Albertsons Call It Quits On Self Check Out

I always wondered what the benefit of the self check out for grocery stores was. It reduced the number of cashiers down by 1 or 2 employees usually but it wasn't any faster for most people to check out by the self check out lane.
Today, Albertson's decided to end self check out- from MSNBC: One of the nation's major grocery store chains is eliminating self-checkout lanes in an effort to encourage more human contact with its customers.
Albertsons LLC, which operates 217 stores in seven Western and Southern states, will eliminate all self-checkout lanes in the 100 stores that have them and will replace them with standard or express lanes, according to published reports.
"We just want the opportunity to talk to customers more," Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox said. "That's the driving motivation."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43687085/ns/business-consumer_news/
What a load of crap. The real reason they are getting rid of the self check outs is that people, whether on purpose or by accident, took items from the store out the front door.
If you are a shoplifter, the self check outs were a god send. It is so easy to walk out of the store with a couple of items. In fact, it is so easy, that if you are not paying close attention, you could easily walk out the store accidentally without paying for an item that was hidden hiding behind a purse or coupons. This has happened to me twice and I didn't notice the error until I was out in the parking lot. And yes, I returned to the store to pay for the item, though the store employees thought I was nuts.
So, Albertson's is getting rid of the self checks and I would say they won't be the last company to do so, especially Wal-Mart.