In theory, it sounded great. In practice? Not always.
- Shoppers wrestled with frozen screens and faulty scanners.
- Bagging areas felt cramped, especially when buying a cart full of groceries.
- The machines flagged false errors, requiring an employee to step in anyway.
- Many felt like they were doing the work of a cashier—without the paycheck.
And for older customers in particular, the technology felt less like a convenience and more like an obstacle. What was supposed to save time often left people more frustrated than before.
