I’m afraid self-service checkouts are here to stay as they prove popular
There are two subjects which are almost guaranteed to spark a discussion between pretty much anybody – the weather and supermarket self checkouts.
Commenting on the unseasonal conditions with an old dear dragging a tartan shopping trolley or a bloke nursing a pint of Best in the corner of the snug bar has been standard practice on these shores since pointless small talk became a thing. However, since the turn of the century idle chitchat has become that much more tedious, thanks to the relentless march of those divisive devices that now appear to be absolutely everywhere.
Rather like backsides, everybody has an opinion on self checkouts, with one popular take being that they are further evidence of an international conspiracy which would see us ruled by Metal Mickey and his mates.
Brought in to reduce queues, it is estimated that there will be more than a million of these contraptions worldwide, which means they must be popular with some. However, the backlash against them shows no sign of going away, with one furious pensioner launching a petition which called on Tesco to stop replacing staff with such machines.
Pat McCarthy’s complaints that card-only tills ostracise many of society’s weakest has certainly struck chord, with more than 100,000 people signing her petition in a matter of days. While Pat has a point that many people struggle with automated tills and would prefer to be served by a kind looking granny called Brenda, it is unlikely that the retail giant will listen to the complaints of luddites like me.
Personally, I can’t get on with them, I never have been able to but then I’m no bellwether of how sensible human beings interact with technology – I can just about manage to log onto the system for work each day and my Alexa regularly misunderstands my simple commands to tune into Ken Bruce.
Despite my many misgivings, I still persevere with using these robotills. There was a time when I flatly refused to use them because I believed that by doing so, I was sending shopworkers to the JobCentre but we live in an era where there are now more vacancies than there are unemployed people.
These tills are here to stay, no matter how many sign a petition, but more consideration should be given to older members of society, many of whom benefit from the brief conversation with the person scanning their shopping.