Well, I finally did it. I had been building up to it for a while, and today was the day.
I was in Tesco waiting for a till, when the man behind me in the queue indicated that the unmanned, self scanning checkouts were free. So that’s when I snapped and said out loud: No thank you, they’re evil.
I had been saying it in my head for a while. The man did a double take, then sailed past me to use the *spit* automatic checkout. He didn’t ask for more clarification, but if he had then this is what I would have said:
- I prefer to deal with a human being
Not everything in life has to be automated. Christ, even Starbucks want to know your name these days. - They squeeze out jobs
What happens to checkout operators if a computer can do their job? And who tends to do those jobs? Women and students mainly. People who need more opportunities, not less. - They don’t work
I’ve seen people stabbing buttons, scanning and re-scanning and getting stressed. Doesn’t look like progress to me. - They’re evil
As I may have mentioned
Of course it’s entirely possible that I’m just being a bit of a luddite and resistant to change. But I’ve got an iPhone, three Twitter accounts, two blogs and a Kindle. I may not understand how they work, but I am definitely in the geek corner more than anywhere else.
But I don’t like these computerised tills and will always choose to Vote Human, even if it means a bit more hanging about in the queue until a person rather than a machine is available. It’s a mini-protest, but it’s mine. Or I could just avoid Tesco altogether.
Every little helps.
image credit: Power is a state of mind