Politics & Government
Unpack SBC's 'Why Self-Checkout Is No Longer Profitable for Retailers'
Surprising Slide of Self-Checkout: Customers Say: 'Saved on labor but no reduction in prices. Money saved went to CEO and shareholders!'
According to SBC News' video posted below: "Self-checkout stations were once a retail innovation, promising cost savings, shorter lines, and a smoother shopping experience. But today, retailers are rethinking their strategies as these machines reveal hidden costs and operational issues. From high installation and maintenance expenses to rising theft rates and frustrated customers, self-checkouts have brought unexpected challenges. This video dives into why self-checkout may no longer be as profitable as once believed, exploring if this technology will evolve or fade away in favor of human interaction."
But what do customers think? Some of the comments on their YouTube video provide clues. Typos are in the original.
Saved on labor but no reduction in prices. Money saved went to CEO and shareholders!
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There was a story about a woman who was accused of theft because the srlf checkout malfunctioned. She won a multimillion dollar settlement with Walmart.
I've always felt that, if the store wanted ME to do a task their paid employee used to do, they should give me a discount. Personally, I prefer a human cashier -- in part because the self-checkout stations act like you're trying to steal something -- surreptitiously recording you, and constantly saying things like; "PLACE THE ITEM IN THE BAGGING AREA!" even though you've already done so. And I typically have a small number of items, and self-checkouts have meant the end of express lanes. I hope self-checkouts go away for good.
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I hate self-checkout. I don’t get a discount for checking out and bagging my own groceries. It was just a blatant money-grab by greedy corporations. Then they had the audacity to sell it to us as a “convenience.”
Human cashiers used to be an asset because they were fast, friendly, knew how to do a refund, remove already scanned item from the register, which products were on sale or why your item did not ring up right. It's not like these people ever had high salaries. There was really never a savings case for automated cashiers. And yet, grocery CEOs thought technical costs associated with upkeep and maintenance would not apply to these machines. Just another example how some CEOs are not fit for purpose but still collect disproportionate salaries.
No sympathy for these companies and corporations here, none. I've always hated self checkout and saw it for what it was when it first began 10+ years ago. The ONLY reason self checkout was started was to increase their profits by not having checkout/cashier employees to pay, making us, the customers do the work for free, with no reduction in the price of goods. So, no, this is the only time I've had no problem with hearing how customers are scamming their systems, a rise in theft, machinery not working and tech expenses. These companies were dumb enough to think they had us by the neck and will work for them for free, surprise, surprise! Serves them right.....and good luck going back to having checkout employees instead...people are getting fed up with low wages and poor treatment for customer service jobs. How about treating customers well, proving good services and products, paying your employees well and treating them with common decency and respect? Imagine that.
Now, believe it or not, those are the first 6 comments posted on that YouTube video at the time I started to draft this article. No one, not one person, came flat out to say, these are great and I love them? No doubt, some do like it. If I went further into the comments, perhaps I'd find some like that hypothetical 'I love self-checkout' response. No doubt they exist.
That said, count me among those who have loathed them from the start.
I'm into tech, I'm no Luddite. Besides successfully doing online digital publishing for over 15 years, I use AI almost daily in my work. But I see the flaws generated with AI as well as the interesting finds. There are some tech advances that are promising, and others that are problematic.
Similarly to AI, with self-checkout, there is an obvious threat of the loss of jobs. I believe in free enterprise, and for a range of good reasons I oppose socialism, communism, and fascism. But let's be candid. We haven't had truly free enterprise in the U.S. for years. The more the U.S. moved towards big government, the less free we as a people have become.
I’m not an anarchist, someone who favors no government at all. Government exists for a reason, and part of that reason is crime and the need for a justice system. But when a group takes control of the government, sometimes in subtle ways, that can be kind of corruption of government can become quite criminal.
It has been said that Benito Mussolini never said what follows. While that may be true, he has said things that are so similar, that an argument can be made that he may as well have said it.
In the satirical movie Network (if you haven't seen it, be aware that it is R rated), they raised issues almost 50 years ago that are so similar to what we have been experiencing in our own time that with a few tweaks, it would sound much like our era.
There is much that needs to be fixed in our society for We the People to regain our authentic rights that were handed to us by God and which our Constitution is supposed to protect us. Corporate influence over the U.S. government has been too strong for too long.
https://www.manufacturedhomepr...
I went deeper into the list of comments on that video, beyond the ones posted above. People overwhelmingly don't like these, based on those remarks.
I go in to buy a can of soup and I have one employee behind me watching that I don't steal it, one employee watching through a camera that I don't steal it and one employee at the door checking receipts making sure I didn't steal it.
Whenever the self checkout freezes up, start leaving everything right there and leave the store.
If more people start doing that, the costs associated with all of the go-backs and waste will convince stores to remove the damn things.
I refuse to use self check out. I don't work there and I do not want to take a job from someone.
Note that according to The Center Square, numbers of stores in North Carolina have been fined because the scanners are overcharging customers.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, second-longest tenure member of the Council of State, said the Standards Division is committed to protecting consumers across the state.
“Our inspectors continue to find errors among price scanners at stores in the state, and consumers should be mindful,” he said. “Take time to check your receipts and notify store managers if you find an error.”
I'm not going to say that all big corporation are bad, but the bigger they are, the more they need to be treated with skepticism.
I don't envy former and future President Donald J. Trump (R). Our country has been riddled with the influence of big corporation. They ship what used to be American jobs overseas or down to Mexico. I'm the son of immigrants. I'm fine with legal immigration. My wife came to the U.S., but did so legally. Billionaires and big corporations have increasingly taken control of our society, and it shows. Smaller businesses and employees are increasingly left out in the cold. It can't easily be fixed, which is why I don't envy Trump his job. But hopefully, if enough of We the People learn our history, learn our rights, and stand up against the corporate powers that want to turn Americans into modern serfs, the safer we as citizens can be from the pressures of big businesses and big government alike.
Trust but verify.
https://www.manufacturedhomepr...
The thinking liberal and the thinkers on center and right could agree on perhaps 70 percent of what has to occur to make America truly great. I pray our country will get the chance to fix what went wrong and do so to the benefit of millions of Americans who are struggling because of the corruption of our Republic. We can't do it without God and we can't do it by trusting blindly trusting the government and its officials.
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L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###
