Retailers are pulling back from self-checkout after years of theft, errors, and questionable time savings

I don’t get why people think they will be more efficient and faster than someone who’s used to pass products all day. Cashiers already know where to look for the barcodes and remember the codes for vegetables without having to look anywhere. Self-checkout is only faster in the beginning because few people use it. When it becomes the only option, prepare for even longer queues with people passing the products in such calmness as if they’re doing it in purpose

It’s only more efficient when I use it, which sounds like a joke about “it’s only wrong when someone else does it.” But if I am only buying a quart of ice cream and some toilet paper, I actually can scan those faster because I don’t have to pass them to a person to scan them for me. My typical use case is roughly the same speed as a cashier. I also know how to use the machines fairly well.

However, your last sentence is exactly right. Once one idiot gets to self-checkout, the whole thing goes to shit for everyone. Or if something doesn’t scan, or it is a bottle of Nyquil that some stores require ID to buy, then it is so much longer to get a person over to help you.