To the grocery stores and retail chains hooked on self-checkout:
We see exactly what you’re doing.
Yesterday, I walked into your store.
I picked out my groceries.
I scanned them.
I bagged them.
I paid for them.
And then? You stopped me at the door to check my receipt.
Wait a minute—
I did the shopping.
I did the scanning.
I did the bagging.
I even paid—without a single cashier’s help.
And now you treat me like a thief?
That’s not convenience.
That’s unpaid labor—served with a side of suspicion.
Here’s the truth:
If customers are doing the work of your cashiers, then treat us with the same trust and respect you give your employees. Or better yet—hire real people again.
Because this isn’t about “faster checkout.”
It’s about cutting jobs, boosting profits, and shifting the workload onto us—without pay, without perks, not even a simple thank you.
What happened to the student who relied on that cashier job?
The single parent stretching every dollar?
The retiree who found purpose and community at work?
Where are they now—while I do their job for free?
If I’m the cashier, where’s my paycheck?
My employee discount?
My lunch break?
You can’t have it both ways.
We are customers—not free labor.
We are not your cashiers.
We are not your security guards.
Respect your workers.
Respect your customers.
Bring back real service.