There's one situation where I want a human checkout experience rather than a machine: when I have a stroller with a sleeping infant and bags strewn about its ba

There's one situation where I want a human checkout experience rather than a machine: when I have a stroller with a sleeping infant and bags strewn about its basket and the shopping precariously balanced on the hood because I didn't see where the shopping baskets were when we entered and a pre-schooler whining that we didn't pick up the magazine they really wanted. In that situation, I really want someone else's help with scanning, paying for, and bagging everything. I imagine people with permanent impediments would also prefer human help. Doesn't the authors argument go the other way: make labour cheap enough (with a guaranteed minimum income) that every patron can have a dedicated shopping assistant & the business can save money on expensive software and inflexible machines?