Self Checking Merchandising

By admin

What a fantastic topic for a philosophical debate, this practice of self-checking your merchandise at stores. Having somewhat limited experience in the act of self-checking, I am unable to speak fluently in the mechanics of this process. In casual observation, it appears self-checking is an achievable, yet not quite comfortable task for the non-techno-savvy such as I. Designers of the machinery utilized to facilitate self-checking have obviously kept us in mind. A sidebar of irony: the establishment in which I have performed the act of self-checking maintains humans to monitor the self-checking aisles. These humans are, by my observation, kept quite busy assisting us, the self-checkers.

The previously suggested debate, as I see it, would consist of two panels. Panel one would be filled by those for whom self-checking is seen as a boon for society. Members of this debate team would (between cell phone calls and PDA entries) argue the benefits of self-checking, indeed the benefits of all robo-sprawl, to individuals and society as a whole. One could imagine their points of interest being the reduction in time spent standing in line, and more control for the shopper in the shopping process. Also, they would also cite as evidence supporting their position the reduction in wages spent by stores to employ cashiers. This, they believe, would equate to savings passed along to the consumer in the form of lower merchandise prices. Mechanization, automation, and robotization will, they say, lead to a much improved quality of life.

The opposing panel would represent the Neanderthals of modern society, opponents of micro-processed living. Those who, for either moral or practical reasons, reject the notion that quality of life is attained through improved motherboards. This group, as they pass pencil-scribbled notes to each other and shuffle through reams of paper (looking for hardcopy data), would decry the end of civilization as we know it. They would quote studies by researchers warning damage to the economy as a result of workers displaced by mechanization. There would be points made regarding the loss of social interactions, and therefore reduction in social skills, ultimately leading to the degradation of our entire social fabric. First, this panel would predict, comes a future of humans completely relying upon devices, followed soon after by a Terminatorian loss of control by humans and an earthly takeover by machines. Self-checking, they say, stands at the beginning of the slippery slope to human demise.

Alas, the circuits are already firing. The transistors cannot be resisted. In 2007, team two remains standing (ready the oxygen masks). However, it doesn’t take a crystal ball to prognosticate ultimate victory by the techies. We may go kicking and screaming, but if history is any indicator we will all eventually follow suit. In the meantime, would somebody please page a bagger to the self-checkout line.