As I See It
Checking out the old-fashioned way
Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Or do you prefer the personal touch? Everywhere you shop these days you see the self-checkout lanes. They became popular during the pandemic as a way to reduce human contact and to save labor costs. In theory, it sounds great. Avoid the lines, scan and bag your own items, and out the door you go. But it turns out we don’t like checking ourselves out, and retailers have mixed feelings about it too. We’re apparently so bad at using these machines that stores still have to employ people to help us, and to watch out for theft. So much for saving on labor costs. Many stores, like Kwik Trip, are adding self-checkout lanes, but others are removing them. Customers aren’t fond of them. They’re clunky. The machine’s voice tries to be helpful, but ends up barking at me to “return item to bagging area!!!” I would if I knew what part of this contraption was the bagging area. These machines are probably here to stay. But I guess I still prefer having someone else scan and bag my items while I still can. I don’t want to be frustrated by a trip to the grocery store, especially with the prices we’re paying these days.
Char
December 20, 2023 at 9:34 am
I thought you said just the other day that the economy was doing great????
walden
December 20, 2023 at 12:04 pm
Char, that was yesterday’s “here’s what we want you to believe today” story. Propaganda seldom survives reality.
The Dude
December 20, 2023 at 10:47 am
Oh Mr Shaw, I feel your pain!
I would love so much for the “Old Days” to come back. I certainly do NOT like pumping my own gas on a frosty winter day. We used to be able to drive up have 3 guys come out and wash windows, ask what octane gas we desired, fill it up, check oil, and clean our windshields. With the amount of cars at the local Kwik Trip they would need to employ another 100 people to run around and do that to keep up with demand. We all know that their increased costs would be passed on to us as consumers.
I go to a large grocery store in Onalaska close to the DMV and get frustrated with the checkout process. Be that as it may, I employ the logic stated above. If said grocery store still had the “Old Days” labor with individual checkers at each register, baggers at each register, and drive up loading into your car, it would translate into another 100 employees. Those costs will be transferred to the product I purchase and my eggs would cost $5.00/doz.
Such is our current life, and under these tough economic times with costs steadily increasing, every individual and company is trying to be as efficient as possible.
If the check out is really such a struggle for both of us, we could absorb the cost ourselves and do door dash, Walmart delivery service, or pay for some one to shop for us and not try and pass those costs on to our fellow citizens and neighbors.
But myself, I am too “thrifty” (cheap) to pay someone to do that so I will do it myself. I will just sit back and read the harangue that you put out on a daily basis.
I truly hope that you and the entire WIZM staff have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.