been inside of a grocery store in over 3 years... Thank god for curb side pickup

You should go in! I enjoy picking the fruits, veggies and cuts of meat instead of whatever the market grabs. (not to say curbside is bad but it was one of the few things I miss when the lockdown in 2020 happened.)

I dont.... If I want to pick my meat I go to a real local butcher that only does meat. Which i only do for steaks or something like that.

For my everyday meals One pack of chicken is no different than the next pack of chicken...

One 5lb bag of potatoes is no different than the other 5lb bag of potatoes, 1 bag of onions is no different than the other bag of onions..,.. etc

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