I started using grocery self-checkouts during COVID, but I’ve kept using them because there’s rarely a line (and I’m a misanthrope). I’d probably go back to using regular human checkouts if I had to dig through all my crap to prove what I bought.
Having said that, I’ve noticed myself making mistakes. I’ve accidentally failed to scan an item, and I’ve accidentally entered incorrect codes for produce. When I notice, I fix them, but I’ve probably missed a few.
I guess the easiest answer is for grocery chains to reinvest some of those windfall profits and hire more cashiers.
I just wanna add, I am super excited for a world with that last part. No waiting in line, No dealing with stupid miscans on barcodes that no company wants to standardize the location of, pricing would be super simple(it would just appear in my cart when the NFC reader noticed me taking it off the shelf), you wouldn’t need to find someone that wants to have the brain numbingly boring job of just standing there.
It’s overall a win-win, the only downside is I can see heavy pushback from older generations because that will basically kill cash tender, so older folk who want to use checks or cash (or even the no digital folk) would have issues with the system
an alternative system I could see that allows cash tender still, is an online shopping with a pay with cash option at checkout, then the clerk gets your goods, tenders it and then gives your change. Or maybe continue having the self-check area, but if you’re paying cash when you enter the building you grab a tablet(more like an NFC/RFID identifier) and all the stuff you grab goes on to that identifier and then when you go to check out you just put your identifier on the machine and pay as you normally would