And several readers were quite hostile to the idea of automating grocery checkouts. "I hate bagging my own groceries." "Jewel will likely ... lose higher-income customers, who ... have enough stress ... in their lives to not want to also be grocery clerks and baggers."

But other readers wrote positively about automating checkouts using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags. Here's Walt Spevak, "I’d use it regularly if, when I unload my cart, my purchases travel through a 360-degree optical scanner..., a video camera leads to software recognizing products without bar codes (e.g., bagels) and ... it scans any coupons I might have."

We do collectively alter our behavior over time. Remember when self-service gasoline was the new thing? It was a hassle. Now I'm stressed waiting ten seconds for an attendant when I'm in a state like Oregon where self-service gas stations are illegal. What are they thinking?

--Peter Pike / ppike@pikenet.com