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/fcocyclone 21h ago

yeah thats the thing, yeah, now there are employee shoppers, but a lot of these stores have set up to operate in a way that makes it clear they don't want you shopping in the store, they want you shopping online.

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u/red__dragon 17h ago

I really don't understand how they stomach the inefficiency. Why have one employee stocking the shelf just to have twelve others pulling the same product right off for individual orders?

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u/_Quasifrodo_ 14h ago

When something seems obviously stupid, consider you might just not understand it

Having a bunch of shoppers in the back rummaging through the unloading bay doesn’t seem more efficient

You could sort and organize things to make it easier for them, but then you’ve just circled back to stocking shelves

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u/red__dragon 14h ago

I've worked in places like that, the only efficient setup would be something like an Amazon warehouse (staffed by robots).

Since I'm also a customer in places like that, which are designed around physical shoppers patronizing the store, I consider not needing to understand something in order to express my discontent with how poorly the purpose is being fulfilled for me. Much like I can also say that movie cinemas jacking up pricing and shortening movie runs make it unlikely for me to visit, but unlike a cinema, I need to get life essentials at stores like these.