The Human Condition: Self-checkout

By Daniel Schnee on February 15, 2023.

As a youth in the 1970s I distinctly remember having to get to the bank by 3:30 p.m. on Friday, or else I had no money until the bank opened on the following Monday morning. So when ATMs finally showed up in my town I was overjoyed, but there was immediate talk amongst the adults about the possible negative impact on various employees. What about the tellers who could potentially lose their jobs, and why are we letting the machines take over everything?

Such debates still continue of course, as demonstrated recently in Ticked Off & Tickled Pink. Do self-checkout machines in grocery stores, for example, reduce human employment, add value to a customer’s shopping experience, or possibly both? Since I have not done any formal research on the subject I will instead reflect on my own experience, and say the following: the machines seem to be a relative blessing, when compared with their absence.

Considering the various cashiers, stores and interactions I’ve had over the years, the machines provide the following advantages. Lines have been reduced due to the increased number of ways to pay for one’s purchase. In that sense three cashiers plus two self-checkouts is ‘better’ than three cashiers alone. This does not make the cashiers irrelevant or redundant, but rather more necessary during peak hours when long lines have the most potential for occurring. Those who prefer cashiers will use their services and those who prefer the machines will use them to their advantage, increasing customer volume and sales in a single location.

Some machines also could not redeem my coupons, sell or redeem my lottery tickets, process gift card sales, accept cash, or facilitate returns, thus requiring an employee to be present. An employee may also have to troubleshoot or explain the lesser-known features involved in the previously mentioned activities, a permanent job that did not exist until the machines arrived. Employees are still required to be on the lookout for potential theft as well. Self-checkouts provide opportunities for criminals to pretend to pay: swiping only one of three identical items they are carrying, and so on.

Finally, those who are employed as home shoppers – purchasing groceries for others for a fee – need to be prompt in their activities. Therefore, the self-checkout is often a necessity to do their job in a timely manner, especially when ‘Checkout Chat’ is holding up the line.

I openly admit that I have a penchant for chatting with the cashier, often making the line go a little slower (though I honestly do my best to keep the chatter to a minimum). Some customers chat so much (and for so long) that the other customers in line angrily give up and use the self-checkout, which itself will never delay your activities in order to discuss anthropology or jazz/rock drumming. This was probably not an anticipated benefit of the machines, but a reality nevertheless.

All in all, what is wrong with the machines benefits employees, and what is right with them seems to directly assist employees, at least to a certain extent. Either way our goal should be to treat the employees with kindness and respect, regardless of the machines. And some of us promise not to talk so much.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist and jazz/rock drummer

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