Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

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Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by Brian Lutz »

https://reason.com/2019/09/06/union-bac ... VyQOBAFMGw

The AFL-CIO union in Oregon is sponsoring a 2020 ballot initiative that would prohibit stores from operating more than two self checkout lanes.
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

This only applies to "grocery stores?" I wonder if Wal Mart even qualifies...

Something like this would have probably had a chance 10-15 years ago when self checkouts were newer and a lot more "trouble" to use. Many people were frustrated with self checkouts back then. But as time has gone on, these machines have gotten better and better, easier to use, and more and more customers have warmed up to the machines. So this initiative probably had a chance in the past but at this point in time I think it is too late.

Are these unions literally trying to just kill off the grocery chains or what?

Customers like self checkouts. Customers were not happy when Safeway and Albertsons removed self checkouts. Self checkouts allow customers to get in and out of a store much more quickly.

Continuing to hassle customers who select to visit a grocery store with things like this, things like bag fees for super thick excessively thick plastic bags, and other such initiatives will only drive more and more consumers out of the stores and toward online ordering services.

This won't create jobs in the long term for the unionized grocers, it will just drive customers elsewhere.

The other irony is it is the unionized grocery stores that rely on self checkout the most. You don't see any self checkouts at non-union Trader Joe's, rarely see them at Whole Foods... so this will not impact the customer experience at the niche type grocery non-union chains. But it will absolutely impact the customer experience at the unionized chains.
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by Super S »

storewanderer wrote: September 8th, 2019, 6:40 pm This only applies to "grocery stores?" I wonder if Wal Mart even qualifies...

Something like this would have probably had a chance 10-15 years ago when self checkouts were newer and a lot more "trouble" to use. Many people were frustrated with self checkouts back then. But as time has gone on, these machines have gotten better and better, easier to use, and more and more customers have warmed up to the machines. So this initiative probably had a chance in the past but at this point in time I think it is too late.

Are these unions literally trying to just kill off the grocery chains or what?

Customers like self checkouts. Customers were not happy when Safeway and Albertsons removed self checkouts. Self checkouts allow customers to get in and out of a store much more quickly.

Continuing to hassle customers who select to visit a grocery store with things like this, things like bag fees for super thick excessively thick plastic bags, and other such initiatives will only drive more and more consumers out of the stores and toward online ordering services.

This won't create jobs in the long term for the unionized grocers, it will just drive customers elsewhere.

The other irony is it is the unionized grocery stores that rely on self checkout the most. You don't see any self checkouts at non-union Trader Joe's, rarely see them at Whole Foods... so this will not impact the customer experience at the niche type grocery non-union chains. But it will absolutely impact the customer experience at the unionized chains.
I wonder how this would affect Fred Meyer, which is union. However, it would influence my shopping habits to some extent. I usually like to get in and out of a store quickly, and in a bag your own setup like WinCo it actually makes sense to have more of these available. WinCo has some of the rudest cashiers I have ever encountered and I almost always use self checkout there for that reason, among other reasons I have had cashiers who think I am moving too slow and turn on the belt, shoving another person's groceries into mine. WinCo also does not have express checkout lanes.

I would, however, like to see a rule where a store can not rely solely on self-checkouts, something I have seen at Lowe's, Home Depot, and the general merchandise end of the Fred Meyer I shop at (the grocery end is generally well staffed). Not to mention at places like Walmart and Target at various times.

I also wonder how this will affect places like McDonald's which are increasingly installing kiosks...
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by storewanderer »

Super S wrote: September 8th, 2019, 7:45 pm


I wonder how this would affect Fred Meyer, which is union. However, it would influence my shopping habits to some extent. I usually like to get in and out of a store quickly, and in a bag your own setup like WinCo it actually makes sense to have more of these available. WinCo has some of the rudest cashiers I have ever encountered and I almost always use self checkout there for that reason, among other reasons I have had cashiers who think I am moving too slow and turn on the belt, shoving another person's groceries into mine. WinCo also does not have express checkout lanes.

I would, however, like to see a rule where a store can not rely solely on self-checkouts, something I have seen at Lowe's, Home Depot, and the general merchandise end of the Fred Meyer I shop at (the grocery end is generally well staffed). Not to mention at places like Walmart and Target at various times.

I also wonder how this will affect places like McDonald's which are increasingly installing kiosks...
I too am seeing more and more stores really relying on self checkouts. In the Wal Mart Supercenter nearest to me I have been there as early as 7 PM and the only way to pay for anything is the tobacco register (with a line of 5+ people) or the self checkouts on the grocery side (the ones on non-food side are already closed by then too).

I am afraid this "no self checkout" rule could just cause the retailers to push technology like the "scan bag and go" that Kroger is pushing, very unsuccessfully in my area, almost nobody is using it. But if suddenly the self checkouts got taken away, maybe more people would use it...

I really think the union is 10-15 years behind the curve on this... and the retailers and other technologies are already quite a few steps ahead.
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by J-Man »

Remember that Oregon is one of only two states (the other being New Jersey) where self-serve gasoline is prohibited.
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by SamSpade »

My native Oregonian friend was super excited about this idea when I told him about it. He mentioned all the old tired tropes about the self checkout. I was surprised.

Cognitive bias note: His father has worked for Fred Meyer since he was 16 but is not in cashiering/front end (and yes, is still in a union position, and sitting on pins about the negotiations as he's nearing retirement).
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by Super S »

J-Man wrote: September 9th, 2019, 7:51 am Remember that Oregon is one of only two states (the other being New Jersey) where self-serve gasoline is prohibited.
There are, however, some rural counties where self serve is permitted during certain hours of the day.
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Re: Oregon AFL-CIO sponsors ballot initiative to severely restrict self checkouts

Post by BillyGr »

Super S wrote: September 9th, 2019, 7:05 pm
J-Man wrote: September 9th, 2019, 7:51 am Remember that Oregon is one of only two states (the other being New Jersey) where self-serve gasoline is prohibited.
There are, however, some rural counties where self serve is permitted during certain hours of the day.
Although, if I'm not mistaken, that is a fairly recent change (compared to most states that started allowing it several decades ago)?
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