Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Student Media of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri

Lindenlink

Opinion: Self-checkout limits communication development

Sophomore+Ariana+Fischer+uses+the+self-checkout+counter+at+St.+Louis+Bread+Company.++Photo+by+Kayla+Drake+
Sophomore Ariana Fischer uses the self-checkout counter at St. Louis Bread Company.
Photo by Kayla Drake

ARIN FROIDL | Reporter

It started when I was young: Slowly, but surely, self-checkout kiosks kept popping up at all the county libraries I went to.

At first, I thought it was one of the coolest things ever — put a stack of books on the mat, and the computer could tell exactly what books were being checked out. It was brilliant technology, and I always asked my mom if we could use it, but she never wanted to.

We would always have to go to the desk and have the librarian check us out. It seemed like a waste to me; we have this amazing technology, so why shouldn’t we use it?

Story continues below advertisement

I just thought my mom was odd and old-fashioned. We would never use self-checkout anywhere.

When our local Shop n’ Save got one, my mom was determined to only go to a cashier’s line, even if they all had lines. Her reasoning was that these computerized checkouts were taking jobs away from cashiers and librarians alike.

The older I became, the more this made sense. When I go to the library now, the number of librarians working is far fewer than it was when I was younger. Now, at most of the libraries I go to, I can’t even get a book checked out by a librarian — it’s all self-checkout.

The librarians are there solely to answer questions and shelve books. They’ve been replaced by machines.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just occurring at grocery stores and libraries. It’s the same way at fast-food restaurants and, the newest trend, at actual sit-down restaurants. These restaurants still have waiters and waitresses, but the tables have tablets where you are supposed to place your order. This eliminates the need to communicate with the server completely; the server is there solely to wait on their patrons.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]While removing the middle man of these transactions seems like a good way to increase productivity and convenience, it’s taking away an important aspect of these interactions: communication.[/perfectpullquote]

While removing the middle man of these transactions seems like a good way to increase productivity and convenience, it’s taking away an important aspect of these interactions: communication.

Growing up, having to place my own order or check out my books was a great learning experience. It was teaching me how to properly communicate with others what I wanted, and it helped to boost my confidence. For young children, these are good early steps to strong communication skills that they will use when applying for jobs or working in the field.

These self-checkout machines are also affecting the job market. Libraries now only need a few librarians and assistants. Restaurants don’t need as many servers because they have more time to wait on more tables. Fast-food places and grocery stores don’t need as many cashiers.

A lot of businesses that would be employing quite a few people, including high schoolers and college students, no longer need to employ as many people as before. It’s cheaper for them to buy a machine than pay a human.

These kiosks are so nice. I find myself using them more than I should. They are convenient and fast, and sometimes you just really don’t want to talk to a person, but if we only use these self-checkouts, then there will fewer and fewer cashiers and servers. They will continue to be replaced, and we will continue to lessen our own human interactions.

As nice as these machines are, is the convenience really worth the loss of jobs and actual human interaction?

Leave a Comment
Donate to Lindenlink
$575
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists who produce Lindenlink. Your contribution will help to cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Lindenlink
$575
$1000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All Lindenlink Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *