ThiefX wrote:
Did it ever occur to you that store who uses self checkouts isn't cutting any jobs?
Do you understand the concept of "underemployment"?
No, they're not cutting jobs - they just shave a few extra hours off everyone's time. If someone (or several someones) quits as a result of this, are they hiring to fill that position? Probably not - it'd be cheaper to double the amount of self-checkout instead since they already have the technician (or, more likely, the contract with a technician) to handle anything that goes wrong with those.
Automation is all fine and dandy in general, but it
does lead into a spiral of squeezing out low-end jobs - and these are people who can't readily afford any sort of retraining.
Shorter explanation of the cycle that occurs:
1. Store decides to install self-checkout lanes on a trial basis.
2. Store funds self-checkout lanes by cutting checkers' hours.
3. People go into store, see horrendous lines at checkers, use self-checkout.
4. Store notices lots of people using self-checkout.
5. Small proportion of the checkers quit due to insufficient income (presumably to try and move somewhere with a lower cost of living, if such a place exists and is readily reachable).
6. Store notices savings due to fewer people on payroll.
7. Due to volume of self-checkout business and savings on payroll, store installs more self-checkout lanes.
8. Store realizes they're not going to cover it just through that, so go back to #2 if any checkers are still employed.
9. Unemployment goes up; ThiefX blames Obama.