Automation Will Take Out 6 to 7.5 Million of our 16 Million Retail Jobs within Decade (economy, Michigan)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Retail workers come from every age bracket, usually lower income homes, are low-skill, and studies show that they have relative difficulty finding new jobs when they lose their job. Therefore they are predicting that there will be a strain on the social safety net as millions of these people will be let go for automated cashiers, automated ordering kiosks, automated stockers, automated burger makers, etc...
In the past the economy has grown in manners to absorb these people into new jobs and positions when technology pushes them out -- think all of the farmers put out of work by Cyrus McCormick that then moved into factory jobs, etc... What do you all think this will be? Or is automation different this time? Should our immigration policy, which accepts mostly low skill people - start to consider that automation is set to eliminate low skill jobs.
It's not just retail and factories that are being affected by automation.
In the past 8 months, we went to 3 doctors (specialists) whom we've seen before. This time, upon arrival, all 3 offices had NO receptionist. Instead there was a computer screen where you typed your last name. Then it popped up your full name, appointment time, and asked you to have a seat.
Think of how this impacts every office in the US that has a receptionist whose main duty is to meet and greet and tell you to have a seat.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,225,683 times
Reputation: 57825
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catgirl64
There is one thing we can all do: vote with our pocketbooks. Patronize only those businesses that give these jobs to actual people.
Many people prefer the automation, rather than having to deal with other people, and that will increase with the social media replacing people talking. Look at the supermarket self checks, the lines are longer than at those with cashiers.
When I go to the store, I pay the same at automated checkout as I do at a register operated by a person. I avoid the automated checkouts, as they are often broken, and in the end, you usually have to call an employee over, anyway.
There is one thing we can all do: vote with our pocketbooks. Patronize only those businesses that give these jobs to actual people.
Becoming increasingly more difficult to do. Every building supply store in our area has self-check out options and they encourage customers to use them. I point out that I never use self-checkout as I would be eliminating the job of a cashier. What's next? Will they ask that I stock a dozen items before I shop? Run a mop down aisle 7?
I think whether automation succeeds at a particular business will have a lot to do with the expectations of that business' clientele.
Most big box stores, for instance, run such a minimal sales staff that people don't bother expecting any personal service. As a customer, you are on your own anyway, there's no one to answer your questions. Funny as it sounds, you can often get more personal service online, where there's an email address for your questions.
Retail stores as we have known them may be dying on the vine anyway. Personally, I hate to see them go, but the fact is that I do a lot of shopping online, so - I'm part of the problem.
The older I get, the more I believe that the automation wave is just starting.
How quickly has tech moved from the concept of self driving cars to the just about happening. What started as sensors to detect are now sensors to do an action.
2 smallish vials of blood provide results on about 40 tests. Jim had his yearly bloodwork done on Tuesday AM. Wednesday AM the office called with the results.
A young man I know, with an MA from Universtiy of Michigan specializing in defense systems nuclear computer coding, while he jokes about a "Skynet" type thing(think the Terminator movies) he jokes about it as being a plausible thing.
Moore Law, states that the amount of transistors that can be put on a chip doubles every X number of years. Seems to me that a similar progression can be found regarding the integration of automation into our economy.
It's not just retail and factories that are being affected by automation.
In the past 8 months, we went to 3 doctors (specialists) whom we've seen before. This time, upon arrival, all 3 offices had NO receptionist. Instead there was a computer screen where you typed your last name. Then it popped up your full name, appointment time, and asked you to have a seat.
Think of how this impacts every office in the US that has a receptionist whose main duty is to meet and greet and tell you to have a seat.
Good. Lowers my out of pocket costs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
