http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/business/walmart-scan-and-go-app-self-checkout-1.4364434
10 replies (most recent on top)
You can ask them straight out and they will talk "in circles", because they can't deny it nor can they admit it. This has been coming for a LONG time, been in the works for over 8 years. There's no saving your job on this, unless you can give 24 Hour availability 7 days a week, no matter how many years you have worked for the company. It would be great if longevity helped protect your job, but sadly it won't. I know, cause I will have to start preparing for job elimination, as I can't give 24 hour availabilty as I have kids and family to take care of. They don't even want to give people any dignity through this either. It's disgraceful and disrespectful.
Agree with @jrh, the other person you referenced was not making sense; I don't think they get it. If Walmart can enable technology that will allow them to take workers out of the equation they are going to do it. When a machine accomplishes a task, you don't have to pay the machine over time, benefits, disability, PTO, or any of the other associated costs that take away from the bottom line. People should not have hurt feelings over a businesses desire to limit the number of workers needed to run the business, it's just a fact of business.
@PTzXf2N-kve. do you know what you’re saying, or at least trying to?
Few cashiers will lose jobs because there is already high turnover at this position at most retail outlets. Not to mention high absenteeism. There will always be a need for a minimum of regular checkouts for those - such as the elderly or disabled - who can't physically do it themselves.
By all means, retailers, add more SCO stations and include more of the larger ones for customers that have purchased numerous items.
If you really think about it it's quite devious (or genius) depending on your perspective. Have 20 registers but only have 4 open at any given time. The customer then has 2 choices. Spend 20 minutes waiting for the cashier to ring up your items and get you on your way because they are 6-8 customers deep or use the self-check out's and take 1/3 of the time. They have slowly been training us to use the self-check out lanes with the ultimate goal of getting rid of all/most of he cashiers at the stores.
No matter what WM I go to, 2-3 self-check out point of sales are always closed or broken.
They opened a mini target next to my home - its close to a state university - the store has 10 self checkout registers placed next to both exits - one employee tends each cluster of ten - I ve been shopping there weekly and never saw a single glitch. Most customers are students though.
If they can train people to check themselves out, they will. And then there will be no more cashiers.
Remember when folks used to come pump your gas? Yeah, neither do I. That job was eliminated.
Great entertainment reading posts by people in deep denial with zero understanding of business.
Yes, they spent billions on this technology and equipment but have no plans to save or make money with it by replacing humans.
They just felt like building expensive bots that can replace a human, but for no particular reason.
People are overly worried about jobs being replaced by any little technology change. This augments the experience and serves in place of lanes that are often closed. Not to replace humans.
I do not believe this to be true. Why? Because those registers in all stores are never open anyway. The average store has over 20 registers, never are these open unless it is a Holiday Sale. So, I do not believe people are going to lose jobs over this. If you follow the news, blogs, etc. you will see that cashiers have been few and far between scheduled at any given time in the stores this last year.