The parent is putting Barcelona in an unfairly positive light here. Its supermarkets are fantastic, but Spain has a dismal unemployment rate, which is one reason for why you get such good service at their supermarkets.
It really drives wages down, so they're overstaffed compared to other countries, and instead of it being an entry-level job for teenagers the norm is to have them staffed by 30-60 year olds with lots of experience, but likely few other options when it comes to employment.
So does putting people who work at grocery stores ultimately help things? I'd like to think so, technology advancement is our only hope of getting rid of most menial jobs. Those who rail against it rarely do so with any sensitivity to all the menial jobs we've gotten rid of already, for the good of all.
Re:Amazon Go
by SippinLean on Monday December 05, 2016 @02:20PM
(#13108376)
It can be even worse, at the NYC Union Square Trader Joe's, the line wraps the entire inner perimeter of the store and you shop as you wait.
Re:Amazon Go
by BurningFrog on Monday December 05, 2016 @02:03PM
(#13108232)
If Amazon Go can save me from participating in the scripted conversations the cashier must initiate to keep her job, it's already paid for itself.
The typical grocery store here (i.e. what Go is actually going after) is basically a warehouse, with checkout lanes staffed by apathetic teenagers. The process is already almost entirely devoid of meaningful human contact. It might as well be more convenient.
Hopefully, whatever has protected your local stores from the economic forces that have produced the experience I describe will also protect your local stores from this incremental improvement on automated checkout.