Baby boomers and the ‘silent generation’ blame self-checkout counters at supermarkets for increasing loneliness and wiping out one of their last remaining social interactions.
When 83-year-old Marliss Myers lost her husband, it was her local Albertsons cashier who provided comfort.
Workers like Sharon Hechler are determined to maintain that special bond with seniors, even as nearly half of the cash registers in the U.S. are now automated.
“We all need that human, personal touch,” Hechler told the newspaper Los Angeles Times.
Chatting with cashiers is becoming increasingly rare as supermarkets switch to technology
Marliss Myers found solace by going to her local Albertsons store in Arcadia and talking to her regular cashier after her husband died
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of cashiers will decline by 10 percent by 2031, resulting in 335,000 jobs.
But while 84 percent of Generation Z support self-checkouts, only 46 percent of baby boomers agreed in a survey by gaming site PlayUSA.
The same poll found that two-thirds of Americans said technology has made it harder to connect meaningfully, and nearly 70 percent said it has led to a decline in empathy.
The Silent Generation, people born between 1928 and 1945, were not surveyed, but the impact that direct human interaction has on their lives is perhaps even more important.
When Myers picked up her groceries at the Arcadia store, Hechler told the Times that these brief moments of direct contact would have a huge impact on both of their days.
The lively cashier, known for her signature farewell “toodle-oo,” has worked for Albertsons for more than 50 years. She enjoys the connection she builds with her clients as much as they do.
‘People need people. I just can’t imagine the cold world without dams,” Hechler said.
Since 2014, their bond has slowly grown stronger over time. Myers had ended up at Albertsons after her old market went bankrupt, leading to a memorable first encounter when she found herself in Hechler’s line during their first meeting.
She explained what led her to a new store, telling her that she and her husband had steak together on Fridays.
Hechler called her manager and explained that Myers was a new customer and that she was receiving two free T-bones as a welcome gift.
Myers’ husband would explore the supermarket islands with his wife after the couple retired in 2015. When he passed away just before Christmas in 2021, Myers gave Hechler a copy of the eulogy.
“I cherish it,” Hechler says.
Baby boomers say the spread of self-checkouts is exacerbating feelings of loneliness
These relationships – sometimes called “weak ties” – which are often cherished yet require minimal personal investment – are an essential part of mental well-being as you age, according to Toni Antonucci, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
“It’s someone who makes you feel important in their world. Someone who makes you feel human,” she says.
But the urge to accomplish tasks with just a few touches of a screen threatens to drive a wedge between customer and employee.
Do-it-yourself kiosks have appeared at gas stations, fast-food restaurants, airlines and theaters in an effort to shorten wait times while lowering operating costs.
For some, however, it is one of the rare moments in the day when they have a meaningful interaction with someone else.
While most grocery stores offer a mix of personal assistance and self-service, cashiers and their unions are concerned about the push for automation, just like their customers.
In one move, a store, Jumbo, in the Netherlands, offers reassurance, a slow-moving shopping street for older shoppers who might like to have a nice chat.
Jumbo offers a slow-moving lane for older shoppers
It’s people like Christy Carr who are afraid of losing. She remembers the regulars and their habits and picks up little personality traits and details so she can make jokes or pay attention to them.
She has worked for Alberton’s for 35 years, the last five years at a store in South LA across from a senior living facility.
Darryl Jones, 72, is one of the shoppers she cares for. When he comes in, Carr says he has to signal the fire department after the time he’s been burning pork chops.
“Those little things really make it important to have a human,” says Jones. ‘A computer is cold. The courtesy is taken away from you.”
While it’s one thing to make her customers’ days friendly at the store, Carr goes out of her way to sometimes offer Betty Kane a ride home if it fits in with her lunch break.
“They remember me here,” Kane said.