After work today, I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few items. Shopping took only a few minutes, but checking out took more than 30 minutes. The reason? The self-checkout lanes were closed, and everyone was back to using human cashiers.
I had mixed feelings. Part of me was frustrated because I was exhausted and just wanted to get home. But another part of me was genuinely happy. As I waited in line, I realized I would actually interact with another human being instead of another machine.
It is no secret that I oppose the kind of world many Big Tech companies and technocrats are designing-one where human interaction is steadily replaced by automation. Seeing Walmart rely on cashiers instead of machines was, in a strange way, encouraging.
I didn't get the chance to ask an associate why the self-checkout lanes were closed, but I can only assume it was because of the surge in shoppers ahead of the Fourth of July and the increased risk of theft. In recent years, Walmart and other retailers have reportedly lost billions of dollars to shoplifting. Given today's difficult economy, that problem may only be getting worse.
As I walked out of the store, I laughed to myself and said, "Walmart is not stupid." And I meant it. I noticed the surveillance team intently watching customers on their monitors. Technology certainly has its place, but sometimes the best solution is simply putting people back to work.
For me, the biggest takeaway wasn't the longer wait. It was seeing human beings doing jobs instead of being replaced by machines. That gave me hope.
-Pal Ronnie
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