The Deletist

Last week I blogged about an Amazon technology called “Just Walk Out.”

Essentially, the technology charges consumers for their purchases when they leave the store. No cashiers or long line ups. No monetary transactions of any kind. It’s a seamless experience.

Except…the experience of having cameras and sensors track, monitor, and record every movement in a grocery store seems creepy. Do I really want something to know this much about my grocery store shopping habits? I realize a certain amount about my shopping habits is already being tracked, analyzed, and monetized from credit card transactions.

Even so, the “Just Walk Out” technology takes it to a new level. It has to in order to be effective in charging people for what they actually take when they leave the store. But do I really want a report of how long I spent shopping? Or how many things I put in my virtual cart and returned to the shelf before leaving? Or how long I spent considering a certain item? Is this useful information?

To me, it likely isn’t very useful. However, to the company it’s probably a gold mine of information. Within a short period of time I’m sure stores utilizing the “Just Walk Out” technology will have all kinds of new insights on their customers. In the long run, will this improve my shopping experience? Or just make it one more opportunity to inundate me with too many ads and tempting offers?

Maybe the problem is me, that I’m too old-fashioned about grocery shopping. For example, I tried hard to appreciate online grocery shopping during the pandemic. I thought it would be a great time saver and a huge convenience. Instead, finding the things I wanted to buy online took longer than actually going to the store. This was a direct result of poor search options for many online grocery stores. I also found the accuracy was lacking. It seemed there was always something off about my order. Either I had things I never ordered or I was missing items. Or sometimes I ended up with these bizarre substitutions.

For me, online grocery shopping was not hugely successful. I’ll reserve judgement about using “Just Walk Out” until I get an opportunity to try it. Creepiness aside, being able to shop and avoid lining up to pay sounds like a real convenience and a time saver.

For years, Amazon has been perfecting the “Just Walk Out” technology. I read about it a few years ago when it was still being developed. Essentially, it offers customers a way to shop and pay for items without human interaction. Upon entering the store, customers have different options how to track their purchases. They can either swipe a credit/debit card, do a palm scan and link it to their Amazon account, or scan a QR code in the Amazon app. Either way, customers are billed automatically for whatever leaves the store with them.

All over the store, hundreds of cameras and scanners track every movement. They seamlessly add items to the customer’s virtual cart. They can also remove items from the virtual cart if a customer changes their mind and puts the item back. Either way, the cameras and scanners are watching, tracking, and recording everything. The customer finishes shopping and walks out of the store. No line ups, no cashier. The charges appear on the credit card or Amazon account. Sometimes there is a time lag to receive the charges. I wouldn’t like this as I check my receipts right away for accuracy.

It’s interesting to read about a new technology designed to minimize or eliminate interactions. This coming at a time when people are desperate for human interaction, after a long two years of lockdowns and isolation. I’m sure some people appreciate a quick chat with the cashier, even through plexiglass and masks.

However, a lot of the appeal is eliminating line ups and long waits to pay. This is definitely a pain point. I can see the benefit for this in a lot of scenarios. Places with high volume where people are on the go, such as airports or transit stations.

Another possible advantage is the opportunity for cashiers to focus on other things like assisting customers or stocking shelves, etc. Whenever I enter an actual store, I feel like it’s almost impossible to find anyone who can help. So maybe having more customer service reps and less cashiers is a smart move. Although there’s always the chance a store may hire less staff with automation available.

I’m sure I would try this out, especially if I needed to grab something fast while on the go. Even though, all the tracking and monitoring makes me a bit uneasy. I suppose it’s the direction we’re moving in.

Two months before the pandemic started in March 2020, I posted, “Monitoring Screen Time“. I had lofty plans post more on this topic. I even had a few apps that monitored screen time and app usage flagged to try out and research further. In the early months of 2020, the amount of screen time was considered troubling and referred to as “addiction.”

It’s strange to consider how a single event, albeit a monumental one, fundamentally altered the perception of screen time. Once the pandemic started, people praised digital connectivity, including increased amounts of screen time. Many of us in isolation or lock down only had screen time to remain connected, or “visit” with others. It brought new meaning to how we connected with one another.

Throughout the pandemic, the amount of screen time became a low priority. This is likely because it contradicted the amount of screen time necessary for things like remote working and virtual learning to be available and successful. How could students keep learning from home with limited screen time?

I’m sure for some parents trying to manage home “virtual” schooling, along with working full-time, resulted in more screen time. It may have been necessary occasionally so a parent could answer a work email or attend a meeting.

It seems as though restrictions may be lifting, finally! I wonder if we will revert back to the pre-pandemic opinions of screen time. We already relied heavily on screens before the pandemic, but they’ve taken on a new role now. I’m sure for some people, going out and socializing in person will serve as the perfect reason to reduce screen time. For others, the validation and necessity of screen time will continue to enforce the practice. Maybe some people have developed a new habit, or further engrained an existing one. It’s hard to know how people will react. Or who will become a strong advocate of less screen time or continued screen time.

One thing is sure, the social isolation validated how important connection is between people. The question moving forward is can we continue that virtually via screen time? Many of us have been surviving on it for almost two years. Or do we need to connect without the screens? Only time, and the waning of this long, long pandemic, will reveal the answers.

The other night I was listening to one of my new favorite podcasts, Maintenance Phase. This particular episode, “The Great Protein Fiasco,” discussed the history, and politicization, of how Nestlé convinced the world formula was better than breast milk. Ironically, now all the emphasis is on only breastfeeding babies. This is a complex issue. The point I’m making is mothers were convinced and manipulated to accept a product trying to replicate what most of them could produce themselves.

Other food examples include molasses and Wonder Bread. Two products stripped of their nutrient value, only to have them “enriched” by replacing all the good stuff after.

These food examples remind me of technology. In many ways technology makes us disengaged and disassociated from our bodies. The solution is often wearable technologies, or apps, to reacquaint us with ourselves. Examples of this include sleep tracking apps, or Ivy by Bellabeat, a piece of jewelry that tracks health for women. Tracking includes heart rates, menstrual cycles, sleep quantity and quality, etc.

Tracking these kinds of things manually can be tedious. I’ve made lots of food journals for various reasons. However, manual tracking requires us to be more aware and present with what’s going on with our minds and bodies. As my grandfather used to say, the human body is one of the best machines of all time. One of his great regrets was he wasn’t taught how to use it better. But is an app, or wearable technology, going to accomplish that?

I recently started using a meditation app. I’ve been meditating on and off since 2006. Usually I attend sessions (pre-pandemic) or read about meditation to learn new styles. However, these options haven’t been available lately.

From the app’s report center, I know I’ve been meditating for 17 days straight. I’ve completed 34 sessions for a total of 9 hours. But is this a report on my progress to become more mindful? Or a measurement of the beneficial effects of meditation?

I think not, based on previous years of app-free meditation experience. I’ve always been able to gage the effects according to how I feel. That’s the reason I always return to meditation whenever I fall out of the habit. I’ll complete the app’s program before making a final decision about its effectiveness. Until then, I’ll rely on the wisdom of my mind and body to tell me how it’s going.