They automated the labor, kept the prices at record highs, and turned the customer into an unpaid employee. Bookmark this and follow me if you want raw daily truths about the consumer squeeze.

SORRY IF THIS OFFENDS STORE MANAGERS, BUT I'M DONE. I just pulled $140 worth of groceries off the shelf, carried them across the store, scanned every item myself at a self-checkout kiosk, bagged every single item, and tapped my own card. Then the machine screen flipped around and asked: "Would you like to round up your total to donate to corporate charity?" ABSOLUTELY NOT. You eliminated 12 cashier jobs to cut corporate payroll, forced me to provide free manual labor for 15 minutes just to buy food, and now you want ME to fund your tax write-off? If I'm doing the work of an employee, give me a 10% self-checkout discount at checkout. Stop asking for tips and donations at kiosks where I did 100% of the work.