Reply #55: FWIW, here's my scorecard:

[gmoney]

Self-check out at grocery/Meijer -- depends on how much stuff I have and what the shortest line is. Decision based on self-interest, I guess. I prefer having a cashier ring me up whenever possible, and do somewhat resent being put to work without any sort of discount. I used to be a cashier at a grocery, and enjoyed doing it most of the time, but that was in high-school, and I'm glad I'm not still doing it almost 30 years later. I don't think it will completely replace cashiers anytime soon, although it probably has cost some jobs along the way.

Self-serve gas stations -- there's a small chain called "Swifty" here that pumps your gas for you (no self-serve), and generally has the lowest price in town, plus you get a 5¢ a gallon discount for cash. I go there whenever practical, as I prefer not smelling like gasoline afterwards, and I like driving past the Exxon and Shell station to get there, although I'm not sure where Swifty gets its gasoline. I generally tip the attendant a buck or two, which they seem to really appreciate. I'm not sure of any other stations in town that offer full-service as a regular option, except in the case of disabled customers.

I stopped getting pizza delivered due to the deals on carry-out (about 1/4 or 1/3 of the price of the same pizza delivered).

My library went to self-checkout, and basically eliminated having the staff check out books. It would be extremely easy to steal stuff (I've managed to miss an item once or twice along the way) but I guess there's not a lot of resale value in old library books and materials. The library is being forced to cut staff, so in a way, the automation has probably helped save some higher level jobs, since it frees up the overhead that would have gone to employing entry-level people.