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[-] Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works 94 points 1 year ago

The 'job killers' argument is kinda bullshit. I want to kill jobs - I want to eliminate all labor that can be automated, such that in the ideal perfect future, no human ever has to work; they can spend every moment doing things they enjoy without worry.

But self checkout is not automation. No human work has been eliminated. It is the same exact fucking checkout process, only now the customer does it instead, and the store doesn't pay the cashier. And no they don't pass that savings on to you because of course they don't, they just pocket the difference.

[-] Fruitball 35 points 1 year ago

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.

[-] Perfide@reddthat.com 7 points 1 year ago

With normal checkout the customer is still the one putting groceries on the belt, and in most cases putting the bags back into the cart. Hell, at Aldi's you have to bag the shit yourself anyways.

I don't see how "scan and bag" is any more intensive than "place everything on belt(which is annoying tetris when you have lots of shit), stand around waiting for cashier to scan and bag".

[-] elephantium@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Aldi backs up that tradeoff with commensurately lower prices, though.

"intensive" isn't the right term here, IMO. Pushing me to do the cashier work via self-checkout is more effort than what I do at Aldi. It doesn't need to be "carry this pallet across the Grand Canyon" to be objectionable.

And the cashier is probably going to screw up the bagging. Does the ice cream go in the insulated re-usable bag, or does it go in a regular bag next to the room temperature canned goods? Pretty good chance it goes into the uninsulated bag, the tomatoes end up in the insulated bag with the milk, etc.

[-] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I love your spirit, but that world doesn't exist. Capitalists and conservatives will never allow for a utopian society where people can enjoy their lives on the masses, no matter how advanced production or whatever elses automation becomes. It's always going to be millions suffering and a small majority having more wealth and power than they can even use in a lifetime.

[-] Gorilladrums@sh.itjust.works -4 points 1 year ago

That's stupid. Capitalism is the reason why humanity has advanced so quickly in such little time and why we have the technology that we do.

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago
[-] Gorilladrums@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 year ago
[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I presented exactly as much evidence as you did

[-] andy_wijaya_med@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Good point. :). Btw. Capitalism is shit. It's not sustainable, and it has to stop.

[-] Gorilladrums@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago

YES! Marxism is definitely solution. It generates weal... uh uhhh it is sustain... uh uhhh it is efficie... uhhh it is innova... uh uhhh it wor... uhhhhhh wait, Marxist doesn't do shit because it's failed ideology. Cry harder tankie.

[-] Honytawk@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 year ago

I've encountered checkouts where you just put your hand basket in a container, and it scans everything inside at the same time.

It can and will be automated further.

this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023
1452 points (96.4% liked)

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