In recent weeks both dollar store chains and Target Corporation have placed restrictions on self-checkout following evident theft and inadvertent errors in scanning. Now state and local legislators have recognized the negative effect on employment by displacing checkout clerks. California Senate Bill 1446 has been reintroduced to require grocery and pharmacy retailers to employ at least one dedicated clerk per two self-checkout stations. This would negate the cost saving that was in fact the objective of the technological innovation.
Maine is also considering a levy on self-checkout in the form of an obligatory discount since in the words of the proponent of the legislation, the stores are making “customers do the work performed by employees”. It is understood that City of Evanston, IL is considering a special tax of $5,000 on every self-checkout station in a store.
From personal experience, self-checkout is convenient to purchase up to four items but only if all packages are barcoded. Problems occur with food and produce and self-serve floral arrangements. A second problem relates to a wide variation in operation of self-service kiosks. On-screen and audible instructions are often confusing although once familiar with a specific system, bar-coded items can be scanned with the advantage of skipping a congested checkout lane. Aldi should be complemented on their self-scan checkout which is simple to operate and reliable even for non-techie octogenarians.