AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi
and Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services
Whether preferring to use them or not, most folks hadn’t given too much thought to self-service checkout kiosks recently…until the Severna Park branch of Kohl’s closed and removed their spacious checkout counters and replaced them with a sizeable number of self-checkout stations like the one above and a small row of employee-manned checkout counters against one wall off the menswear department. The evening we shopped at Kohl’s, the self-service area was totally empty but there were long lines moving through the employee-manned counters.
A few weeks later, while browsing the Internet, we spotted an article on the design, technology and science website Gizmodo titled “The Self-Checkout Nightmare May Finally Be Ending” by Thomas Germain. It was the first of several articles on the same subject.
The gist of the article was that consensus is growing among analysts and insiders that self-checkout has been a negative for consumers and retailers alike.
“In 2023, Target restricted self-checkout kiosks in some stores to ten items or less. Walmart pulled the machines out of a number of locations altogether,” said Germain.
He added that Dollar General adopted self-checkout tech in 2022 but the project was not successful and CEO Todd Vasos said the retailer plans to increase the number of employees in stores – especially in the checkout area.
Similar items in publications including The Atlantic, The Guardian, Scripps News, cnn.com, yahoo.com, msn.com and tastingtable.com, point to theft as the biggest problem.
According to Germain, shoppers are reportedly 21 times more likely to sneak items past machines than human cashiers but consumers also steal unintentionally because the self-checkout process is so cumbersome.
A Scripps News headline says Walmart, ShopRite, Wegmans, Costco and Five Below are among the retailers that have announced self-checkout policy changes. A January 24th post by Scripps reporter Justin Boggs cites a study published in the Journal of Business Research by researchers from Drexel University and the University of San Diego which indicates that self-checkouts also can damage customer loyalty.
The study concluded that customers needing to scan more items found the checkout experience less rewarding. They experienced negative consequences with larger orders, such as the extra effort to bag purchases.
While admitting there are positives for retailers, TastingTable.com reporter Dave McQuilling believes self-checkouts place an unnecessary burden on shoppers. He described them as “a dystopian innovation that costs jobs, shifts responsibility onto the consumer, and serves as a startling example of how companies are happy to inconvenience people if it serves their bottom line.”
Severna Park resident Lauren Garber sometimes uses self-checkouts but has noted the rise in crime associated with them.
“The costs of these thefts go back to the consumer at the end of the day. The insurance agencies can’t keep up with the theft taking place because nothing is being done to prosecute these people,” Garber said.
Garber is not the only shopper paying attention. We spoke with two other Severna Park residents who are out and about in the community.
Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce CEO Liz League keeps a sharp eye on what is happening with area retailers. She has personally experienced the extra work and technical problems endured by shoppers with a large number of items.
“When my husband Jim and I have gone shopping for items for the Chamber’s Friday picnics, we’ve had baskets and baskets of food and found it difficult to put those through self-checkout,” League said.
“You may have to wait in line, but when you check out at the counter with an actual cashier, you don’t have to weigh it yourself, worry about entering the right price or bag it and you are able to pay with cash or a check.
She added that she wonders how the stores are even able to track theft. Aware that some stores invest heavily in self-checkout systems in hopes of saving money by eliminating jobs, she feels that the investment is counterproductive and not good for the economy.
“The health of our communities depends on ample employment opportunities,” she said.
Linda Zahn, who was League’s predecessor as CEO of the Chamber, is now retired but is quite active as a volunteer. She still has many friends and contacts within the Severna Park business community and sees them often.
“There are people who like self-checkout and people who really miss the customer service,” she said. “I feel bad for retailers today who have to compete with online sellers while dealing with all the issues that brick and mortar stores must contend with. Self-checkout is an option for local business owners that works well for some. However, I can sure appreciate the stores’ perspectives as far as theft is concerned.”
Zahn thinks, overall, the only edge brick and mortar retailers have over online sellers is customer service. So, they have to make the shopping experience a good one.
“If people want their groceries checked out for them, do it,” she says.
Anne Arundel County plastic bag ban here to stay ?
Most local residents hadn’t really noticed when the Anne Arundel County Council joined Baltimore and Prince George’s County by enacting their Bring Your Own Bag Plastic Reduction Act (Bill 19-23) in 2023. Thus, when the bill prohibiting the retail distribution of plastic bags in the county took effect at area grocery stores on January 1, 2024, many shoppers found themselves confused and perplexed.
Understandably, ecologically concerned citizens were pleased. Though plastic bags can be recycled and remade into a variety of useful products, they do constitute a threat to marine life in our streams, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
They are exceptionally practical, however, and people are already saving the bags they currently have.
A recent Forbes article titled “New Jersey Bag Ban Followed By Increased Use Of Plastic” by Patrick Gleason caught our attention, however. Gleason highlighted a law banning plastic and paper shopping bags at stores enacted by Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey state legislators in 2020. According to a new study, passage of New Jersey’s anti-plastics law has been followed by a near tripling of plastic consumption at Garden State checkouts.
“Four years on, there is evidence that New Jersey’s bag prohibition not only failed to curb plastic usage, it backfired,” he wrote. “According to a new study released on January 9 by the Freedonia Group, 53 million pounds worth of plastic shopping bags were used in New Jersey prior to implementation of the state’s bag ban, a figure that has risen to 151 million pounds since the prohibition was instituted.”
Gleason added that the study found that the reusable bags New Jersey shoppers have been forced to use since the bag ban took effect (some are made from plastic) are rarely reused, only two to three times on average. With many people using reusable bags as single use bags, the state’s plastic and paper bag prohibition may be doing more harm than good in practice.
We asked for some perspective on the plastic bag ban from Garber, League, and Zahn.
“Most people hate it and don’t care to be told by county government what we can use or not use,” Garber said. “I consider it another form of a tax since you must buy paper bags to carry your groceries. They cost 10 cents per bag at Safeway or 20 cents at Giant and the Severna Park Giant actually ran out of them. Of course, you are also urged to bring your own reusable bags, many of which are made of plastic anyway and tend to get dirty.”
She pointed out that the main problem with plastic bags (which can be recycled) is that people litter. A lack of individual responsibility and moral character are responsible for the situation she opines.
League considers plastic bags very practical for many uses – especially if you are a person without means. She has always recycled them.
“Not a single plastic bag goes to waste at my house. Like many people, I use them to line my garbage can.”
League can understand why people dislike paying for paper bags since food costs are so high that customers don’t want to spend a single penny more.
Zahn reflected that she has heard people complain about the inconvenience of using one’s own bags to shop. Of course, there are still paper bag options, but most people wish they were free.
“As for the bags, it used to be a choice of paper or plastic. Why take away plastic but charge for paper?” Zahn asks. “They should give them to customers when they are requested as in the past.”
As of late December, it was reported that the City of Annapolis is exempt from this countywide initiative though they are considering independent legislation.
Jing Ying Institute’s Self-Defense Workshop for Women and Teen Girls on February 18
The world seems a more dangerous place these days. However, Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi is offering an excellent Self-Defense Workshop for Women and Teen Girls on Sunday, February 18 from 2 to 4 pm.
The workshop will start with a discussion on safety to help you avoid trouble. That will be followed with a lesson on escape techniques for situations you may not be able to avoid. Finally, self-defense techniques will be covered for fighting back when you aren’t able to escape easily.
During the Chinese Lunar New Year, Jing Ying Institute is offering the self-defense workshop at a reduced price as a service to the local community. Owner Nancy Greer tells us 100% of the proceeds will go to The Bernie House, an organization that provides long-term transitional housing to a family made homeless by domestic violence.
The cost is $25 and you may register for the workshop by visiting Best Martial Arts Program in Annapolis, Severna Park (jingying.org).
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center.)
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
