Self-Serve Is Here to Stay

“Oh come on, give it a try.” The smiling young woman herded me over to the stainless steel machine and grabbed an item from my shopping cart. “Just pass it over the glass like this,” she said. “Or, if it doesn’t register on the display, turn it this way.” She went on to explain that if I had an item without a barcode, I simply had to scroll through the user-friendly pictorial menu, and once I found my item, press the corresponding icon. “Now isn’t that easy?” Before I could open my mouth, she dashed off to stop another shopper from stuffing U.S. legal tender into a similar machine, an act that would apparently cause the device to regurgitate or go into cardiac arrest.

Although my “tutor” was no longer within earshot, I did answer her question, at least to my satisfaction. No, it wasn’t easier or faster to scan my own items. And I certainly have no desire to undergo on-the-job training every time I go shopping. I spend enough time learning new technology for my own business without having to remember how to operate someone else’s equipment.

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen a self-service checkout. I’ve just been ignoring them, hoping they’d go away. They haven’t. In fact, they’re multiplying and becoming more sophisticated. I wouldn’t be surprised if the units I’ve encountered are the vanguard of a major shift in retail operations. The kind of widespread change that occurred amid the sour economic times and cost-cutting measures of the 1970s. 

Those of you old enough to remember full-service filling stations, also probably remember how quickly they vanished during the decade of the ‘70s. It seems strange to know there are people driving today who have never rolled down a car window and said, “fill ‘er up.” The full-service gas station was an institution and easily the most visible example of true customer service. Without stepping from the car or lifting a finger, a person could get their tank filled, windows washed, tire pressures checked and even fluid levels topped-off at no extra charge. Every purchase included real added value that came with no fine print or strings attached. I can’t say the demise of full-service filling stations was the death knell for customer service, but it certainly made it easier for businesses everywhere to begin cutting corners. It demonstrated the viability of self-service and showed that once a trend was started and everyone followed suit, the consumer had no option but to play along. 

Compared to pumping gas, using an automated check-out system is rocket science, and that’s what I find disturbing. If self-service can be pushed to this extent, what’s next? I suspect that question has already been asked. In some secret underground bunker, test subjects are probably being run through simulated store and office environments this very minute. Men and women are being tested to see just how much work they will do for themselves and still pay someone else for the privilege of doing it.

As with any business owner, I’m always looking for ways to reduce my cost of operations, but I am also a consumer who values competent,  personalized service. I’ve conceded to bagging my own purchases, but that is where I draw the line. The day I walk into a store and see no human checkers is the day I look for another store. I’m less certain how I’ll respond if I ever walk into a dentist’s office and find only a mirror, a tray of implements and a sign stating, “please pay on your way out.”