Online order for pickup is close, at least if you can wait 6-8 hours for the order to process.
Had this same experience with a Walmart a week ago, btw -- it took me 15 minutes to find one item I was looking for, and by the time I realized that it was behind a glass door I'd already seen the lines of 8 people waiting for an employee to help them get what they wanted. At that point, I did the math on sunk vs further costs, set down the rest of my purchase, and went on to pay twice as much elsewhere and consider it a bargain.
The pandemic really created conditions that helped me realize how much of retail shopping is a waste of time.
Hang on, we’ve had literally thousands of years with stores where you could pick up an item and run away, but don’t.
There is now are organized shoplifting crime groups, and your solution is to design specialized vending machines for teeth whitening strips, phone chargers, etc?
I’m not saying it is a net good to deploy violence on poor people. But don’t you suppose that society would benefit overall if there were physical and clear legal consequences to shoplifting?
Or do you really want the world to use vending machines for everything? Aren’t you concerned about climate change? Where do you suppose all those vending machines would come from what how are they powered?
Initially I was considering this would be farming more senseless production to China where you can feel good about the pollution because it isn’t seen, it isn’t tallied, and they won’t conform to economic policies designed to curb it. Ignoring the potential for slave labor and poor working conditions. Then you have the shipping of vending machines from China to all over the USA. Power, parts, these are made cheaply to fail so probably while more replacements than parts.
All to treat 99% of people like criminals because we lack the conviction to actually do something about a shoplifting problem.
But I have changed my mind. I was not aware vending machines are available on Amazon.
Why can't they use vending machines?