In a viral video, a man took to TikTok to explain why he doesn’t use the self-checkout, and the internet sided with him.
In a video that gained over 35,000 views before being taken down, a TikToker named Kevin, who regularly shares his opinions on pop culture, explained his reasons for avoiding self-checkouts.
“I firmly believe that every time someone uses one of those automated kiosks, it’s a de facto vote against a longstanding occupation, which is the grocery clerk… I don’t want to be responsible, however passively, for killing off an entire occupation that’s been around since I was a kid.”
He continued, saying that though technology is faster, it may not always be preferable:
“I work in tech. You know, I use the internet for all sorts of reasons. But I’m not sure that I want everything automated in my life… I actually don’t mind the social exchange between the checkout clerk. I always tell one of my dumb dad jokes or, you know, ‘Don’t work too hard!’”
“I hope that the clerks stay around for certainly my lifetime, but I fear that it won’t,” he finishes.
Internet supports man’s stand against self-checkouts
Before the video was removed, it gained a ton of comments from fellow like-minded shoppers.
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“My main reason is that I don’t get a discount for doing it nor am I a paid employee,” one wrote, suggesting that by using self-checkouts, shoppers were forgoing the luxury of having someone who’s being paid do the work for them.
“I enjoy going to the grocery store. I enjoy having a grocery clerk ring up my items and we chit chat. It’s a great time,” another wrote.
However, it turned out that there was one person who wasn’t in support – a grocery store worker:
“30-year grocery store vet here. PLEASE USE THE SELF CHECKOUT! It helps by letting us redistribute employees throughout the store where they can be utilized better. No one is losing their job!”
It turns out that the majority of consumers do in fact, prefer self-checkouts over store associates. In a recent survey, if given the option, 60% of consumers would rather serve themselves.