I can't speak for everywhere, of course, but I live in a fairly low-cost-of-living area (rural upstate NY), and the self-checkouts in the grocery stores I frequ

I can't speak for everywhere, of course, but I live in a fairly low-cost-of-living area (rural upstate NY), and the self-checkouts in the grocery stores I frequent are largely well-maintained, reliable, and easy to use, with the exception of one store where they're configured to be just a little too finicky about warning you to "place the item in the bag". (I say "configured" because the sensitivity level has changed several times since their introduction a few years ago, so there must be some level of configurability to it.) Personally, I love self-checkout, and would be happy to use it every time, even at the place where it's a bit oversensitive. (Just have to remember to place the item in the bag, wait a second, then move the full bag back to the cart...) I think the notion that it's a "failed experiment" relies on a number of assumptions that the author's experiences are universal. It needs more fine-tuning in places, and possibly some more regulation to ensure that it's not being used in predatory ways (either toward the customers, or in terms of cutting down on employees and forcing everyone to use the self-checkout).