Isn't it time that customers rebelled and demanded that stores service us and not the other way around?

I was in Home Depot the other day, making a small purchase.  When I went to check out, my options were to stand in a long line or to use self-checkout.  I resent this practice, which is becoming all too common, especially in large chains such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot and in large supermarkets.

Here's the gambit.  The store's management decides that it can make more money by installing self-checkouts, thus reducing the number of checkout clerks they need to hire.  In essence, the customer becomes unpaid help.  And we give in willingly to this ploy because, if we check ourselves out, we can exit the store faster by not waiting in a long line.  Never mind that the long lines were caused in the first place by the store's not supplying enough checkouts.  In other words, retailers say to us:  "Work for us free of charge or put up with slow service."  Mind you, stores that implement self-checkout do not lower their prices, so put aside any silly ideas that this practice saves you money.  The savings go to the store as increased profits.

Recent labor statistics show that corporate profitability is still healthy, while levels of employment are dropping.  See the connection?  Sure, jobs are being "outsourced," but not all of the outsourcing is going overseas.  Some of the work is being outsourced to the customers.  In a sense, if you the customer use the self-checkout, you are paying the store for letting you spend money there.  Do you really want to do this?

I say that all of us should stand in line and leave the self-checkouts empty.  If the lines start to stretch around the store, grumble loudly.  Make nasty remarks about store management.  Start loud conversations with strangers in the line about how rotten the service is.  You can either pay the price of a little time or let yourself be made the store's patsy.  Which will it be?