X - FoxNews Self-checkout has long been seen as the future of retail, promising faster lines, fewer employees, and a high-tech shopping experience. But behind the scenes, issues like theft, customer frustration, and the loss
The Safeways here in WA (at least in parts) have shifted from the old weight-based system(?) to some new AI/camera system. It gets upset if you move incorrectly in front of it because it thinks you may have bagged something you hadn’t scanned yet.
Last time I went shopping I got stuck waiting for 5+ minutes when the machine flagged me and there wasn’t any available staff to review it with me. When the manager finally came over, we had to watch the video capture of me scanning (love the privacy invasion) and then she counted the items in my bag “just to make sure”. Afterwards she stood behind me and watched me finish scanning “in case it happens again”. Whatever. This feels neither efficient nor convenient. It feels like something else.
This has been my issue with it. They keep making self checkout (or even the regular shopping experience) more like going through security checkpoints. It feels like I’m a criminal even though I’m doing everything properly.
At my local Wal-Mart they have you walk through one way gates, and two or three metal detectors, cameras filming you regardless of which checkout you go through. They also have started locking up more and more items.
I understand they are trying to reduce theft. But it feels like they are trying to put a bandaid on a wound when they’re part of the problem to begin with lol. You also see these changes roll out over the years as people begin to struggle more and more. It seems like the solution should be obvious, but instead of being treated like people, we’re treated like resources for companies. Just value extraction units. Extract value through work, extract value through consumption
The Safeways here in WA (at least in parts) have shifted from the old weight-based system(?) to some new AI/camera system. It gets upset if you move incorrectly in front of it because it thinks you may have bagged something you hadn’t scanned yet.
Last time I went shopping I got stuck waiting for 5+ minutes when the machine flagged me and there wasn’t any available staff to review it with me. When the manager finally came over, we had to watch the video capture of me scanning (love the privacy invasion) and then she counted the items in my bag “just to make sure”. Afterwards she stood behind me and watched me finish scanning “in case it happens again”. Whatever. This feels neither efficient nor convenient. It feels like something else.
This has been my issue with it. They keep making self checkout (or even the regular shopping experience) more like going through security checkpoints. It feels like I’m a criminal even though I’m doing everything properly.
At my local Wal-Mart they have you walk through one way gates, and two or three metal detectors, cameras filming you regardless of which checkout you go through. They also have started locking up more and more items.
I understand they are trying to reduce theft. But it feels like they are trying to put a bandaid on a wound when they’re part of the problem to begin with lol. You also see these changes roll out over the years as people begin to struggle more and more. It seems like the solution should be obvious, but instead of being treated like people, we’re treated like resources for companies. Just value extraction units. Extract value through work, extract value through consumption