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Comment by sly_foxx | Hacker News Reader

Automation is not always the most convenient thing. Think about self-checkout or pumping your own gas at a gas station. Wouldn't it be better for the customer to have someone do the drudgery for them? Even in the context of websites, some companies have generic FAQ instead of a real customer support team, which is not a good experience.

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>Think about self-checkout

Self-checkout can be extremely convenient if it's done with a handheld scanner as you shop, as my local supermarket does. I can walk into the store with my backpack, fill it with groceries, see how much I'm spending (and whether discounts have processed properly) and then pay in a few seconds at the exit. The only minor hassle is if I'm buying alcohol I have to wait for someone to verify my age. And if I spend less than £20, I can even use contactless payment. Unfortunately the current system still requires a few steps to pay, but theoretically I could just beep my card and walk out.

>or pumping your own gas at a gas station.

Because they haven't really automated anything but the payment. If you could drive up and have a robot arm fill your car, it would be very convenient.

I'd much rather scan my own groceries and pump my own gas instead of waiting for someone else to do it.

I'm much more invested in how long it takes these things to be done than an hourly wage earner.

Do you also want to go to the kitchen and start bringing your own food and drinks? Getting up a few times, going there and asking if it's done. Imagine if you have dozens of people/kids running around getting food, maybe spilling it on the floor in the process, bothering people in the kitchen etc. Are you better at scanning items and handling errors than someone who's been doing it for years? The same applies to waiters, cooks etc.

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