Someday Robots Will Replace Us All
from the well,-if-that-means-we-can-all-hang-out-at-the-beach... dept
A few weeks back we had a discussion about how retail self-scanners were catching on in many retail establishments such as Home Depot (the only place I've used one). At the time, we discussed issues of theft and customer annoyance. However, a San Jose Mercury News columnist has just come across these machines for the first time (also at Home Depot) and experienced a different feeling: fear. When presented with a strange machine and a process that you're not used to, some people may be afraid to actually make a purchase, since they don't understand how this works, and it makes them feel uncomfortable. Of course, that's a limited time problem for most stores. As these things become more popular (and it sounds like they will), and more people understand them, the "fear factor" will quickly go away.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
The down side is you have to bag your own groceries which can slow the line down if your alone. VIVA LE' TECHNOLOGY !!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Why not?
Where do you draw the line?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
(A nod to Red Dwarf, I couldn't resist)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Airport Check-In
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
A few thoughts
Second thought: I absolutely hate these machines in grocery stores. Only if I have less than 5 items, and my items don't require weighing (veggies), do I use them. Usually because they never recognize when I put the groceries in the bag after scanning, and it tells me over and over 'please place your items in the bag.' But they should reduce costs (in theory) of running a store, which should (in theory) result in lower consumer prices.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]