All the way home, I wondered if that was a compliment or a gentle, word-to-the-wise kind of thing.
Being somewhat misanthropic and often in a rush, I'm not entirely opposed to getting my grocery shopping done without the human touch. I generally use the self-service checkout lanes at the grocery stores that offer them - the lines are usually shorter, I don't have to watch in pained silence as cashiers double-bag everything, increasing my carbon footprint just because I don't want to be rude and correct them.
My shopping expedition at Martin's wasn't exactly human-free - I had to sign up for a bonus card to get access to the hand scanners, which a nice employee at the counter helped me do. Then, when I got to the checkout I had to ask a cashier - also nice - to help me since it seemed just like the self-service checkouts at other stores, meaning it looked like I'd have to scan my stuff a second time. I didn't; I just had to aim the scanner at a done-shopping bar code and pay up.
So I came away thinking more about how nice the employees were than how convenient the scanners were. (It didn't seem like scanning as you go was that much faster than scanning all at once at checkout, but it was kind of fun, in a Wii sort of way.)
Giant officials told Walker that the hand scanners - as well as a remote deli-ordering system, some freshening up of older stores and a change in the staff dress code - are part of an effort to regain the lost "good service and personal relationships between customers and employees" for which the company was once known. So maybe the theory is that if you lessen the number of encounters between shoppers and staff - a better-dressed staff, in a nicer environment - the interactions you do have will be more pleasant. Or maybe the new technology is just a way to cut down on the number of staff, and leave those still on board fearful of being replaced by yet another device.
Still, until they create a scanner that can tell you if your lipstick matches your produce, surely some humans will always have a job.
jean.marbella@baltsun.com
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