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Comment by tw04 | Hacker News Reader

On the one hand I don't love it, on the other hand I can't blame them and have 0 issues with it. As long as they're only recording inside their store, what's the problem? Literally every large store/chain has overhead camera's recording you throughout the store. Putting a camera on an associate isn't really changing the math much. Furthermore, I'm guessing they've got issues with high rates of theft at the stores in question. Your options are either more monitoring to stop/slow down theft, or having the stores close entirely in what I would imagine are lower income areas that don't have a lot of options in the first place. I'm guessing the folks not out to steal stuff that live near these stores would far prefer an associate with a camera to having to drive or ride a bus for an hour+ to go shopping.

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> Your options are either more monitoring to stop/slow down theft, or having the stores close entirely in what I would imagine are lower income areas that don't have a lot of options in the first place.

I gotta say, I'm getting pretty annoyed how there are people that shoplift and encourage others to shoplift, and then get a Surprised Pikachu face when the stores either close or put in more draconian measures to prevent shoplifting. People brag about using self-checkout to steal or get something at a significantly reduced price (like ringing up your steak as bananas), and then get pissed when stores demand to check receipts or shut down their self-checkouts entirely.

It's not corporate simping to point out that businesses exist to make money, and if theft is so rampant that they're not making money, they're going to close those locations.

Are those the same people? I usually see people saying one thing or the other without much overlap (they may be in the same feed though so maybe the Overton window currently includes both opinions).

I really wish grocery stores near me would either shut down self checkout (implied: hire more human cashiers!) or at least give me a modest discount for doing that labor myself. Even if it was just 10 cents per checkout, at least that token discount would be an acknowledgement of the labor I'm doing myself that a person used to get paid for. That would take the sting out of it.

There are people like me that actually prefer the self-checkout over dealing with a cashier who has to pretend they actually give a shit about how my day is going.

I'm not really interested in fake and vapid smalltalk.

You know you can just not engage and they will reciprocate, right? Don't make eye contact and just mumble something in response if they try to talk (and you aren't comfortable staying completely silent, because that's also an option you have.) They don't take it personally, they deal with the general public and know some people aren't up for chat.

I've never really understood this view. Fewer people have to work soul-sucking crappy retail jobs and I don't have to make pointless small talk with someone just to get some groceries? Sign me up!

Bizarre take. The only reason anybody would ever "have to" work as a grocery store cashier is if no better option was available to them. The elimination of those jobs hasn't created better jobs for people that previously might have been in that kind of position.

I’m already paying sky high prices, don’t make me check out and bag my own stuff too

I don’t really support shoplifting, but if it would get stores to remove the self checkout lanes, I’d happily rethink my views…

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