Four years ago, something incredible happened. People suddenly realised that my colleagues at the supermarket and I were essential. It had a lasting effect on me, but some people clearly need a reminder of that – especially the leaders of the conglomerates that dominate the industry. These bosses have rewarded our essential frontline service during the pandemic by trying to replace us with machines.
California’s grocers are once again at the forefront of the challenge of automation. This time, we’re fighting back by supporting State House Bill 1446, which, among other things, limits the number of self-checkout lanes grocery and drugstore retailers must oversee at one time.
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The corporate strategy behind self-checkout is clear and adamant: reduce labor costs by forcing customers to do the work themselves, and pass the increased profits on to Wall Street. Most of my customers at Food 4 Less in Boyle Heights refuse to make the switch.
Instead of learning to navigate the many self-checkout lanes our store recently installed, they line up deep in the aisles to be served by a human. And these are the customers who have time to wait: Every day I see customers give up and walk out the door without buying anything because the line is too long and they are frustrated by the problems they had trying the self-checkout lane.
But our bosses have prioritized profits for shareholders of Kroger, Food 4 Less’ parent company, far more than customer satisfaction. Employee well-being is even lower on their agenda. The introduction of self-checkout at the store where I work means we have to handle an increased workload and deal with angry customers. Our physical safety is also at risk with this change.
That’s because self-checkouts, not surprisingly, provide more opportunities for shoplifting. The company takes this into account and apparently believes the higher losses are worth the savings from lower staff costs. However, in my store, a single employee has to keep an eye on all six self-checkouts and if we notice or suspect a theft, it can be scary, especially during night shifts when there are fewer people around.
Employees aren’t the only ones unhappy with self-checkouts. Many customers find them difficult to use and are frustrated by issues like hidden barcodes or items not scanning. For people with just a few items, especially younger customers who are more comfortable with touchscreen interfaces, they might work well enough. But working in the grocery store requires speed, skill and experience that not everyone can pick up on the fly. And many people simply prefer interacting with a human.
I’ve worked at Foods 4 Less for five years and love serving my community. I have long-standing customers who visit my register and with whom I share moments of personal connection week after week. But with longer lines at the less-staffed checkout lines, there’s less time to say hello—yet another way automation is destroying the social fabric.
The story of Boyle Heights Food 4 Less is playing out in industries across California and the country. What choice do we have? Everyone needs a grocery store—they’re essential, you know? But if the legislature passes SB 1446, lines at staffed checkout lines will be shorter, and the employees who help you when the computer at the self-checkout line breaks down will be less stressed. Maybe everyone will even have a chance to say hello.
— Aurora Hernandez works at Food 4 Less in Boyle Heights and is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 770.
