It's midnight and you're making a Walmart run. Maybe you just got off of work, or maybe you were just craving some of that Marketside pizza. Whatever the reason, you just want to be home in bed or watching Netflix. All of the cashier's lanes are full of other late-night shoppers so you meander your way to one of the self-checkout lanes. But you shouldn't.
Why shouldn't you use the self-checkout lane? It's convenient, you tell yourself. No lines. You don't have to worry about that awkward social interaction. But what if I told you that awkward social interaction might actually be a good thing?
I think it was best said like this, "a machine talks to you, not with you." And I agree. Despite what most antisocial people like myself like to believe, human interaction is actually really good for you. It teaches you how to communicate effectively, control your emotions and deal with any unforeseen problems that may arise. Not only that, but human cashiers won't yell at you because you didn't bag something you thought you already did, or because you suddenly have an extra item in the bagging area.
On top of all that human interaction, there is this one little thing called a "job." That's right, those human cashiers that you try your best to avoid were actually hired to bag your groceries. They are not just there for entertainment. The unfortunate truth is that these self-checkout machines could possibly take all of these cashier jobs away.
Some Walmart managers are trying to avoid this scare by saying that the self-checkout systems are just a way for customers to have a choice while shopping at the stores. But let's be real for a sec. I bet no one realized how much of an impact cell phones or the internet would have had on our social interaction today. Just like we don't realize today how much of an impact these self-checkout machines could have on the future generations and their social interactions.
These self-checkout machines may not seem like a huge deal right now, but they could. Any little bit of social interaction that slips from society is a threat to not only learning effective communication, but also the possibility of job loss.
