I know in Japan for instance, there’s a unmanned store where you can buy things with the only thing meeting you near the front entrance & exit is self checkout. It’s a trust based system where you walk in select what you want (without locking any essential or mundane item behind plexiglass), as in they depend on individuals having common sense on not stealing paying via a “honesty box” based on a honor system.

  • Aeao@lemmy.world
    32·
    7 days ago

    I’m a retail manager. I’ve managed a lot of places.

    One thing I’ve always said is “we could probably leave a bucket here for everyone to pay as they left. 9 out of ten people would be honest, the tenth tho would take the whole bucket.”

    I don’t think it would work in America. Also with current events I no longer feel 9 of the ten would be trustworthy anymore.

  • myyass@lemmy.world
    7·
    6 days ago

    This worked pretty well with farms/co-ops in Vermont. Everyone had a stand. You could also leave a IOU if you didn’t bring enough coin. Then again this was a town of like 600-700 people. When I phrase it like that, I mean people would pull over and give you a ride to where you’re going. Everybody knew everyone. 🙃

  • Brkdncr@lemmy.world
    5·
    7 days ago

    Yes. You’re likely to see one at a busy airport.

    You get in by presenting a form of payment. You take what you want and walk out. You get charged for it.

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.clubEnglish
      2·
      7 days ago

      The concept works, but only when labor costs are extremely high. Right now, that seems to be only airports.

  • notgold@aussie.zoneEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    I saw one in China almost a decade ago. QR code in at the door and grab whatever you need, your account gets charged with whatever you take. Wasn’t very big, maybe 4m X 4m. Had cold drinks and snacks. Was more a gimmick for me than something I would search out to actively use.

  • gastroglizzy@piefed.socialEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    I’ve seen some unattended stores in the US, kinda. There’s a person there, but they don’t ring people up full time. Usually they’re cleaning or stocking. There’s no honor system, a machine visually scans and weighs your items and rings you up that way. The person only gets involved if they need to check your ID for alcohol sales or if there’s an error with the machine.

  • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.worldEnglish
    421·
    7 days ago

    Won’t work in most cities.

    This is common enough in very small towns not on main highways, though, where everyone knows everyone, and many of them are relatives.

    I imagine in mob-controlled neighborhoods, in cities, where everyone knows who owns the store and no one would dare steal from it, it would work. But, that might be fiction.

  • justdaveisfine@piefed.socialEnglish
    23·
    7 days ago

    Depends on what’s being sold and where its at.

    People set up honor systems like these for plant seeds, books, wood logs, etc and they all seem to work alright.

    I couldn’t see it working well for anything easily resellable (with decent profit) as someone would likely exploit it.