Supermarket self-checkout . . . gone so soon?

No more than 10 years ago, self-checkout made its debut in supermarkets. Consumers were split in their attitudes, with only 22% of shoppers finally embracing the concept several years after its introduction. According to the Food Marketing Institute, only 16% of shoppers were using self-checkouts in 2010. It appears that most shoppers do prefer face-to-face interaction with clerks while checking out, which is driving many chains to scale back the number of self-checkouts or to phase them out altogether. Aging technology may also be a factor, according to Santa Monica, CA food industry analyst Phil Lempert, as stores will need to replace self-checkout computers in coming years to accommodate emerging changes in bar codes. Will self-checkouts be missed, maybe more so after the fact . . . you tell me?