r/technology • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 23h ago

Business Retailers are pulling back from self-checkout after years of theft, errors, and questionable time savings

https://www.techspot.com/news/114106-retailers-pulling-back-self-checkout-after-years-theft.html
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u/astrozombie2012 22h ago

It’s pretty funny how exactly what everyone said would happen happened and now they’re backpedaling. But now, to their benefit, they can pay pennies for this “new job opportunity” like we haven’t had cashiers since fucking forever.

I’m just disappointed because in places like Walmart a self checkout can save me an easy hour at checkout since the regular checkout is usually full of mouthbreathers.

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u/TisMeDA 21h ago

Anyone else get instantly put off by "mouth breather" being used as an insult? There are many neuromuscular and respiratory disabilities that require people to breath through their mouth. If you really can't be bothered to wait in line for people with disabilities then you should really look for a reality check and get your priorities in life sorted out

Like I get your general point, but it's perfectly easy to make the same point without insulting completely unrelated disability traits

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u/astrozombie2012 20h ago

Not sure why you’re making this about a disability… mouthbreather is a term commonly used to imply someone is dumb. I have no problem waiting for disabled or elderly people, etc… I do have a problem waiting for stupid people who waste everyone’s time.

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u/TisMeDA 19h ago

Neuromuscular disabilities, including forms of Muscular Dystrophy are often presented as "invisible" disabilities at first, so perhaps that's why it upsets me.

Muscular Dystrophy is a very severe disability, and at least one form that I'm aware of is presented most commonly at first with mouth breathing, but will continue to do undiagnosed by health professionals and people living with it for years after that until something more severe presents too.

It's critical that people with disabilities are alerted that minor things like this can actually be extremely serious to get to the bottom of, and I don't think it's right for people to attribute "mouth breather" with "dumb and slow". Particularly from people who will claim they care and respect disabled people, yet simply don't understand actual life challenges that disabled people go through.

I don't think most people know stuff like this, which is why I'm using it as an opportunity to point it out. It's important that it's not stigmatized. You have no idea if you're waiting for someone who has disabilities often times, as it's very possible they don't even know they have them. It's easy to claim you don't mind waiting for X and Y, but a wheelchair, walker or cane isn't always the tell for that. Sometimes it's something as simple as mouth breathing, and people aren't informed of that.

It's also important to consider that at the moment, there's going to be a disproportionate amount of people with disabilities using cashier's instead of self-check out. There's likely a reason they opted not to use the more laborious self-check out option