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In recent years, there has been much comment on the rise of self-service checkouts which could ultimately replace cashiers in supermarkets. However, nothing is less certain, and resistance to this forced automation is developing in French stores.
“I am against”
This is in any case what the journalists from TF1 while going to report in the Paris region. They found automatic checkouts abandoned by consumers, while cashiers were popular. Questioned by our colleagues, some customers are very cash:
I prefer traditional crates. Self-checkout machines eliminate jobs, and in principle I am against them.
Others explain that they abandon these machines which cause them to lose money time and that they don't like to use. On the side of major brands, and after years of enthusiasm for this equipment, awareness also seems to be taking place.
Professionals have indeed noticed an increase in theft and fraud linked to automatic checkouts. They also deplore the fact that consumers are reducing their purchases which they will then have to cash in themselves.
TF1also recalls that if the number of cashiers has decreased by 10% in ten years, the tide would be turning with hiring announcements at Casino, while the giant of the sector, Carrefour, is now talking about this profession as a profession of the future.
A similar rejection internationally
The observation drawn up by our colleagues in France is also valid abroad. Last January, we already told you about a step backwards taking place in the United Kingdom and the United States. Thus, the company Target now limits the use of automatic checkouts in these stores to purchasing less, while Walmart has decided to withdraw several machines in various American supermarkets.
Why ? Companies that use these technologies face loss rates more than twice the industry average. It even happens that some customers unintentionally steal from the store by failing to count a product.
The expected gains in labor are also reduced to nothing. Thus, the meager savings saved on cashiers is lost, as many employees are needed to guide customers using these systems.
What do you think of this decision? awareness at work around self-checkouts, and do you share these concerns related to automation? Do not hesitate to share your point of view in the comments.
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