Big Smile, No Teeth: In the brave new world, we’ll automate every job!

Tasks that once needed staff – like supermarket cashiers – are now handed over to technology, turning all of us into slightly confused, unpaid employees, says the writer. — Filepic/The Star

I’VE never wanted to work as a cashier in a store. Not that there’s anything wrong with the job, it just wasn’t something I pictured doing. Yet now I scan groceries at the supermarket. But then, we all do, don’t we?

Self-checkout has made us all employees. Even if only temporarily. I’ve learned how to smooth out the barcode to scan items properly, I’m conditioned to know where the tough to find barcodes are on some items, and I know that when the barcode is tough to scan and there are multiple items, I simply increase the item count by pressing on the screen.