See here for
essential background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/04/tesco-butlerian-jihad-update.html.
On yesterday's visit to the same grocer the till was manned, but it was with somebody I had not seen before; a young African man. I made basic functional conversation with him, but he smiled at me in an embarrassed way, as if he couldn't understand me. I wonder if he was the same person who ignored me in the first article of this series. I suspect he couldn't speak much English, if any. Is it racist to ask whether he is therefore unsuitable for that job?... I don't care, quite frankly. As the receipt came off the printer a robotic voice emerged from the till: "Thank you for shopping at Tesco. Have a nice day." I joked with him: "You're voice changed just then." I said to the person behind me in the queue: "Did you hear? His voice changed!" The cashier once again grinned shyly in confusion. He clearly failed to comprehend my words, but my tone and facial expression must have revealed that I was being amiable and humourous. Today I returned to the store and one of the regular human cash till staff was back. This time when the receipt came out the robotic voice once again uttered the mandatory recording, but at a much lower volume. I joked with the familiar cashier and told him about my visit yesterday: "I don't know why they can't just let you speak for yourself." It is obvious that the robot voice is there to make even using the human tills a more "self-service-like" experience. This is to condition us to the point where we all have to use the auto-checkouts and pay without cash. Clearly the human cashier does not have the option to switch off the fake voice, but he or she can turn it down. That's some comfort I suppose. The African who served me yesterday might have deliberately turned it up because of his lack of English. He can't speak to the customers, so this machine means he doesn't have to. I'm sure Tesco's are contemplating whether all their new recruits should not speak English as a qualification to acclimatize the shopper the brave new world in which human contact and communication are forbidden memories.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2023/12/auto-checkouts-are-off.html.
And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/01/tales-from-cashless-island.html.
On yesterday's visit to the same grocer the till was manned, but it was with somebody I had not seen before; a young African man. I made basic functional conversation with him, but he smiled at me in an embarrassed way, as if he couldn't understand me. I wonder if he was the same person who ignored me in the first article of this series. I suspect he couldn't speak much English, if any. Is it racist to ask whether he is therefore unsuitable for that job?... I don't care, quite frankly. As the receipt came off the printer a robotic voice emerged from the till: "Thank you for shopping at Tesco. Have a nice day." I joked with him: "You're voice changed just then." I said to the person behind me in the queue: "Did you hear? His voice changed!" The cashier once again grinned shyly in confusion. He clearly failed to comprehend my words, but my tone and facial expression must have revealed that I was being amiable and humourous. Today I returned to the store and one of the regular human cash till staff was back. This time when the receipt came out the robotic voice once again uttered the mandatory recording, but at a much lower volume. I joked with the familiar cashier and told him about my visit yesterday: "I don't know why they can't just let you speak for yourself." It is obvious that the robot voice is there to make even using the human tills a more "self-service-like" experience. This is to condition us to the point where we all have to use the auto-checkouts and pay without cash. Clearly the human cashier does not have the option to switch off the fake voice, but he or she can turn it down. That's some comfort I suppose. The African who served me yesterday might have deliberately turned it up because of his lack of English. He can't speak to the customers, so this machine means he doesn't have to. I'm sure Tesco's are contemplating whether all their new recruits should not speak English as a qualification to acclimatize the shopper the brave new world in which human contact and communication are forbidden memories.
See here for background: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2023/12/auto-checkouts-are-off.html.
And: https://hpanwo-voice.blogspot.com/2025/01/tales-from-cashless-island.html.
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