LESSON BTS CG2 THURSDAY THE 19 TH OF MARCH

 LESSON BTS CG2 THURSDAY THE 19 TH OF MARCH 

 

PROJECT RETAIL

SESSION 5

SELF CHECKOUTS

WORDS OF THE DAY :

A till la caisse enregistreuse)	ə tɪl lɑː caisse enregistreuse)
A cashier ( un caissier)	ə kæˈʃɪə ( ˌʌn caissier)
To check out( verifier)	tuː ʧɛk aʊt( ˈvɛrɪfaɪə)
shoplifters ( un voleur )	ˈʃɒpˌlɪftəz ( ˌʌn voleur )
scan items (scanner les objets/ les articles)	skæn ˈaɪtəmz (ˈskænə les objets/ les ˈɑːtɪkᵊlz)
a theft (un vol )	ə θɛft (ˌʌn vol )

 

STEP 1 ANTICIPATION

DO YOU USE THOSE ? WHY OR WHY NOT ?

a)       What is the problem faced by supermarkets with self checkout ?

b)       What solutions have they found ? ( 2 ideas)

I use that to save time and avoid waiting time

To my mind the positive side is the reduction of the waiting time / of wasting my time

The negative side is when it does not work and you have to wait for assistance

I use it when i have very few items

But the downside is that it kills jobs

Moreover there is no interactions with the cashier

 

STEP 2 READING THE TEXT

People are refusing to use self-checkout because it’ll “kill jobs”

c)     Sarah Biren    Freelance Writer     Posted: April 14, 2021

d)       https://tiffytaffy.com

e)     As technology advances, computers take the place of jobs. For instance, back in the day, the phone operator was a real person behind a desk connecting phone calls. Nowadays, this is done instantaneously without anyone manually setting up the call. And as grocery and large-chain stores offer self-checkout, the cashier’s role looks like it may suffer the same fate. However, a 2018 Dalhousie University study found that one of 1,053 Canadians is refusing to use self-checkout. Their goal is to keep up employment in these stores, but their efforts may prove futile.

f)      Among these troops are Tom and Peggy Eburne. “We will resist as long as we can,” said Tom Eburne from Chilliwack, B.C. “I think any job loss is a step backward.”

g)     Similarly, Dan Morris from Brockville, Ontario, also always uses a cashier. He’s aware of how stores’ stock of self-checkout stations is growing. “They’re trying to basically herd everyone in, get everyone used to the self-checkouts to continuously cut down on staff,” he said. “Machines don’t pay taxes, they don’t pay into the pension plan.”

h)     However, these people may be fighting a losing battle. In the 2018 Future of Jobs report from the World Economic Forum, cashiers, along with bank tellers, are “expected to become increasingly redundant.” This is because “routine-based” roles are more easily replaceable by machines.

i)      “To kind of cling to an old model just because it involves workers is not something that companies and others are set up to do,” said Sean Mullin, executive director of the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University in Toronto. Companies are eager to cut labor costs by making certain jobs automated. Keep in mind that retailers are threatened by online shopping, which makes cutting costs more imperative than ever to stay in business.”

j)      Still, many shoppers are undeterred in refusing to use self-checkout. “Maybe the little bit we do makes no difference at all,” said Peggy Eburne. “But we like to stand by what we believe in.”

k)     Previously a self-checkout attendant, Tyler Curtis, has a defense for the machines that are so hated by some. He writes that people tend to handle their own items with more care than a cashier would, creating less of a risk of cracked eggs or having a loaf of bread squashed under a watermelon. Also, self-checkout is often faster. There’s much less of a chance of getting stuck in a long line.

l)      However, many people refuse self-checkout, not on account of the job losses, but because they don’t like the extra labor. Moreover   self-checkout feels dehumanizing and shows how much their employers value them.

 

READ THE TEXT AND COMPLETE

 

1.     WHY DO CASHIER REFUSE TO USE SELF CHECKOUTS ?

2.     It takes jobs away

3.     Their goal is to keep up employment

4.     Computers take the place of jobs and workers

5.      

6.     LIST THE REASONS WHY COMPANIES USE THEM ?

It helps avoid redundant tasks

They cut down on staff and save labor costs

7.     WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES FOR CLIENTS ?

Customers are more careful with their items

And self check outs are often faster

8.     WHY DO SOME CUSTOMERS REFUSE TO USE SELF CHECKOUTS ?

Clients refuse the extra labor

They refuse the job losses

It is dehumanizing

VOCABULARY WORK : find the translation of the following words

Goal	But / objectifs
futile	Futile / inutile
A step backward	Un pas en arrière
Similarly	De la même façon
Be fighting a losing battle	Se battre pour rien / pour une cause perdue
He is aware	Il est conscient ( be aware of sth )
redundant	Redondant / inutile
Cling to an old model	S’accrocher à un modèle dépassé
involve	impliquer
They are eager to +bv	Ils sont désireux de
automated	automatisé
Keep in mind that	Garder à l esprit
Handle	Manipuler / gérer une situation

 

HOMEWORK : learn the vocabulary