Meanwhile the Oregon AFL-CIO is pushing a law to limit self-checkout lanes in grocery stores to two active lanes at any one time, and in part they are making an overt disability services argument.

Beyond the threat self-checkout machines pose for grocery store employees, they also can be difficult for some shoppers to navigate, especially those who are elderly or have disabilities. That’s also addressed in the ballot measure.

“The increasing use of self-service checkouts—where the customer does not interact with a human— contributes to social isolation and related negative health consequences,” it reads. “Elderly costumers and customers with disabilities often lack the confidence or ability to use self-service checkouts.”

However, I rely on self-checkout to avoid the socially-performative nature of the regular lanes which often can be too much for my sensory-addled actually-autistic brain, especially on top of the harsh lighting and unpredictable customer movements already being inflicted upon me when I’m shopping. Making me wait longer to checkout because there are only two machines running at any one time isn’t going to help this disabled person. It’s going to make my life harder.

If the Oregon AFL-CIO’s issue is that overuse of self-checkout by grocery stores is harming workers, then push a law requiring that X-number of staffed checkout lines must be in operation at any one time, not one that limits the use of the self-checkout lanes I need. For sure don’t use disability as a shield when you aren’t concerned about your effect on mine.

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Addenda

1. For real, though. Mandating a minimum number of staffed checkout lanes be open at any one time actually serves the entire community. It’s jobs, it’s wages, it provides for that subset of the elderly or disabled who require direct assistance, but also provides for that subset of the invisible disabled who rely on self-checkout and shouldn’t be punished with longer lines.

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Referring posts

• Matt Baer pens an ode to the checkout...