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SW “Ohia” |
Self-Service Grocery, as a concept, was ridiculed for decades because of concerns about theft. There was a time, still in living memory, where counter service was the norm.
Self-Serve didn’t catch on until it became cheaper to absorb the shrink than to pay counter clerks. Impromptu purchases by consumers also helped offset that shrink.
From a corporate perspective, with retail labor being as cheap a portion of overall costs as it is, and with inventory rocketing in value comparatively, I foresee a return to counter service.
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Self checkout & retail theft
