The advance of technology helps facilitate our lives a great deal, but do we pay a high price when it comes to relying on the machines way more than we should?
In order to speed up the process of running errands and shopping for groceries, Walmart introduced self-checkouts. What they didn’t expect, however, is to face backlash because of this decision that many of the customers consider controversial.
The self-service machines aren’t something new. In fact, they were first introduced in the 1980s to lower labor expenses.
But this service faced plenty of obstacles and customers complain to the added responsibilities.
For example, certain items may have multiple barcodes, whereas the produce, including the meat, fruit, and vegetable, typically needs to be weighed and manually entered into the system using a code, which might be time consuming for the ordinary shoppers. Other times shoppers won’t hear the “beep” confirming an item has been scanned properly.
Another issue is the increase of theft. Walmart announced that thefts at its stores has reached an all-time high.
The machines not only fall short at their purpose of making shopping easier at times, but they also make it harder for the employees they were meant to help.
Christopher Andrews, a sociologist and author of The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy, says the system “doesn’t work well for anyone.”
He continued: “Everyone feels like they have to have it. Companies are thinking: ‘If we can just get more people on this, maybe we can start reducing some overheads.’”
What’s most, most of the customers have reported that they miss the human interaction while shopping.
Randy Parraz from Making Change at Walmart perfectly summed up customer sentiments by saying, “You can’t convince customers to do the job of a cashier just because you don’t want to pay for the work.”
Walmart decided to listen to what their customers had to say and instead of further expanding automation, the retail giant will hire additional cashiers to provide their customers with a pleasant shopping experience and service.
What Walmart and the rest of the retailers, among which Costco and Wegmans, learned is that efficiency is important but maintaining a balance with positive experiences remains crucial.
Viral Photos Capture Father’s Hilarious Reaction to Partner Giving Birth
“Who says fathers have it easy during childbirth? Recent viral images of a couple welcoming their third child reveal that fathers can be deeply worried and often astounded by the delivery process.
In the past, fathers were barred from entering the delivery room, left to wait outside and hope for the best for both mother and child. Nowadays, dads are expected to witness the entire delivery, sometimes resulting in amusing reactions, as seen with Amanda Renee and her partner Brett Sillis.
The couple’s delivery room photos have touched many, not only because they welcomed their third baby, but also due to Brett’s priceless facial expressions.
While Brett’s reactions might seem like he is repulsed by the birthing process, Amanda assures he wasn’t. She didn’t notice her husband’s expressions during the overwhelming experience of childbirth. It wasn’t until they reviewed the photos later that they realized how funny Brett’s expressions were.
“We didn’t even look at them until I got back into the room, and I was like, ‘I have to post these,’” Amanda shared.
Now, the happy couple and their baby girl are home, enjoying time together and laughing at Brett’s delivery room expressions.
The photos resonated with many, especially men who related to Brett’s reactions, garnering over 6,000 shares.
“Dawg, this was me,” wrote one father.
“And this is exactly why when my husband wanted to ‘watch,’ I clamped my knees together and told him if he didn’t get up by my head, I wasn’t going to push!” shared one mother.
“Lol! I believe all men make these faces. My spouse could only look at my face after we delivered our baby six weeks ago. My labor lasted 15 minutes, and my doula had to tap him to get him to look at the baby because he was afraid he’d pass out from all the ‘stuff’ coming out. ‘Congratulations, mama!’” commented another.
Congratulations to the happy couple on their new family member!”
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