There was a time when you could walk into subway stations in New York City and see multiple train ticket tellers. There would be long lines in front of each teller, but that was to be expected if you got there during a peak time.

Then one day, the machines came and all of that changed.

Suddenly, you could serve yourself.

You could walk up to a machine, purchase a subway ticket or weekly pass, and be on your way.

The machines became our rush hour heroes.

(Photo Credit: Alex Knight, Unsplash)

Were the machines our heroes because they eliminated the long teller booth lines?

No.

The lines to buy a MetroCard were still unavoidably long.

But, we now had the power to get whatever we wanted for ourselves in the morning before work.

And, with that new found power, I don't think people really flinched when a row of machines eventually replaced tons of train station tellers across the city.

What mattered most was that the machines were convenient to use during rush hour.

And, there was always that one teller, left behind, just in case you needed help with something.

McDonald's Joins In And Hires Touch Screen Cashiers

I remember the first time I entered a McDonald's and saw a machine that allowed people to order their own food.

In all honesty, the self-serving kiosk looked much more interesting to work with than the girl behind the cashier counter.

And, once again, it wasn't a question of avoiding a long line, instead I think it was that power trip creeping up on me.

If you could avoid the "middle man" at Mcdonald's then nobody would have the nerve to mess up your order ever again - except you.

That was power.

But, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

In both of the above cases, machines were aiming to replace the jobs of human tellers.

I wrote that right.

Are we paying attention to the side effects of installing these machines?

Amazon Go Officially Launched On January 23, 2018

I saw in the news yesterday that, after about a year of testing things out on employees, Amazon Go finally opened its doors to the public in Seattle.

This new convenience store lets customers who have a special smartphone app buy whatever they want from the store without the "hassle" of encountering cashiers, lines, or barcodes.

There are multiple cameras throughout the store keeping track of what you pick up.

And when you're ready to walk out with what you want, your special app will check you out and automatically charge your Amazon account.

This is automation and innovation to the moon.

I'm betting the Amazon Go store will draw in multitudes of curious people.

And thereafter, people will continue to accept the store with open arms.

Does the launch of stores like Amazon Go mean that there will be a rise in machines taking all the good cashier jobs?

Join in on the conversation and let me know your answer below.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

You know how we used to sit together as a family at the dinner table every night? Let's get back to those good old days.

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