The advance of technology helps facilitate our lives a great deal, but do we pay a high price when it comes to relying on the machines way more than we should?
In order to speed up the process of running errands and shopping for groceries, Walmart introduced self-checkouts. What they didn’t expect, however, is to face backlash because of this decision that many of the customers consider controversial.
The self-service machines aren’t something new. In fact, they were first introduced in the 1980s to lower labor expenses.
But this service faced plenty of obstacles and customers complain to the added responsibilities.
For example, certain items may have multiple barcodes, whereas the produce, including the meat, fruit, and vegetable, typically needs to be weighed and manually entered into the system using a code, which might be time consuming for the ordinary shoppers. Other times shoppers won’t hear the “beep” confirming an item has been scanned properly.
Another issue is the increase of theft. Walmart announced that thefts at its stores has reached an all-time high.
The machines not only fall short at their purpose of making shopping easier at times, but they also make it harder for the employees they were meant to help.
Christopher Andrews, a sociologist and author of The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy, says the system “doesn’t work well for anyone.”
He continued: “Everyone feels like they have to have it. Companies are thinking: ‘If we can just get more people on this, maybe we can start reducing some overheads.’”
What’s most, most of the customers have reported that they miss the human interaction while shopping.
Randy Parraz from Making Change at Walmart perfectly summed up customer sentiments by saying, “You can’t convince customers to do the job of a cashier just because you don’t want to pay for the work.”
Walmart decided to listen to what their customers had to say and instead of further expanding automation, the retail giant will hire additional cashiers to provide their customers with a pleasant shopping experience and service.
What Walmart and the rest of the retailers, among which Costco and Wegmans, learned is that efficiency is important but maintaining a balance with positive experiences remains crucial.
Welsh rock star Bonnie Tyler said she will never get bored of singing Total Eclipse Of The Heart as she received an MBE at Windsor Castle.
The musician, originally Gaynor Sullivan from Skewen, Wales, has been a dedicated ambassador for the Prince of Wales trust for several years, and she had the opportunity to meet Prince William and his family at Cardiff Castle. Despite not expecting the prince to be a fan of her music, she fondly recalled a kind gesture from their initial encounter. During a concert in Cardiff for the Queen’s Jubilee, the Prince of Wales arrived with Catherine and the children, mentioning that he had played some of her music to his family on the way to the event so they would recognize her.
Upon receiving her MBE from the Prince of Wales, Tyler expressed her delight in engaging in a pleasant conversation with Prince William. She recounted that the Prince wore a warm smile as he inquired about her experiences on tour, expressing his pleasure in seeing her once again. With a career spanning over five decades in the music industry, Tyler has released more than 15 albums. Despite her extensive accomplishments, she remains humble and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s finest producers and songwriters. Reflecting on her recent tour in Brazil and South America, Tyler acknowledged that she receives greater recognition in other countries. Looking ahead, she revealed her upcoming plans for a significant tour later in the year, while also mentioning her upcoming visits to Denmark and Brussels in March.
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