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this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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I read an article a while back highlighting how many “tech bro” products seem to be about eliminating human interaction, like grocery or meal deliveries, or self-checkout in stores. There is a convenience factor for these things at times, of course, but with the way many of these executives seem to be pushing exclusively using their services and having zero direct interactions with other humans it starts to raise questions about perhaps their own interpersonal skills and why they want to eliminate the human interaction. This feels like more of the same.
I mean, that sounds obvious to me after that one : https://www.404media.co/mark-zuckerberg-ai-chatbot-friends-interview-podcast/
Nevermind having to talk to human people to buy food, the zuck thinks your friends should be AI too.
He also thought his Metaverse was going to be a thing.
It will be, but not necessarily under his control. And it’s going to organically grow over the long haul.
SocialVR is one of the most compelling uses for VR.
Only people who own headsets think that.
Oh, I didn’t realize I was advocating for SocialVR to an antisocialite. Forgive me.
Anyway, this is why headsets need to get much much better. So more people own headsets.
For me personally, the self checkout is just a way better solution to the problem. It's for me much faster and more efficient. It's also easier for the store itself. The best kind of self checkout for me is where you can scan everything with a hand scanner or app whilst shopping. Then just pay at the self checkout and walk out. That way I just put the stuff in my bag directly, instead of from the shelf into the basket or cart. Then from the cart to the checkout and then from the checkout into my bag. It also spreads out the action of scanning the products, which means avoiding a slow and repetitive task scanning it all in 1 go. I'm also not blocking a checkout whilst scanning. I hate it when stores that offer the hand scanner have people scanning a whole cart full of stuff at the checkout. And then bagging it of course, which blocks a checkout for ages. Just go to the regular checkout if you want to do that, the cashier is faster than you are and you can focus on bagging exclusively.
However the lack of human contact is an issue. I've seen a lot of stores that offer self checkout recently make one or two lines available for chatting. It's just the regular oldskool cashier, but they are relaxed about it and chat with the customer. This means people in a hurry or that don't need contact right then can go fast through the self checkout. And people who like to chat can use the chatty checkout with a good old human being.
This for me is the best way to apply new tech, all of the benefits for all parties involved and hopefully none of the downsides.
Most stores dont let you take the hand scanner, and it would consume that kiosk the entire time you're shopping.
No, the hand scanners aren't connected to the kiosks. They are at the entrance, you pick them up, scan all you want to buy. Then at checkout you place the scanner into a kiosk, it knows what you bought and you can checkout as usual. Every once in a while a store employee takes the scanners and puts them into the holders in the entrance. Depending on the size of the store there can be up to a hundred of these scanners available.
Other stores do the same, except your phone is the scanner with an app you can download. It works basically the same way. Most stores that offer the app also offer the hand scanners, which I prefer.
What I am telling you is that while that sounds like an amazing idea in theory, in practice almost no stores offer it. How can we do that if its not even an option? I have literally never seen it done anywhere here or in any of the other places I've traveled to (I've been to about 5 different states this year alone).
Brother I live in western Europe and of the 6 supermarkets in my smallish city, 4 offer the handscanner. It's incredibly common here, and very convenient.
Ah you are from the US? No then it probably won't be available. The US is very slow to make changes in retail. You only recently got those digital price tags that update constantly, we've had those for 10 years or so. In Europe the hand scanner or app self scan thing is very common.
@Thorry84 @semperverus I'm often surprised how behind the times the US is. I mean chequebooks anyone? Card swiping? Overnight payment systems? Feels like a step back to the 90's
@Thorry84 @semperverus Im just checking . Are you discussing what is basically ASDA shop and go.. or the same service with a different name offered by every major UK supermarket ? asda.com/instore/scan-and-go
Yup, that's the one.
I think where I live it's a company that offers the whole thing white label to supermarket and other shops. The systems are very similar across a bunch of different stores, but the branding is specific to the store. So their logo, their colors. Not just on all the UIs (both the scanner and the checkout), but also the physical hardware colors.
The hand scanners all run Android, the other day I got one that said Google Play Services had crashed. The scanner itself is probably made by Zebra and then customized by the company providing the scan and checkout solution.
It has become super common around here, to the point where I'm annoyed when it isn't an option and I have to use the self-checkout where you need to scan at the checkout.
@Thorry84 Yeah .. I think their apps even offer it as a feature so you don't have to pick up the device.