Stealing Our Free Time

My friends think it's odd that I have always refused to use self checkouts.

My reasoning: I used to work at a k-mart at the check out counter, and every one of those machines is an entry-level job that someone doesn't have. If I give a store my money, somebody better be checking me out. Otherwise, I may as well shop at my computer.

The best one was a home-improvement store that 'let' you cut you own boards. I believe that requires an attendant, now...

I've thought about that, too. On the one hand, I genuinely like a lot of self-service things. I prefer to use self-check outs. They're quicker and, especially for small orders, easier. I also greatly prefer automated phone systems and/or online systems to speaking to a person. It's just easier. On the other hand, there are jobs being lost. Of course, when industrialization came about, there were a lot of jobs lost, too. And the transition was extremely brutal.

I think, ultimately, the "Automation Revolution" will prove as significant, in both good and bad ways, as the Industrial Revolution. A century from now, our descendants may look back at the 40-hour work week and be shocked that people had to work so long. They'll be used to machines doing so many of the jobs that we pay people today to do. And they'll be machines that will be more efficient than today's relatively-primitive machines.

People aren't working fewer hours yet. In the initial stages of the industrial revolution, working conditions were worse than pre-industrial, with harder work, too.

I'm not sure *what* an automated economy would look like (I have a few ideas; less specialization, I think, will be a part of it; people won't find themselves doing the same job every day for their whole working life, there'll be more flexibility) - but then, if you asked someone at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, they would have no idea what a fully industrialized economy would look like either. There were concerns over the loss of farming jobs, and many people believed that industrial jobs could never be as good as farm jobs.

I'm not saying things are getting better right now - they're not - or that things will improve very soon. It'll probably take decades to settle out. I hope we can find some way of cushioning the transition. But, ultimately, I think fighting against it will prove as short-sighted as the attempts made at various times and places to stop industrialization.

"I also greatly prefer automated phone systems and/or online systems to speaking to a person."

Sometimes yes; sometimes no.

I recently had occasion to order funeral flowers just barely 24 hours before the event. I combined online viewing of the 1-800-Flowers merchandise with phoning in the order to a live clerk so I could emphasize the short turnaround time. I was phoning on a Sunday-noon for a Monday-noon funeral, so I couldn't *just* pay the extra $5 for same-day delivery in the online order form.

She gets syndicated in my local newspaper. My husband pointed out the piece and I read it over breakfast.

There are things I'm willing to pay experts to do, and other things I'm perfectly capable of doing myself. Building a bookshelf and staining it, in order, for recent instance.

I generally prefer the do-it-yourself checkouts at grocery stores, because I bring my own canvas grocery bags and I have better control of what goes into each bag that way.