Automation in Retail Is Even Worse Than You Thought
www.thenation.com
New technology is not just making shopping more challenging for workers and consumers—it’s poised to rip off the most vulnerable.

New technology is not just making shopping more challenging for workers and consumers—it’s poised to rip off the most vulnerable.

  • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    3 days ago

    IMO the only strategy with even a small chance of success would be direct action (e.g. organizing a mob to invade stores, rip the digital price tags of the shelves, and destroy them), but of course that would have incredibly high attrition so I doubt enough people would be willing to do it.

    • MrTolkinghoen@lemmy.zipEnglish
      2·
      3 days ago

      Yeah and with everything thats happening. It will be the usual slowly boiling the frog approach all the inflation / price gouging / shrinkflation has taken this far.

      Currently they’re already doing it, it’s just a little bit slower and less dynamic: Goal, increase price by 25%

      Step 1. Reduce package contents by 33% and provide a coupon for a reduced price by 25%

      Step 2. Slowly oscilate the coupon from not available to being a less reduction in price.

      Step 3: profit – Increasing the total profit to vary between 8% and 33% more depending on the day.

      This example was taken from the new 8 can la croixs, but plenty of other examples. It’s just items that have a fixed size / quantity are harder to shrinkflate. Other stuff just reduce the weight a little at a time.