In today’s market, there seems to be a demand for companionship. While it has become common for Americans to listen to music while scanning their groceries, it is worth considering the impact this practice has on the increasing problem of loneliness. According to Catalina Marketing, self-checkouts make up almost 40% of the pay lanes in US grocery chains. Additionally, PlayUSA, an online gaming site, conducted a recent survey revealing that 84% of Americans enjoy using self-service kiosks at stores, with 66% stating they would choose a self-checkout lane over interacting with a human cashier.
Toni Antonucci, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, explained that “weak ties,” which refer to warm, low-stakes relationships like those between cashiers and repeat customers, are crucial for maintaining emotional well-being, especially as social circles shrink later in life. Antonucci describes these relationships as someone who makes you feel important and human in their world. However, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 10% decrease in the number of cashiers nationwide from 2021 to 2031, resulting in a loss of approximately 335,000 jobs.
In 2020, Amazon introduced its first Amazon Go Grocery store, which relies heavily on technology rather than human workers. This store uses cameras and sensors to track the items customers select from the shelves and sends them a receipt via email, allowing them to pay for their groceries without any human assistance. This concept is an expanded version of the Amazon Go store that was initially accessible only to employees in 2016. As society becomes increasingly dependent on technology, experts are raising concerns about the negative effects on people’s physical and mental well-being.
According to a survey conducted by PlayUSA in April, more than 70% of the 1,001 Americans surveyed believed that human-operated checkouts take longer, while 60% admitted they simply don’t want to engage in awkward small talk. Surprisingly, 14% said they would willingly wait in a self-service lane even if a human cashier was available, reflecting a lack of desire for social interaction. There is a generational divide, with 84% of Gen Z and 76% of millennials preferring technology over human interaction, compared to only 57% of Gen X and 46% of baby boomers.
Although an overwhelming 89% of individuals believe that technology has made their daily lives easier and 62% appreciate the replacement of face-to-face interactions with technology, many acknowledge that excessive reliance on technology has had negative effects on their mental health. Approximately 67% believe that technology has made it more challenging to form meaningful connections, 75% think that tech-based interactions have led to a decline in social skills, and 68% believe that it has reduced empathy.
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