Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 29, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 17 ing to the New Haven Independent. The UFCW also accused Stop & Shop of "replacing real customer service with more serve-yourself checkout machines." At the end of the day, Jablonecki said she was less concerned about the robot, than she was about health insurance, pension contributions and Sunday wages. Unlike the recent introduction of a fleet of cleaning and inventory- scanning robots by nonunion grocery competitor Walmart, Marty, while he annoys some employees, isn't widely perceived as a threat to jobs. "We can handle Marty at the store level," she said. The Stop & Shop strike ended April 22 after five union locals of the UFCW agreed to a new contract. However, terms of the agreement, including whether any promises were made about job protections related to technology, weren't made public as of press time. Stop & Shop said at the outset of the strike that any new deal had to, among other aims, allow the company to con- tinue investing in "critical technologi- cal innovations." Asked what role technology played in the negotiations, Stop & Shop spokes- woman Jennifer Brogan didn't offer specifics, but said the company has a "long and successful history of driving important technological innovations." "As we have in the past, Stop & Shop will continue to use technology to enable our associates to connect with and serve our customers and communities even more effectively, including by freeing as- sociates from certain work to allow them more time to focus on customer-related activities," Brogan said. As competitors develop new tech- nologies with the aim of reducing costs, leveraging data, offering new options to customers and improving service, "Stop & Shop must do the same or both the company and its associates risk be- ing left behind," she added. Brogan said Stop & Shop added more self-checkout lanes during a series of renovations to 21 area stores last year. Counterintuitive cashier count In his research over the past decade, Andrews — the Drew University pro- fessor — has discovered something seemingly counterintuitive. Despite the spread of self-checkout kiosks over the past 20 years, the number of cashiers working in gro- cery stores and supermarkets actually increased between 2002 and 2017, and remained stable when accounting for population growth, according to federal data he included in his recently published book, "The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermar- kets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy." Overall, employment in the grocery industry has also grown over that time, from 2.3 million to 3.6 million, and annual payroll costs have climbed along with it. In his book, Andrews wrote that a number of factors could be blocking self-checkout technology from deliv- ering on the labor-savings promised by companies that manufacture the systems. For one, self-checkout lanes have seen higher rates of customer theft. The systems also require employees or contractors to maintain and monitor them, meaning they may be displac- ing lower-cost labor with higher-cost work. Some customers are annoyed about having to do more work them- selves using often finicky machines, and some union contracts effectively block grocery stores from laying off employees and replacing them with technology, Andrews said. Many companies, he added, have been hesitant to fully replace their human cashier checkout lanes with self-service lanes, and some have even pulled back on the presence of self-checkouts. However, Andrews said he's not ruling out that there could be impacts that play out over a longer term. If system manufacturers find ways to reduce theft rates and more custom- ers grow accustomed to using self- checkout, cashier ranks could shrink. "Cashiers haven't been eliminated due to a series of contingent factors, but if those contingencies are dealt with, it is possible we could see job losses," he said. And just because cashier ranks have held steady, it doesn't mean that other evolving technology, like self-driving delivery vehicles, won't cause a decline in other types of grocery employees, he said. Since self-driving cars are largely in their testing phase, data showing any impacts on human driv- ers isn't yet available. New Britain Stop & Shop worker Wanda Jablonecki (right) said she has taken note of an increasing number of self- checkout kiosks at area stores. HBJ PHOTO | MATT PILON SEEKING SALES ATHLETE TO JOIN US! The Hartford Business Journal, is looking for a Sales Representative to drive advertising sales in the Greater Hartford area. This is an excellent opportunity to become a leader in our market expansion. In this role you will be responsible for cultivating leads, contacting business leaders and top executives, making in person sales calls and delivering presentations to prospective clients. Our print, digital and event products are the trusted source for building business connections in the Hartford/New Haven regions, and the go to source for business news, insight and information. Familiarity with digital marketing, print advertising and event sponsorship a plus. The right person for this position is a self starter, has the ability to work independently and enjoys building and maintaining relationships. B2B sales or telemarketing experience preferred. Our company provides ongoing training and support, a car allowance and base pay with commission & bonus potential. The ideal candidate will have strong interpersonal and phone skills as well as a solid work ethic and a natural ability to sell. A valid driver's license is required. Come join our talented sales team! New England Business Media operates several leading regional B2B brands including Hartford Business Journal, Worcester Business Journal, New Haven BIZ and Mainebiz. Please forward resume in confi dence to Chris Santilli, Publisher at csantilli@hartfordbusiness.com RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW! contact Donna Collins, Associate Publisher at 860-236-9998 ext. 121 Or dcollins@HartfordBusiness.com BE A PART OF DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT 2019! View the 2018 Digital Edition at www.DoingBusinessinCT.com Doing Business in Connecticut showcases Connecticut's many economic development opportunities, and the attributes that make Connecticut the place to work, live and play. The resource for all companies looking to expand in or relocate to Connecticut. ALL NEW EDITION! PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES: • Sponsorships • 2-Page Company Profi le • Advertising

• Cover