Grocery stores replacing employees?
By celestos
@celestos (814)
United States
October 13, 2008 1:44am CST
I went into a store earlier and noticed they have added even more of those self checkout lanes. I added up the total now which comes to sixteen and it bothered me. Sure these things are faster and better then waiting in line due to a slow cashier but isn;t this also a replacement of employees?
I was talking to a friend about it and he said well they did away with baggers to cut down on grocery costs and I guess the new self chekout machines are for the same reason. I understand this sortive but is it also not a bad thing for people seeking employment? I mean that is sixteen lanes,which could be jobs for unemployed workers.Sure thats great if the store is cutting down on grocery costs but what does it matter if noone has a job to afford them?
3 people like this
3 responses
@rsa101 (40966)
• Philippines
13 Oct 08
Yeah that is something that is the bad side of the advancing technology we are having right now. It is getting more and more anti labor than being favorable to us. There are many instances that human labor is not needed anymore by machines. We can see that in the factories and they work almost efficiently as it is.
1 person likes this
@lilaclady (28206)
• Australia
13 Oct 08
Humans are supposed to be the smartest of the animal world but I think we are getting a little too smart as they are doing things to replace the worker so what happens to all the workers, people have to work to earn money, if people don't earn money no pne can afford to buy things that are made by the non-human means...or is it going to be a case that only the rich people will be able to live with any decentcy.
@CinderInMySoul (4717)
• United States
13 Oct 08
yup, definatly taking jobs from ppl. i hate those self-checkout things! ive tried them all of 4 times, and every single times, something goes wrong and i either end up having to wait until a manager comes over to fix it, or i get home and while looking over the receipt i find out i got double charged for some things! twice ive been double charged for an item i KNOW i only ran over the scanner ONCE. im absolutely positive cause i only heard the beep once!
i avoid those things like the plague lol! sure i hate having to wait thru a slow checker, but at least i can stand there and watch whats being added and immediatly talk to someone about it before the sales is finalized!
@celestos (814)
• United States
13 Oct 08
I think it is getting worse as we go. All I could think of while I was in the store was what happens when they can replace the people who clean the stores with machines? Replace the employees who bring in the carts and stock the shelves? Its really not a pleasant thought for the future. I know most everyday people like myself do work in these general labor type jobs which keeps the high end jobs possible. So if there is general labor makes you think if the high end jobs will vanish also.
