Walmart alters course: Drops self-checkout expansion amidst customer concerns

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.

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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.’”

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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.

Texas man smashes autographed Taylor Swift guitar after buying it for $4,000

A Texas man is going viral after bidding on a guitar signed by Taylor Swift and then smashing it with a hammer.The video, which has since been shared on multiple social media networks, shows the man grab the guitar after placing the winning bid of $4,000 and attempting to break it into pieces.

“When the man announced his intention to smash it the camera phones came out,” an event attendee told The Independent.

The viral moment happened at the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner in Waxahachie, Texas on September 28. The event acted as a fundraiser to support agricultural and rural education for the local youth.

Tickets to see George Strait and Chris Stapleton, an African safari, a trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and the Taylor Swift guitar were among the prizes being auctioned off.

When it came time to start the bidding on the Taylor Swift guitar, one man offered $3,200 for the signed guitar. According to the event organizer, the winning bidder paid $4,000 for the item.

In the viral video, the winner can be seen approaching the stage to claim the guitar. As he grabs the guitar, he is also handed a hammer which he takes and swiftly begins hitting against the instrument.

Some viewers have suggested the man beat the guitar due to Swift’s recent endorsement of Kamala Harris, though according to TMZ the guitar was donated well before Swift made her announcement.

The man’s actions sparked a debate with some people applauding him for destroying the guitar and others saying he should have donated his money directly to charity.

“What a waste of money,” one person wrote.

“It wasn’t a waste of $$ at all! The $4,000 he spent did go to the kids. The proceeds for the dinner went to the Future Farmers of America,” another chimed in.

What do you think of this man’s actions? Let us know in the comments.

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