I don't use the automatic checkout at the grocery store. You shouldn't either, but then again - that's just my opinion. They are convenient, sure. And, I can go through while talking on my cell phone without being rude. But, here's something else to consider:
Each one of those handy, talking-scanning-checking-out machines has replaced one person. One cashier no longer has a job because a machine has taken her place. Those auto-checkouts don't come in ones and twos, either. There are six or eight in a row: eight people who have become obsolete, because a machine can do their job at a fraction of the cost.
Machinated convenience or workers' well-being? A bigger issue hidden within a trivial decision, as I stand with my shopping cart, wavering between the check-out options.
I'll choose people every time.
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I have never been through the automatic checkout either. I'm not afraid of it, but I'm usually in such a hurry in the grocery store that I don't want any problems that will delay my checkout. I have not even thought about the replacement of jobs for automation vs. people. That does concern me, but I know that companies are no longer what they were when I started working 40 years ago. I used to think that my company thought I was very special (as well as all employees), but during the past decade or so, that has definitely changed. The bottom line is money, profit, and growth. So, Lauren, look for even more automation of jobs that get rid of people. For now, it's the cheaper way to go.
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