I work at a company that has a cafeteria in the lower level. I cannot even begin to tell you what a fantastic and useful perk this is – especially on the days I’m so busy that I have no idea which way is up. Its also great in inclement weather and I usually go to the cafe to get my lunch. I’ve been with the company since 2015 and in that time have formed a bond with most of the cafeteria staff. They’re people with names and stories uniquely theirs and I appreciate them all.
A few weeks ago I noticed that of the 6 or so usual cashiers, there were now 4 and 2 of the registers were replaced with self check out stations. I didn’t think anything of it at the time but I knew that I would never use one of those because to me, its the step before people start losing their jobs. And I’m not anti technology or automation but I wonder what the benefit of it here is. I’m sure most of these people have families and expenses and their small salaries aren’t really putting a dent in anyone’s budget.
Today I noticed that there are only 2 cashiers and now 4 automated stations. I was surprised and a little sad for the cafeteria crew. They don’t deserve to be phased out just so their company can compete for the opportunity to have bragging rights to service our cafe. And again, I’m not down on automation or technology but it should give everyone pause to see jobs being phased out and going away. I would much rather wait on the line with the person at the register than to complete my transaction with some machine that won’t share a smile or some pleasant anecdote while my transaction is completed. To me there is no benefit to the self service line and the “convenience” of being rung up faster pales in the face of the human experience. We already live in a world drowning in technology – how many times have you stepped into an elevator only to be greeted by everyone completely engrossed in the small screen of their smartphone? Yes, I love having the convenience of knowing the weather or the latest celebrity buzz at my fingertips at all times but not at the human cost of losing that interaction with another human being, even if only for a few moments. It seems as a species we’re losing so much – camaraderie, empathy, compassion and so much more because we no longer are in human relations with other people but instead have replaced it with relations with phones and smart devices. The price on human collateral is too great and seems to be widening and expanding day by day. The future is rearing its head and I wonder where we will be in a few years.
When I go down there, I want to get up on my soap box and shame all the people using the self service but I don’t.