That’s all true, but just to be a bit nitpicky I’d argue some human work has indeed been eliminated by self checkout.
Cashiers main job is to scan your stuff, but in order to do that they also have to stand around waiting for you and other customers for hours on end, and when you arrive they have to do emotional labor of acting cheerful and upbeat
Still I wish we didn’t live in a society where increased efficiency leads to people being homeless with no jobs.
they have to do emotional labor of acting cheerful and upbeat
This seems like a choice. I worked as stocker and would fill in on the register when people went to lunch. I didn’t put on any kind of act, I just scanned their stuff and took their money. Someone told me I was like a robot.
There’s at the very least a lot of social and managerial pressure to act cheerful. Even if you didn’t do it, many people would because it’s effectively required of them. Something being technically a choice doesn’t remove the social pressures that make many feel that it’s not a choice. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been used as rationale to fire people before, which means that for some, it isn’t a choice (and most people are scared of losing their jobs, so won’t try to find out).
In tipped roles, it would definitely result in less pay.
I can’t think of the last time someone working a register was anything more than polite. 99.9% of the time, we don’t speak in any meaningful way. Their work neither adds value to nor takes value from my day. Which, to be clear, makes me want their jobs to be much, much better. At least give them something to sit on, for goodness sake.
I tried to use it as a means to get off the register. I hated it. I told my manager people think I’m a robot and shouldn’t be up there, but they just told me to play along and make robot voices and movements. I did not.
They weren’t going to fire me. I was working for minimum wage and the only person they had they didn’t steal shit on a daily basis.
That’s all true, but just to be a bit nitpicky I’d argue some human work has indeed been eliminated by self checkout.
Cashiers main job is to scan your stuff, but in order to do that they also have to stand around waiting for you and other customers for hours on end, and when you arrive they have to do emotional labor of acting cheerful and upbeat
Still I wish we didn’t live in a society where increased efficiency leads to people being homeless with no jobs.
This seems like a choice. I worked as stocker and would fill in on the register when people went to lunch. I didn’t put on any kind of act, I just scanned their stuff and took their money. Someone told me I was like a robot.
There’s at the very least a lot of social and managerial pressure to act cheerful. Even if you didn’t do it, many people would because it’s effectively required of them. Something being technically a choice doesn’t remove the social pressures that make many feel that it’s not a choice. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been used as rationale to fire people before, which means that for some, it isn’t a choice (and most people are scared of losing their jobs, so won’t try to find out).
In tipped roles, it would definitely result in less pay.
I can’t think of the last time someone working a register was anything more than polite. 99.9% of the time, we don’t speak in any meaningful way. Their work neither adds value to nor takes value from my day. Which, to be clear, makes me want their jobs to be much, much better. At least give them something to sit on, for goodness sake.
It’s a choice right up until you get fired or reprimanded for not meeting some arbitrary criteria
I tried to use it as a means to get off the register. I hated it. I told my manager people think I’m a robot and shouldn’t be up there, but they just told me to play along and make robot voices and movements. I did not.
They weren’t going to fire me. I was working for minimum wage and the only person they had they didn’t steal shit on a daily basis.
There will be a screenshot of this comment in a murder documentary someday.