[throwaway150]

> In Japan right now and I see a ton of automation everywhere, self checkout at grocery stores and restaurants, but what you also see is a live humanbeing assigned to the machines to help you if you have issues.

Isn't that how self checkout happens in every part of the world that has self checkout? I'm failing to see what's special about self checkout in Japan.

[klausa]

Anecdotally, the staff:machines ratio is much lower here than I've seen in Europe or US, and they also just pay more attention, and are more proactive (you'll get staff at Muji making sure that you're aware that you can't check out tax-free).

The staff will also instantly materialize if they are needed to confirm you can buy alcohol, or there is some kind of problem; which is also not my experience elsewhere.

It's not a worldshattering difference, but it is noticeable.

[trollbridge]

In US self checkouts the grumpy staff member is mostly there to stop people from stealing and acts annoyed when you try to get them to help you when the machine inevitably doesn’t work.

[plondon514]

Exactly, In my local pharmacy in NYC there is no attendant specifically for the self-checkouts, it's usually someone floating around or the same person doing manual checkout. In Japan the person is very present, willing to help, and says thank you very much, which also prompts me to say thank you in return.

[galaxyLogic]

But in Trader Joe employees are curiously happy, and it seems genuine. I wonder why that is? Some other grocery stores nearby employees are grumpy. Why?

[Workaccount2]

Trader Joe's has narrow selection, leverages economies of scale for relabeling, does it's own distribution, and forgoes any form of ready made/ready prepared foods (instead leaning on a large frozen meal selection).

I love trader joes, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't be happy if it was the only grocery store I had access to. For me it's an awesome second-in-line grocery store, more like a specialty grocery than a main grocery.

[lotsofpulp]

My theory is the mid scale full service grocery stores with huge footprints and multiple specialized departments is on the way out.

They are stuck with expensive legacy union employee contracts, while smaller and more efficient operations like TJs and Aldi and Lidl and Costco and Walmart and Winco eat all the consistent low margin sales, leaving the big grocery stores with only volatile high margin sales.

People per household has been trending down for a long time, which also impacts the amount/variety of cooking.

[dragonwriter]

> People per household has been trending down for a long time

It was, but 2021-2024 was the first three year period that didn't end lower than it started since the 1960s (starting and ending at 2.51 average per household); it is possible that trend has arrested.

[OJFord]

Ah, how much you (and we in the west) have to learn! This is the ancient Japanese art of serufuchekkuauto de no ningen no sapōto.