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7-Eleven Tests Cashier-Free Shopping In 14 Stores (techspot.com)
7-Eleven is testing cashier-less shopping systems, similar to Amazon's "Go" stores that use an array of cameras and machine-learning technology to determine what customers are buying. According to TechSpot, "customers can simply pick up select items, scan the barcode, pay through their phone, and leave; there is no need to wait in line or even speak to another human being." From the report: As previously stated, this is just a test right now. There's no guarantee that 7-Eleven will actually ditch its cashiers anytime soon; particularly not while it continues to serve age-restricted beverages and drugs. For now, this scan-and-go system is purely serving as an augmentation to its current way of handling customers. Furthermore, there's a catch: customers who want to use the new shopping method will need to have 7-Eleven's rewards app.
That's not the same as Amazon at all.
But if I don't talk with a grody cashier while buying a poorly-mixed and watered down dier Pepsie Super Big Gulp, what kind of life will I have left?
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Isn't this just a cash-free (aka privacy-free) version of the "self-checkout" machines in many stores today? Welcome to 2008.
So how would that stop your average criminal that robs the thing every other week?
They are just going to steal all the booze and cigarettes and smash the glass to get out.
So the one guy running the entire store will be in charge of running the cash register and making sure those walking out the front door paid for their product? Yeah, this sounds like a great idea.
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it's called a "Beer Run". Walk in, grab beer, leave. In most jurisdictions you can't by alcohol after a certain time of day. So folks who want booze just take it. It's too common and too expensive to prosecute. The guys running the till are instructed to just let it happen and then fill out the paperwork. Every now and then one of 'em gets uppity about it and gets the crap kicked out of them, resulting in a workers comp claim (or worse if the Beer runner had a gun).
Go ahead and steal. If you do it a lot their Id you and prosecute. If you do it occasionally you won't impact their bottom line. Especially when you consider the cost/benefit analysis of not having employees.
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The Simpsons removes the cashier at Kwik-Mart now 7-11 is doing it in the real world.
This would make sense for the Japanese market where people won't steal at anything approaching the rate they would in the US. There are over 20,000 7-Eleven stores in Japan, more than anywhere else in the world. It is a huge market for them.
Called Scan and Go, you scan each barcode, checkout with credit card and it displays a barcode that's scanned at checkout. Only limit is you have to pay for alcohol in person.
I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
there is no need to wait in line or even speak to another human being.
Having worked at 7-Eleven for four months, I can attest that most customers don't think we're human beings. Or at least that awareness is not terribly high on their priorities.
The job has its perks though, I can casually ignore customers after the 10 seconds it takes to complete the transaction. Third shift has its drama, but it also has a long peaceful period after the midnight drunks are gone and some generally nice people in the A.M. Money-wise it sucks, but you can get a lot of O.T. taking the third shift and covering for other shifts once in a while, nobody wants to cover for third shifters but first and second need to be covered all the time.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
This will work fine in white neighborhoods. But you can't do it in poor places. Stealing is part of minority culture.
no need to wait in line or even speak to another human being.
There's nothing like technology for bringing people together. I guess I'm guess getting old, but I thought part of living in a society was to talk with other people. It's bad enough that we can now get all of our news from sources that reinforce our viewpoint and don't introduce us to different opinions. But something like this means the start of not even needing to worry about taking to anyone that we don't' want to. Perhaps this is also part of the reason that autism is on the rise. It certainly won't help if we can start ignoring even more people.
kids will make a mess of the soda fountain with no staff to stop them.
Now the homeless can just move indoors at the 7-11s! Great community support move by 7-11!
Every 7-11 in my area is a magnet for homeless and petty criminals. Hot spots for drug sales, fencing stolen goods, and the ever-present Shakey's Bike Shop popups. (Locations all over town, on a street corner near you!)
My local 7-11 is "cooperating" with the police and the clerks are supposed to report loitering and suspicious activities. But it seems that they don't, or it's just an impossible task. It's on the first floor of a condo building, and the HOA keeps fining them, but to no avail. The HOA does not want them, but it is a commercial "condo unit". (Owner rents to the 7-11 franchise.)
How do you get a 7-11 to move out of your neighborhood?
P.S. I have nothing against the homeless. It's just their condition, and public efforts to help are thin and ineffective. In particular, it is really shitty how we treat disabled veterans, so many of whom wind up on the streets. The homeless are as often the victims of crime than perpetrators - there is a criminal element that preys on the homeless community, and so unfortunately that means that any business is wise to shoo them away. If a location becomes a known hangout, then the drug dealers and fences and sellers of stolen goods are sure to follow, in order to victimize them.
Apu is no longer going to be seen at his store.
Wait.... wasn't that a different chain?
.. Is corner stores being bought by, well, immigrants. Around here they bus in a few thousand people every night from outside the area to work them. 711, Shopers Drug Mart, Gas stations, etc. It's very rare to see a local employed there.
If a store like this existed where I live, all items would be stolen off its shelves within 24 hours, guaranteed.
You can kiss lottery tickets goodbye.
I'm really going to hate the future. You'll have to buy an expensive phone with an expensive data plan and keep it charged and keep it with you all the time just to buy a bag of chips. God help you if the battery dies or if you don't have service due to location or weather. Sorry, no gas or food for you. Can't call somebody for help either. Borrowing someone else's phone won't work since no one memorizes phone numbers anymore. I can drop my wallet over and over and over with no fear of damaging my money. The same can't be said about my phone even with it's rubber case. Wet bills still work and don't explode. My smart phone has .6GB of empty space. Even if I wanted to use reward apps, I wouldn't have room for apps from every store I shop at. Things were supposed to be better in every way in the future, instead they're getting worse in nearly every way.
I'll blame the credit card companies. Maybe one reason for the push of payments apps is to tie payments into bank transfers so the business don't have to pay as high of a transaction fee. Of course a main reason is data mining and creating loyalty shopping habits.
Not only does it appear 711's in Japan started doing this about 1.5 years ago but they don't require you to scan anything. They have a camera and it just calculates everything it identifies in the basket.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/04/18/business/tech/japan-introduce-self-checkout-system-convenience-stores-reads-items/
The stores are already videotaping you from multiple angles, sending that video feed to corporate to marketize and productize you. All they are doing now is providing you a small modicum of that information back in the form of machine learning convenience to reduce their employee base and your customer load.
The real detail that has been ignored here is: If they don't need to handle employees anymore, how much longer will that bother with franchise licenses (which by the way are quite fascist and run tens of thousands a month in franchise fees.)
As long as the phone app says "have a good one" - often with an Indian accent, it'll feel familiar enough to me.
Remember.....if you don't use cash- someone, somewhere can track every thing you buy, everywhere you go, and where you are. Being a "sheep" is just not smart. You like being tracked 24/7? NOT ME!!!
I for one do not welcome our new job stealing robotic overlords.
I don't shop at 7-Eleven anymore.