Ouch, bloody hell!

[smallcircles@social.coop]

Ouch, bloody hell!

The supermarket in my area recently expanded and just reopened their doors. Guess what? It is ALL self-scan checkouts now. The floor layout guides you into this kinda voluntary sweatshop barracks where the customers are put to work to get their stuff scanned. Already there's ranks and status here, reputation. From clumsy beginners to confident Masters of the Scan, who go in and out in seconds to the envy of others.

ALL self-scan checkouts, I said? Well.. one exception.

1/2

[smallcircles@social.coop]

If you walk back from the self-scan barracks a couple a rows you can glean one old-fashioned checkout manned by a cashier.

The supermarket made it abundantly clear that this is some "special-treatment" place, that you are disabled somehow to get here.

This counter is by definition always deserted. You have to call attention of someone to be served. That person is one of the juvenile guards standing at the exit of the scan barracks, who reluctantly leaves their assigned post. For you, a weirdo.

[smallcircles@social.coop]

If you were curious.. the #supermarket in question is ..

% drumroll %

Lead market #enshittifier ..

% drumroll %

#AlbertHeijn

"Watch out for the small ones!" (their slogan)

[benpate@mastodon.social]

@smallcircles

OMG yes. Name them.

We’ve stopped going to the Kroger-owned store near us because of the awful self-checkouts and their shitty AI monitors. Even wrote them a letter to tell them so.

Safeway, Sprouts, and even Target still have the decency to open enough checkout lanes, so they get our business now.

Hopefully, the enshittifiers catch on that these stupid decisions are driving away customers.

[luceos@fosstodon.org]

@smallcircles our local Lidl removed all self scanners and replaced them with... their app on your phone using ... their wifi.

Dystopian

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@benpate it is terrible.

I talked to various of the personnel whom I got to know in the course of time, some working there for more than 40 years. They are terribly frustrated themselves. The goal is to keep them out and have 16 year old kids take over.

We have an Aldi without self-scan, and I intend to go there from now on, even if it is a lot further away. I also intend, though that won't help much, to call customer support and complain about this madness.

Btw, I overheard them talk AI too.

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@benpate it is terrible.

I talked to various of the personnel whom I got to know in the course of time, some working there for more than 40 years. They are terribly frustrated themselves. The goal is to kick them out and have 16 year old kids take over.

We have an Aldi without self-scan, and I intend to go there from now on, even if it is a lot further away. I also intend, though that won't help much, to call customer support and complain about this madness.

Btw, I overheard them talk AI too.

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@luceos Noooohh! @scream

[benpate@mastodon.social]

@smallcircles Yeah, the clerks at the store are always sympathetic, saying “oh yeah, we hate the AIs too..”

It’s *management* who needs to know that they’re losing customers over it.

Our local stores just had a strike/union dispute that ended with even more self-checkout machines being added. Clearly, the spreadsheet warriors back at corporate HQ don’t understand what makes a store successful.

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@benpate

There's one cooperative worker-owned supermarket near me. Unfortunately they also do bio-dynamic green formula, making their stuff too expensive for me.

The AI's are scary dystopic. Besides all the dangers they bring, it occurred to me that are now also increasingly starting to scrape real life for each scrap of data to be trained on. And that then some future Surveillance AI intimately knows you.

[koen@social.lol]

@luceos @smallcircles

Jeesh, surely they must realize that it is such a hassle for people to use it's gonna cut into their profit?

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@koen @luceos depends on where you live. Many local supermarket monopolies esp. in rural areas.

[unexpectedteapot@social.linux.pizza]

@smallcircles I might be one of those Masters of the Scan, but it's so much more convenient and comfortable for me to self-checkout. Accessibility is definitely a concern I'm aware of, what else, if you don't mind me asking

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@unexpectedteapot

I usually avoid the self-checkout out of principle. I feel something important is lost, yet another broken thread in our social fabric. A steady drip drip drip exists that erodes it in our society.

It's not just "modern life comes knocking, get used to it". The social erosion is imho a side effect of hypercapitalism festering. The erosion is necessary, or there would be social uprising against this distructive force.

But well-oiled fast-paced self-checkout can be satisfying.

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@unexpectedteapot

Master of the Scan made for a nice meme

smallcircles (Humanity Now 🕊) (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image Vying to become Master of Scan™ at my enshittified Supermarket. Make the best of a bad situation. https://social.coop/@smallcircles/113493594861901222 #Enshittification

social.coop (social.coop)

[gert@social.coop]

@smallcircles Super Efficient Market

[smallcircles@social.coop]

@gert hmm, yea. Or a SS Marketplace.. a "super shittified" dystopic surveillance market. Goes well with Nazi Bar wrt terminology.