Cashiers, who needs ’em?
It has been a less-than-subtle trend these days: Real flesh and blood cashiers have been replaced with robot checkouts. Almost every large store has a hand full of 12 to 15 item or less robot checkouts. But now stores like Home Depot and Meijer have robot checkouts for any order.
Along with these new checkouts there is an apparent decline in cashier positions. The president’s “new economy” is supposed to be based on service jobs, but now, even those are being eliminated.
We are in a time when unemployment is running out of control; I hope that others will start to make a statement with me: Stop using robot checkouts and save jobs.
If only for selfish reasons, the real cashiers don’t make customers research produce codes and take things in and out and back in grocery bags. I find that real cashiers are almost always a lot more pleasant and efficient.
– Ryan Smith Graduate Student, Rehabilitation Counseling
