Job Cuts: Mzansi Reacts to Shoprite’s Move to Introduce No Tills or Cashiers at Stores
- In the wake of an announcement by one of South Africa’s biggest retailers, Shoprite, that they opened an outlet without cashiers, Mzansi has reacted
- Many people feel more workers will be sidelined because the artificial intelligence that will be applied at stores means fewer jobs
- According to a story that was carried by Briefly News, the grocery outlet made an announcement that they have opened a store in Cape Town where shoppers do it all on their own
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
Following an announcement by South African retail group Shoprite Checkers to open a store where there are no tills or cashiers, Mzansi has reacted. Many people feel there will be job cuts.
Briefly News covered the story on Wednesday but it seems the move is not being accepted by many in Mzansi, especially those employed in the retail sector.
According to a local publication, the retail brand will use artificial intelligence and machine vision to monitor what the shoppers take from the shelves to bill your card as the clients are done with their shopping.
As it remains unclear if the grocery store outlet will extend its new shop to the whole country after opening a store in Cape Town, Mzansi shared contrasting remarks to the initiative.
Source: Twitter
Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
The post reads:
@Siyamcel Dawedi said:
“Jobs are taken by AI and this is very little. Brace yourselves. We are no longer in the Stone Age. Ambitious projects are on the pipeline.”
@Bennie van Nieweunhuizen said:
“The interesting thing is that technology creates more jobs. In countries where technology is used on large scale, unemployment is very low. Examples are Germany, Japan, Denmark, South Korea, the list goes on.”
@Gregory Kolobe said:
“Many will be arrested for not scanning all their purchased products.”
@Zanele Mthethwa said:
“Shelf packers will be robots, watch the space. The ones with cashiers and packers will retrench workers. We were told about this long ago.”
@Sibonakonke Myeni said:
"I so welcome this change. May it be implemented in a large scale ASAP. It is really taxing dealing with union demands, strikes, CCMA cases, etc etc etc.”
@Lydia Lawlor said:
“I actually enjoy walking around doing my shopping and going to the cashier to pay.”
@Duduzile Mnisi said:
“I think the government must stop such shops from operating because our people are unemployed.”
@Okuhle Zanokuhle said:
“They will also make their own security guards for signing slips.”
@Taka Gubevu said:
“The poor must continue buying where the poor are going to benefit. Boycott anything that is not going to benefit you.”
SA’s retail giant Shoprite launches 1st shop without cashiers or tills
In another report, Briefly News reported that South African retail giant, Shoprite, is planning to bring a major change to the retail industry.
According to media reports, the grocery store announced they are testing an automated Checkers concept with the aim of not using cashiers or till points.
The groundbreaking concept is similar to the one employed by Amazon in many countries overseas. Business Insider reports that the Shoprite Group is planning to use advanced camera technology to ensure the shopping process is smooth.
Source: Briefly News
