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People vs. Machines, Jobs vs. Productivity

This is only the beginning of the debate.

Did you know that you cannot pump your own gasoline for your car in Oregon? Hop out of your auto and reach for the pump, and you will be reprimanded for touching the nozzle on the pump. Why is that? I see it as a job preservation measure. Hey, I pumped gas back in the summer of 1967 as my summer job. "Pump jockey" was one slang term used for the job.

Now in Oregon, there is this measure, Initiative looks to limit number of self-checkout machines in Oregon stores.

It would appear to be another "job preservation" measure that will set Oregon apart from most places in the United States. Oregon was also a state that "back in the day" was happy with its timber industry and did not court other businesses — to its detriment. Have things changed from back then? I'm not so sure that they have. 

On the other end of the spectrum there are the Amazon Go Stores. Which initiative will win out? I'm going with "Go" as to the future of the shopping experience. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.