Publix in College Park will get six self-checkout kiosks even though this location has always been one of the smaller stores without the variety of items like the Hollianna store. For my Central Florida family, LGBTQ+ and many other loyal customers, this change feels like a loss.
People love it for the vintage look, once nicknamed “Xanadu” by the gays,” friendly employees, the service and the neighborhood feel. It is the kind of place where you can chat with the staff and feel like someone knows your name. So when I heard that six self-checkout stations were being added, I was shocked. And I wasn’t alone.
Many people I’ve spoken to are upset, and about 80% of them are strongly against the change. Most say they would be okay with one or two self-checkouts, but six feels like too much for a store this size.
A manager named Latoya confirmed that the six kiosks were being added, while a few express lanes would remain. But she didn’t say how many cashiers would stay or how many would lose their jobs. That is a red flag to me. When I asked a few employees about it, only one of them even knew it was happening. The rest were completely unaware.
This store has always had a small-town, friendly vibe. It feels like we are losing that. Some people are okay with a few self-checkouts, especially if they are just picking up a few things. But many others want none at all. People want service and a smile. People want the human interaction that used to be a normal part of shopping. Have you ever really stopped to think about how self-checkouts have changed shopping? I have thought about and researched this subject so much.
I personally miss the days when spending your money meant being treated like a valued customer. What we are seeing now in many big stores is the result of replacing people with machines. Companies like Walmart added self-checkouts thinking it would save money and speed things up. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
Studies have shown that theft has gone up. Stores now spend a lot of money on security, surveillance cameras and staff to monitor customers. It has gotten to the point where police are called in to deal with small thefts. In some cases, elderly people who forget to scan an item have been accused of stealing.
Here is something I didn’t know until I started researching — some stores can press charges for theft even if you haven’t left the building. They save surveillance footage and can build cases against people for things that happened days or even weeks earlier. It is hard to believe we’ve reached a point where people can also be arrested for mistakes made at a self-checkout machine. This all feels backwards.
These machines are supposed to make shopping easier, but they’ve created new problems instead. And now, taxpayer dollars and police time are being used to support companies that removed staff and shifted the work onto us — the customers. I don’t shop at Walmart or other stores that only have self-checkouts.
I try to support small businesses where people still greet you and ring you up. Even if it costs a little more, I would rather spend my money where I feel respected. At Target recently, I saw something strange. All the cashier lanes were open, with no wait. But the self-checkout line was packed — 20 people deep. It made no sense to me. Maybe some people feel like self-checkout gives them more privacy, or maybe they are tempted to skip ringing up some items. But that just adds to the problem.
Self-checkout has made it easier for people to make bad decisions. Some of them might be struggling — a parent trying to feed their kids or someone without enough money for medication. Others might just not care. But the machines make it easier to steal and harder to feel like you are part of a community.
I believe that businesses should earn our money by providing service. If you want me to shop with you, treat me like a person, not a problem to be managed by cameras and machines.
Back to Publix in College Park: I think this is a mistake. You will have more theft for sure, more noise from the kiosks and more crowding near the front door. It is already a tight space. If the plan is to keep a few cashier lanes, then please actually do that. If not, I may have to rethink where I shop.
To the decision-makers: you are about to take something special and make it ordinary. That is a shame. I hope you’ll listen to your neighborhood customers and keep this store a place where service still matters.
And if I continue shopping here, I hope you never ask me to use a self-checkout. I came for groceries, not for a job.
Martin “Leigh Shannon” Fugate is a local business owner, actor, comedian and entertainer. A strong advocate for getting out the vote and creating political change, he is a past candidate for local political office. He’s been happily married to his husband, Joey, for 37 years.
