North Avenue Walmart Getting Self Check-Out….Convenience or Cost Cutting? [POLL]

I figured it was going to happen sooner or later. It looks like this is the time. Apparently it's out with 20 items or less express lanes and in with  self-check out at  the North Avenue Walmart. At first I was happy about it, but quickly my joy turned to skepticism.

I love self check out. Most of my trips to the grocery store entail picking up three or four items and I like my visits to be short and quick.  Get in, get out.The last thing I want to do is stand in line for 10 minutes for a loaf of bread. Self-check out is a great convenience for customers, and those of us that use it regularly are quite comfortable with the process. But, the question came to my mind, is customer service what Walmart has in mind by installing self-check out registers? Do they REALLY care how happy I am? I suspect not.

Walmart, like any retail business is there to make money. Every move they make and every decision that is made is done with the intention of making money. More money. While self-check out is, in fact, a great convenience to customers, I can't help but wonder if the driving force behind it is the idea of not having to pay a live body to stand there and ring up that handful of items I am purchasing.

I get that. It makes business sense. But, I wonder what is becoming of those live bodies that used to inhabit the express lane cubicles? Are those jobs cut? If their a reduction in their hours?  Are there going to be fewer jobs available to those who depend on this type of work?

According to the assistant manager I talked to, they hope to have the self-check out lanes open and operational by Friday. It seems to be a smart move by Walmart, and good for customers, but  bad news for laborers. What do you think?