Belgian municipality introduces tax on supermarket self-checkouts because “it disrupts social cohesion and causes job loss”
Belgian municipality introduces tax on supermarket self-checkouts because “it disrupts social cohesion and causes job loss”
11 comments
That tax surely won’t be priced into consumer goods, absolutely not.
Great, unless i am in a hurry or they give me a discount (as if) i Will continue to use the normal checkout. Too many things have errors in the price and i dont want to stand in my own waiting for someone to have time to come over
Doesn’t “work from home” disrupts social cohesion too?
Actually like these if I only have a few items. Much quicker
And it is not like anyone dreams of becoming a supermarket cashier. Currently the unemployment rate is super low across the EU and so many sectors need additional workforce, this is just a populist measure that will hurt consumers
What a stupid initiative, based on Luddite fallacy that automation leads to less jobs in the future.
The only thing they cause is great anger when I’m in a hurry and they freak out about unexpected items in the bagging area.
Yep, I prefer that my items are scanned by an actual human that was trained for the job, does it efficiently, and can immediately call a supervisor if an item doesn’t scan or isn’t in the system.
Meanwhile, whenever I use the self-checkout:
– I take twice as much to scan, because I have to hunt for the barcode and to place the item correctly on the scanner
– I now have to do the scanning work myself, instead of just waiting for the items and bagging them
– Almost every time, something goes wrong with the system and I have to ask for help. From an employee that’s splitting between 6 checkout machines and 3 customers who are all having trouble.
Granted, this is not entirely the same across all supermarkets. I refuse to use Carrefour’s system, it’s the shittiest of them; at Lidl I will always prefer an actual cashier due to how speedy they are, but sometimes they are severely understaffed and the queue length gets ridiculous, so I will use the self-checkout if I only have a few items.
Good
Wow, I’m surprised so many people have such negative experiences with self checkout.
I personally prefer it wholeheartedly, it’s quicker, easier, requires less space and no small talk. Just scan, pay, and leave.
Although I do have to say the German ones (e.g., rewe) with the unnecessary weight scales can sod off. It prevents next to nothing in theft and just adds annoyance..
Is there a state/federal law which states that municipalities can do this?
Those are much faster where I live because most people seem to be afraid to use them. I’d be pissed if I had to go back to waiting longer in line because some local politician is [redacted].