SYRACUSE N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Self-checkout lanes in stores are sweeping the Syracuse area. Some customers are not as fond of the trend as others.
Nottingham Road’s Tops Friendly Market customer Jane Hugo uses both cashiers and self-checkout machines to pay. However, she has multiple reasons for why she questions stores’ transition to predominantly self-checkout.
One of Hugo’s main concerns is that often these machines are cashless.
“For people who don’t have bank cards, credit cards, not having a cashier available to check them out, kind of discriminates against them,” Hugo said.
Additionally, she worries that self-checkout machines are taking jobs away from people.
Hugo thinks machines won’t be able to provide the same level of customer service as humans.
She said, “When there are fewer lanes open, there are fewer people to ask about where something is.”
Hugo isn’t alone in wanting that personable experience, as Tops customer Charlotte Haas said she enjoys connecting with cashiers.
“I do like the exchange of talking with another person, even if it’s to say hello,” Haas said.
Locals on the app Nextdoor have banned together to voice their dissatisfaction on a post. One comment from user Denis P. reads, “I am so done with working all day and then having to go ring and bag my own groceries so I can be glared at for taking too long by the person behind me.”
Although many consumers are unhappy with the change, it looks like self-checkout isn’t going anywhere.
Self-checkout lanes have increased by 10% in the last five years, according to a 2022 study from shopper intelligence firm, Catalina. The growth is expected to continue.
