The Self Check-Out Epidemic

Why does everyone exclusively use self check-out now? 

A few weeks ago, I had to run a short errand to King Soopers to buy a pack of thank you cards. I figured the task would be quick and easy. It was just one small item; I’d be in and out in no time. Right? Wrong. I had to wait in a winding line for self check-out where everyone was using the machines to buy what looked like their entire month’s load of groceries. And there were no regular lanes open.  

I stood in line, waiting for the little light above each machine to turn green for availability and watched a man place his third stuffed-full paper bag in his cart, and I missed when self check-out was still intended for only a handful of items. What happened to that? I remember being able to actually go in-and-out of a store by using self check-out, now it’s everyone’s go-to. This sounds like I’m complaining — like I’m about to say that I asked for the manager next — but it was a genuine question, why is self check-out everyone’s go-to nowadays?

I started to find an answer to my question by asking myself why I had started to see it that way. I tried to justify it by saying that it was because self check-out was faster, but the line I was standing in immediately disproved that. I then had to be honest and guiltily admit to myself that it was because I preferred not to talk to the cashier most of the time. And I’m sure that’s the same reason for most others whether they’re aware of it or not. 

It’s not a crime or moral red flag, just a desire to avoid a potentially awkward bout of small talk with the cashier. It’s small and largely insignificant—I wouldn’t have even noticed if I wasn’t peeved about how long my minor errand was taking. But now that I’ve noticed, it’s hard to ignore how the self check-out line wraps around the store while the traditional lanes are mostly unused. It’s worthwhile to notice and question why such a basic social interaction has almost been completely erased from everyday life. Why are we so unwilling to have a less than two minute conversation that we’ll willingly wait in five or ten minute lines to avoid it? 

It all boils down to what sociologists and psychologists have called the loneliness epidemic. Americans across all age groups have significantly reduced their amount of face-to-face social interaction over the past two decades. The world is a fast-moving place. It’s hard in between work, school, and other obligations to carve out time for family and friends. Social media and technology — like self check-out machines — tend to completely cut out the most basic and innate forms of everyday human interaction. While ‘loneliness’ doesn’t sound like an urgent issue, experts are stressing that immediate action needs to be taken against our culture’s growing social isolation. It’s a major mental health detriment; loneliness leads to increased stress and anxiety which can make people quiet and detached or irritable and abrasive, leading to even more social disconnect. It’s a horrible cycle. It also gives way to physical health concerns. I was horrified to read that experts compare the physical detriments of loneliness to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. It increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Skipping out on some chit-chat at the grocery store seems meaningless, but it’s also one less chance to meet our everyday need for interaction and gradually feeds into this growing issue. 

It’s hard to feel like a two minute conversation with a stranger is an actual, meaningful effort to reduce widespread loneliness. It feels like comparing re-using a piece of scratch paper to preserving an entire forest. It is true, though, that these brief interactions are really important to our wellbeing as hard as it may be to believe. Research has shown that, in any given moment, being around another person reduces feelings of fatigue and stress. The state of being ‘socially connected’ isn’t static. It’s fluid and changes from moment to moment. Sure, talking with the cashier at the grocery store likely won’t forge a life-long connection, but it will make someone feel less alone in that given moment and — no matter how small it feels — that matters. 

While I was reading up on social isolation, I learned that the Netherlands has already been working to combat my newly realized grievance with self check-out. Jumbo, a popular Dutch grocery store chain, introduced Kletskassa in 2019, which translates to “chat checkout.” These special check-out lanes give shoppers who want to slow down and have a chat the opportunity to do so. I really appreciated what the company’s CCO stated in regards to this check-out initiative, that “it’s a small gesture but it’s a valuable one, particularly in a world that is becoming more digital and faster.” It’s made me realize that we have so many means of avoiding others when we’re feeling particularly antisocial but not nearly as many ways to engage in conversation when we’re in need of connection. We can use self check-out, scroll on our phones, pretend we don’t notice the people standing beside us, or put on headphones to ward off conversation. Gateways for social interaction, like Kletskassa, are few and far between. 

These opportunities for face-to-face interaction are exactly what experts say is the best solution to combat the loneliness epidemic. They urge an increase in social infrastructure, something I’m sure many of us have heard referred to as third spaces. Most people spend their entire days at work or school and home, with no additional setting they can go to when they want to meet people, hang out with friends, or just exist in a public space. While a specialized grocery store lane isn’t where I would necessarily go for any of those needs, Kletskassa at least provides an opening for increased interaction outside of those isolated primary locations. Experts encourage implementing more social infrastructure, such as libraries and public parks, as well as enacting public policies that would help people access those spaces, such as better public transportation and paid leave procedures. 

I’m an introvert at heart (somewhat of an ambivert now through deliberate efforts), so I understand wanting to skip out on a social interaction every now and then. The idea of using self check-out and being able to run my errands without having to speak to a single person is enticing. But is not speaking to anyone for long stretches of time really something I want? I’ve made a deliberate effort to chat with the cashier at every store I’ve been to since I’ve made this realization, and every time I find that I leave feeling better than before. I had a great conversation with the cashier at Trader Joe’s about nutrition, and walked away smiling and with a little more knowledge about food. I had a pretty awkward conversation with the cashier at Target where I barely got any words in besides “how are you doing” and “seems busy today,” and walked away grimacing a little but was glad to have at least attempted a conversation and showed a smile.

 In the midst of this loneliness epidemic, looking around and seeing less and less friendly conversations and more and more heads turned down avoiding eye contact, I think it’s important to strive for any connections we can make. At the very least, it’ll bring self check-out back to its original purpose, helping everyone who needs to run small, quick errands like picking up thank you cards.

• loneliness epidemic
• social
• third spaces