#zippin

Resistance to change is an interesting phenomenon. I suppose it is human nature for people to get accustomed to their daily drill, and whenever things change, life can be unsettling. You have to figure out how to adopt a new way of doing old things, or adopt a new thing that has equally new ways. Either way, it can help explain why some people become grumpy.

I have been entertained in recent days watching Facebook discussions on the All Things Canyon page, following the local United supermarket’s installation of four self-check lanes. The store removed two staffed Express Lanes, but kept the other full-service lanes intact.

You would have thought the end of the world was nigh, that Jesus was coming, and all the apocalyptic imagery you have ever seen was unfolding before your very eyes.

Of course, self-check is not a new thing. Well, except for the United in sleepy Canyon America. I have used it for years at the local Walmart. COVID caused me to go exclusive self-check, and I have never looked back. I don’t go shopping for the chit-chat and human interaction. But that’s just me.

The first self-check was introduced in an Atlanta-area Kroger in 1986. This isn’t exactly new, folks. But rather than embrace the change, or at least open their minds to learning how to do this themselves, many people diverted attention by relying on a straw man: they were concerned about all of the jobs that would be lost in the process.

Never mind that, just like they usually had one Express Lane staffed all the time, they still have one person monitoring the four self-checks.

But self-check is just the tip of the DIY revolution happening in retail. Amazon’s Just Walk Out has been used with great success, either in its own stores, or licensed to others, like the Hudson News sundries shop in Dallas Love Field.

And it has attracted competitors, all swinging the big stick of AI to craft frictionless stores like the Zippin Lane at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Zippin, Amazon, and others are in process of deploying similar offerings at other sports arenas.

Oh, the jobs that will be lost. And that sky…it looks like it is falling! The goal of these stores is to make shopping as unencumbered and fast as possible. Whereas self-check is usually fast, it still has some friction. Customers must scan and bag, then insert a payment method. These new platforms, though, cut to the chase and allow you to grab and go. Literally.

There are four such Zippin Lane shops at Allegiant Stadium, but when there are 65,000 fans all in one place, and many wanting to buy souvenirs, I can see them needing many more installations.

It may take a while for frictionless shopping to become the norm, but we have seen the future of retail, and it is right here, right now. That said, I do not expect friction-based retail to ever go away. As hard as it may be to find a clerk at Home Depot or Lowe’s, they will forever need to have at least a few people on staff in the event someone has a question. That would be me.

There will also be employees at frictionless stores, as well as those with self-check. There may not be as many people employed there, but there will still be some. And given the dearth of people willing to work these days, I dare say there are plenty of unfilled jobs waiting for someone to claim them.

As for those waving the I’m-saving-your-job flag, let me remind them to ponder that the next time they pump their own gas, shop online, bank online, purchase airline tickets online, stream a movie, and so forth. We have a way of creating new ways to do old things, and it is our job to adapt. You can try to cling to the past, but you do so at your own peril.

Because in the end, resistance is futile.

Dr “Let’s Go Shopping!“ Gerlich