Self-service should not be feared (response to an article)
As a Sunday tradition my dad
would buy Sunday newspapers and we would all read them and then discuss what
intrigued us most, this weekend was no different! What got my attention was the
“Self-service raises job-loss fears” article written by Steve Kretzman on the
City Press newspaper.
The article states that Pick n Pay
has introduced self-service checkout counters at the Observatory branch in Cape
Town, which has erected fears of kiosks and cashiers possibly becoming “redundant”
in future. A representative from the union said that this mechanism threatened workers
and is not assisting in a “collapsing” economy. On the contrary a Pick n Pay
executive member said self-service cashiers have not impacted on employment, in
fact staff is essential for monitoring them. (Kretzman, 2016:3).
In case you do not know, self-service
cashiers are machines that enable customers to pay for what they have purchased
at a store. I am for self-service cashier! I think they are resourceful
as they will make shopping more convenient by cutting queues and avoiding
customer service complains. In addition the company using them will in a way
have a competitive edge and would cut labour costs.
However I do not agree with staff
just being needed to monitor them. I think Pick n Pay could create jobs in
other areas of the business that could advance these workers skills. For instance,
these workers can be trained to venture into other parts of the business and
this can be seen as a promotion of some sort. In fact my dad was telling me
that companies should give workers 40 hours of training a year, therefore this
could be like a skills development programme which will in essence better the
workers standard of living. I mean these self-service cashiers will have to be
monitored, fixed, serviced and possibly manufactured, so who better to do it
than them! Yes this will take time but if they want to secure jobs in future
as well as have a modern way of doing business then they could consider my
suggestion. This reminds me of the microwave story that my lecturer Mr Frederich
Kirsten once told us, he said a certain country imported a microwave from America
and disbanded it then assembled it from scratch. This obviously took time but
to date that country is one of the leading manufacturers of microwaves in the
world, because they imported a product, saw how it was manufactured and then produced it at a lower cost.
Well maybe I am being too
optimistic about this and not really looking at it in real terms. There are
disadvantages to everything; in this case, customers may have difficulties
in using them at first, possible theft by customers mispricing items and high installation
costs. But I believe where there’s a will there’s a way! I mean, back in the
days my granny and her peers used to receive their salaries in an envelope,
that progressed to an introduction of a banking system, which progressed to the
use of ATMs and now internet banking. Come to think of it, I wonder where the
people who used to count and seal the envelopes went to or the ones who used to
control bank queues. My point is every opportunity closed is an opportunity
opened.
In conclusion, let’s not fear change but adapt
to the ever changing times. Let’s be a progressive nation to attract investment
and eventually grow our economy. But then
again they say you can’t miss what you do not know!
Reference
Kretzman, S. (2016, September 25).
Self-service raises job-loss fears. City Press: 3.
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