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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2023)
Page 4 December 20, 2023 Technology Facing a Reckoning Love it or hate it, self-checkout is here to stay (AP) — The promise of self-checkout was alluring: Cus- tomers could avoid long lines by scanning and bagging their own items, workers could be freed of doing those monotonous tasks themselves and retailers could save on labor costs. All that has happened since the rollout of self-checkout but so has this: Customers griping about clunky technology that spits out myste- rious error codes, workers hav- ing to stand around and monitor both humans and machines, and retailers contending with theft. “Going to the grocery store used to be simple, and now it’s frustrating,” said Cindy Whit- tington, 66, of Fairfax, Virginia. “You’re paying more. You’re working harder to pay for mer- chandise at their store. And it’s become an ordeal to check out. I should get a 5% discount.” In 2021, self-checkout usage rep- resented 30% of transactions, almost double from 2018, ac- Customers use self check out in New York. (AP Photo/ Bebeto Matthews) cording to a survey of retailers by FMI, an industry group. And 96% of retailers surveyed offer self-checkout. But the technology is also fac- ing a reckoning amid the critical holiday shopping season. Some retailers are adding restric- tions, while others are pulling out completely. This past fall, Walmart removed self-checkout kiosks in three stores in Albu- querque, New Mexico as part of a location by location approach, but on the whole it is adding more than it is taking away. To reduce wait times, Target is now limiting the number of items to 10 that shoppers can scan in a handful of stores nationwide. British supermarket chain Booths has been getting rid of its self-checkout at the major- ity of its stores for the past 18 months in reaction to customer backlash. A year ago, grocery chain Wegmans, citing “loss- es,” discontinued its self-check- out app that lets shoppers scan and bag items while they shop. However, it continues to offer self-checkout registers at its stores. Self-checkout, first test- ed in supermarkets in the late 1980s, gained momentum 20 years ago. But grocers ramped it up even more three years ago to address the pandemic-induced severe labor shortages. Kroger, for example, has de- ployed artificial intelligence technology at a majority of stores that triggers alerts when something is amiss. For exam- ple, if a shopper fails to scan a particular item successful- ly, the system flags the error on the screen and prompts the customer to self-correct. If cus- tomers are unable to resolve the issue themselves, a light above the self-checkout blinks to at- tract workers’ attention. Still, for some workers who were supposed to be liberated from the monotonous task of ringing up customers, the tedium just comes in a different form. Bernadette Christian, 59, a worker at Giant Food in Clinton, Maryland, mans six self-service stations at once, and she’s afraid to help or confront shoppers who she said have become angrier since the pandemic. “It would be easy for us to be cashiers, and it would be a lot more safer in today’s world,” she said. Breaking Ground on Year-Round Portland Public Schools Superintendent Shelter and Access Center Resigns Continued from Front the Oregon Community Foun- dation, Energy Trust of Oregon, Washington County Communi- ty Development Block Grants (CDBG) CareOregon, Just Compassion supporters, donors, and fundraisers. Representative Dacia Grayber said, “Our guiding light in this process was to fund local proj- ects that would provide the most support to those with the greatest need at this time. From support- ing transitional housing devel- opment to funding food security programs, our offices are proud to have approached this process with equity, care, and compas- sion in mind. Oregon is on its way back, and as your state leg- islators we are committed to sup- porting our districts in transfor- mative and equitable ways as we turn the page on the pandemic.” “Washington County is dra- matically increasing our com- munity’s available shelter ca- pacity,” said Washington County Chair Kathryn Harrington. “It is equally important that shel- ters are high quality, treat our shelter guests with dignity, and offer that steppingstone to long- term housing. This future shelter meets those immediate needs, while ensuring a future where program participants can thrive in stable housing.” “The expanded Just Compas- sion Campus brings valuable and needed service capacity to Tigard,” explained Tigard May- or Heidi Lueb. “By adding 60 shelter beds and a dedicated re- source center, community mem- bers will have greater access to safe, stable places to sleep and other supports than ever before. I’m proud to see the Tigard community taking major steps to achieve our Council Goal of reducing houselessness.” “Today is a special day for Just Compassion as we begin to realize our vision,” said Just Compassion Executive Director Vernon Baker. “Our new shel- ter/access center will give us an opportunity to provide addition- al services and resources to our guests. With any great opportu- nity comes great responsibility. We look forward to being good stewards with the resources we are being provided and serving our guests.” The Just Compassion Shel- ter site will be included within Washington County’s robust shelter program which currently offers over 400 beds/rooms of shelter county-wide. Advertise with diversity in The Portland Observer Call 503-288-0033 or email ads@portlandobserver.com Continued from Front address those as thoughtfully as we can,” he said. Guerrero also noted other im- provements that helped vulnera- ble students, such as establishing the Center for Black Students and the new Multiple Pathways to Graduation building, which will open next fall, “for high school- ers who’ve struggled to find a foothold in traditional neighbor- hood schools.” In some ways, Guerrero said, maybe he stayed in the job a little longer than he should have, “But I could see that there were these important remaining pieces that I don’t think would have been fair to saddle on a new superinten- dent,” he said. For his next steps, Guerrero said he’ll take some time off be- fore going onto another position, because he’s neglected his health and other personal areas. “I have not been the best hus- band or father or uncle that I could have been these last few years,” he said. “I need time to detoxify, decompress and stare at Superintendent Guerrero the stars again,” he said. His plan is to take his family on an extended road trip, partic- ularly spending time in the des- erts of the Southwest, and he’s waiting for the arrival of a vin- tage off-road 4x4 vehicle to use on the trip. Guerrero said he is declaring his “free agency,” and that he’s not sure what he will do next. “I’m sure that I will remain committed to serving inner city children, youth and families in some capacity,” he said. “I don’t know that it will be as a superin- tendent. Maybe, maybe not.”
