Tipping prompts have crept into nearly every corner of daily life, and nowhere is the backlash louder than at self-checkout kiosks. Dave Portnoy has turned that frustration into a running critique, ...

In 1986, a company named CheckRobot invented self-checkouts. They claimed to reduce long lines, human interaction, make checkout lanes faster and reduce labor costs. These self-checkouts reduced ...

Self-checkout was sold as a frictionless way to grab groceries and go, but it has quietly opened a lucrative lane for thieves and fraudsters. As retailers lean harder on automation to cut labor costs, ...

A study tracked purchases at grocery stores during the rollout of self-checkout between 2008 and 2011. Shoppers were significantly more likely to buy stigmatized items—especially condoms and pregnancy ...