When I’m in the self check-out line at the grocery store, I can’t help but feel a little bitter. In school, I worked part time as a cashier, and here we have this machine that has completely replaced my fine skills. It remembers all the vegetable PLUs, always gives correct change, and even tells me to have a good day. Someday, the cashier may become obsolete, being completely replaced by automation equipment. On one hand, that’s a lot of lost jobs—cashier is the most common occupation in the United States, and if they all become automated, there will no longer be a need for humans. On the other hand, though, the grocery store doesn’t have to pay workers, the machines never make mistakes, and the line moves much faster.
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