This shouldn't be the only option; "self-service or no service" is not my goal, but I appreciate the fact that 8 self-service lanes can allow a lot of customers to check out without waiting and in an affordable fashion. (Customers are paying for all the labor in any enduring company.)
The checkout-free store (like Amazon Go) is of course even better than a self-checkout in terms of customer experience.
Of course, those businesses that are reasonable or customer-centric are less likely to make these kinds of choices.
Worst of all, more and more systems are built by a small segment of like-minded middle-class workers. They are blind to the peculiarities and the struggles of other cultures.
With those firmly established factors, I expect this to get much worse.
Self checkout lines. Dealing with interactive voice menus. Waiting on hold. Whatever.
It's like any time support doesn't fall neatly into one of several predefined buckets the burden of dealing with any ambiguity falls onto the consumer.
Maybe it increases their profits. Maybe it decreases our quantifiable costs. But it's exhausting.
It's not directly analogous but software folks often talk about the merit in using external libraries for anything that's not a core business concern. But I'm curious what grocery stores or airlines would consider their primary business. Are they in the service industry or are they trying to just be food or airplane logistics players who lament their current requirement for a customer-facing physical presence.