In the near future, there will be many stores without checkout lines or checkers. See this article that highlights what Amazon is starting on Monday, Jan. 22, Inside Amazon Go, a Store of the Future.
Call it automation or call it robotics, it is an example of how technology is going to change many of the people interfacing type of jobs. For now, stores will still need people to stock the shelves.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.