Over the past few years, American consumers have noticed a rather annoying trend at grocery stores nationwide. But now, thanks to increasing theft rates, that trend is starting to backpedal.
Yes, I am most definitely talking about the rise and fall of self-checkouts.
As inflation has risen and automation has become more prevalent, nearly all chain groceries have come to rely on self-checkout lines more heavily in recent years. After all, it saves them the cost of hiring employees to do the same job, who may sometimes require the company to also pay for benefits like health insurance.
Now, if you are anything like me, you have a love/hate relationship with the self-checkout lines.
I do love the convenience of them, and the discretion. You simply ring up your items, pay, and hit the road. No one talking your ear off, no one judging your purchasing choices. And it’s especially handy when you only have a few items to check out.
However, the “hate” comes when you have a whole cart or buggy full. Very few self-checkouts have the space to put all your items on either side. So, what happens is a bit of a merry-go-round of moving items from one spot to another and then back again.
Then there are issues with certain items, you know, like alcohol, which requires an employee to check your ID, or higher end purchases with security features that need to be removed.
For the grocery companies themselves, the growing problem is that while self-checkouts initially save them money, they also make it easier for consumers to commit retail theft, whether intentional or not. I mean, who hasn’t missed something in their cart amongst all the shuffling of items?
Unfortunately, those who are a bit more dishonest and not so good-intentioned have learned to take advantage of the situation. Enough so, in fact, that many groceries have now been forced to either hire more actual people again to watch the self-checkouts or do away with them altogether.
Walmart, for example, has just announced that two stores in two different states will begin the shift back to traditional checkout lines with actual people. One is in St. Louis, Missouri; the other is in Cleveland, Ohio.
Now, one thing to note here is that both of these cities are liberally led, meaning, thanks to Democratic mayors and policies that lean to the left, criminals have an easier time than in most places.
Here, soft on crime policies have not only made theft more likely but less punishable. So when a store is robbed, there is little effort to find or arrest the thief. And should that even take place, there is even less effort to make them pay for their crimes.
So they are given a slap on the wrist and sent out to do whatever they please all over again.
In fact, it’s gotten so bad in some liberal cities that a few major retailers have packed up shop and moved out of town completely, as they can no longer afford the risks associated with it.
In other places, stores like Target and Dollar General, to just name a few, have put limitations on self-checkouts, like restricting the number of items to be checked out.
Of course, Walmart hasn’t admitted that these two stores are getting a more personal touch because of shoplifting. But what else could it be? They can’t really care about giving consumers a more “personalized and efficient service” to make such massive changes.
Unfortunately, while big chain stores like Walmart can afford to make the necessary changes, smaller mom-and-pop shops aren’t so lucky. As many have now switched to self-checkouts, they can’t afford to switch back or hire extra help.
No wonder so many are closing up shop and moving to more conservative regions.
