10 July 2023 , 11:39
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Shoppers have praised a supermarket chain after officials said they refused to introduce self-checkout machines.
Supermarket giant Sparkle Markets took a defiant stand in the face of major chains that are rolling out self-service features and trialing new technology.
Amid a difficult American economy and a suffering job market, the move by the regional grocery chain pleasantly shocked customers.
Unlike most supermarket mega-chains, Sparkle Markets — which is based in Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia — will not be implementing any self-checkout machines.
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A regional grocery chain announced that it would not be implementing self-checkout machines at its stores (Getty Images)"Many big grocery brands have decided to phase out their cashiers and replace them with self-checkout machines," wrote President Vincent Furrie, Jr., in a statement posted to Facebook. "They believe limiting human interaction is the future of retail shopping."
But Furrie pointed out the massive advantages to employing real people to work as cashiers.
"Employing our neighbours not only benefits this company, it also benefits our communities," he wrote. "In times like this, jobs are more important than ever. We value the person at the register — we hope you do as well. Helping one another just cannot be replaced."
Customers took to the comments of the company's Facebook post to praise them for the decision.
Self-checkout machines have been linked with an uptick in shoplifting cases (Getty Images)"Thank you for caring for both your customers and employees," wrote Darlene Herbster.
"Totally agree!!! Thank you for keeping the "self-checkout" out of your store. Your employees are always helpful and kind," echoed Annette McCarthy.
Linda Dickey said she works as a cashier at the chain's Columbiana, Ohio, location and thanked Furrie for the company's decision.
"I love my job and thank you sir and thank you to all our wonderful customers!!!!" she wrote.
The post garnered over 1,300 reactions and 208 comments.
Sparkle Markets' decision also comes amid an uptick in shoplifting cases that has been linked to the use of self-checkout machines.
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Just last month, a woman used a self-checkout scam to make off with three TVs for the price of a can of soda.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon has also announced that stores might be closing or increasing their prices due to shoplifting over the coming year.
Whether opting out of self-checkout machines will mitigate the issue at Sparkle Markets remains to be seen.