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Do you still use the cashier at grocery stores? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 days ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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If you have the option, do you use the cashier or the self checkout line at the grocery store? What about other types if store like hardware stores?

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[–] 14 points 4 days ago (15 children)

I never use self checkout. I stopped buying at two retailers who installed self checkout on more than half the lanes.

Self checkout is a job killer, and worse, is making customers do the job of paid employees for free.

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  • [–] 11 points 4 days ago (3 children)

    You’re looking at it wrong: it’s not taking away jobs, it’s saving on work that needs to be done.

    The goal should be 0 jobs. Nobody should have to work. The fewer things that need to be done by humans the more time we all have to spend on things that actually matter.

    You are confusing the need for an income with having a job. People need an income to live, they don’t have a need to be scanning groceries at Lidl all day.

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  • [–] 11 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    And that's exactly why I'll start using self-checkout the day UBI is implemented (and not a day sooner).

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  • [–] 3 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    Chicken/egg problem. As long as they can convince people to be wage slaves there won’t be a need for UBI.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 days ago

    Fair. But I'm not sure widespread poverty will do the trick this time. The wealth extraction by the richest is historically unprecedented, but the poorest blame the immigrants instead of revolting. Manipulation of public opinion has become easier than ever before, the same as surveillance. I don't see the people rising up anytime soon and my neighborhood cashier has to eat this month.

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  • [+] -8 points 4 days ago* (10 children)

    Do you use horse-drawn carriages? No? What about the horse breeders and cartwrights?

    [...] is making customers do the job of paid employees for free.

    So if everyone used self-checkout, groceries would be cheaper...

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  • [–] 10 points 4 days ago (8 children)

    So if everyone used self-checkout, groceries would be cheaper...

    That's not how capitalism works.

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  • [–] -2 points 4 days ago (7 children)

    How does it work? Why don't supermarkets just ask a million for a loaf of bread? More money and profits, right?

    Now, I am aware there are cartels and other anticompetitive practices, but no single supermarket chain has a monopoly. There is competition, the margins in the business really are not that high, and supermarkets can and do lower prices to attempt to increase their market share. In fact, for products like bread supermarkets often deliberately sell them at a loss.

    Would supermarkets like to put the savings of self-checkout in their own pocket? Absolutely. Can and will they, on the long term? No. If businesses would always pocket such savings, then margins in the entire economy should tend upward over time, and they simply don't.

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  • [–] 5 points 4 days ago* (6 children)

    Head in the sand my dude. Canadian groceries were caught red handed colluding on bread price fixing. There was a massive class action lawsuit. Companies charge as much as they can get away with and will always push the numbers higher. They're not eating costs out of the goodness of their heart, loss-leaders lead to more spending.

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  • [–] -2 points 4 days ago (5 children)

    Head in the sand my dude. Canadian groceries were caught red handed colluding on bread price fixing.

    Yes, I am aware there are cartels and other anticompetitive practices. I said as much in a comment on Lemmy not long ago - with some detective work you may be able to find it.

    Companies charge as much as they can get away with and will always push the numbers higher. They’re not eating costs outbid the goodness of their heart, loss-leaders lead to more spending.

    Obviously. And what they can get away with is profit margins up to a certain limit (assuming no monopolies, and at least moderately effective anti-cartel measures), that limit being the point where it becomes easy to enter the market or undercut a competitor, gain massive market share, and still make a lot of money.

    They cannot get away with just endlessly taking all profits from productivity gains. These gains have been enormous since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and in most markets profits are on the order of a few percent of turnover, if that.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 days ago* (4 children)

    … with some detective work you may be able to find it.

    You reference it, you cite it.

    They cannot get away with just endlessly taking all profits from productivity gains.

    Oh ho ho, they can and will.

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  • [–] -1 points 3 days ago (3 children)

    You reference it, you cite it.

    It's right here in the comment chain.

    Oh ho ho, they can and will.

    Okay, but they don't, profit margins are typically a few percent.

    Riddle me this: why did Kmart (for example) declare bankruptcy? They just wanted to throw away free money?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 days ago* (2 children)

    Conaway and Schwartz were accused of misleading shareholders and other company officials about the company's financial crisis while making millions and allegedly spending the company's money on airplanes, houses, boats and other luxuries. At a conference for Kmart employees on January 22, Conaway accepted "full blame" for the financial disaster. As Kmart emerged from bankruptcy, Conaway was forced to step down, and was asked to pay back all the loans he had taken.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kmart

    Then they bought Sears, though that brand was already a sinking ship.

    See; this is how providing proof works. Not just spouting something and saying “go look it up”

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  • [–] 0 points 3 days ago (1 child)

    Every large company wastes millions on overpaid executives.

    If companies pocketed all gains from productivity boosts, a T-shirt would cost a thousand dollars or so. Not only that, but no one would think to start selling T-shirts for hundreds of dollars or less, despite them costing 10 cents a piece to make in a sweatshop.

    Is that what happens?

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