Shops Return To Rural Sweden But Are Now Staff-Free (bbc.com) 87
An anonymous reader shares a report: Dark clouds loom over the pine forest surrounding Hummelsta, a town of 1,000 people that hasn't had any local shops for a decade. Since December, a red wooden container, about the size of a mobile home, has offered a lifeline. It's a mini supermarket that locals can access round-the-clock. "We haven't had any shops here during the time we have been here, and getting this now is perfect," says 31-year-old Emma Lundqvist who moved to Hummelsta with her boyfriend three years ago. "You don't need to get into the city to buy this small stuff," she adds, pointing to the packet of bacon she's popped in for. There's a wide assortment of groceries available, from fresh fruit and vegetables to Swedish household staples like frozen meatballs, crisp breads and wafer bars. But there are no staff or checkouts here. You open the doors using the company's app, which works in conjunction with BankID, a secure national identification app operated by Sweden's banks. Then, you can scan barcodes using your smartphone and the bill is automatically charged to a pre-registered bank card.
The store is part of the Lifvs chain, a Stockholm-based start-up that launched in 2018 with the goal of returning stores to remote rural locations where shops had closed down because they'd struggled to stay profitable. In Asia several companies including Alibaba are testing unstaffed stores in more urban locations. Amazon has also opened supermarkets in US cities and this month in the UK, which use sensors and cameras to work out what you've bought, so there's not even the need for self-scanning. But Lifvs co-founder Daniel Lundh saw the opportunity in rural locations: "There were food deserts where people had to travel to the next town or city to pick up their groceries and so we definitely saw that there was a need." Alongside skipping the need to pay cashiers, the firm also avoids pricey long-term rental leases. And if there's less footfall than expected in one location, the wooden containers can easily be picked up and tested elsewhere.
The store is part of the Lifvs chain, a Stockholm-based start-up that launched in 2018 with the goal of returning stores to remote rural locations where shops had closed down because they'd struggled to stay profitable. In Asia several companies including Alibaba are testing unstaffed stores in more urban locations. Amazon has also opened supermarkets in US cities and this month in the UK, which use sensors and cameras to work out what you've bought, so there's not even the need for self-scanning. But Lifvs co-founder Daniel Lundh saw the opportunity in rural locations: "There were food deserts where people had to travel to the next town or city to pick up their groceries and so we definitely saw that there was a need." Alongside skipping the need to pay cashiers, the firm also avoids pricey long-term rental leases. And if there's less footfall than expected in one location, the wooden containers can easily be picked up and tested elsewhere.
here, too, sort of (Score:2)
Coincidentallly, today (9 March) Boston Globe reports on what's essentially a hi-tech Automat installed in some apartment buildings. The food choices are pretty fancy, and the local clientele seem quite happy with it, especially in this COVID period.
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Boston Globe reports on what's essentially a hi-tech Automat installed in some apartment buildings
Meh, Russia has had Avtomat's for over a hundred years. [wikipedia.org].
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I was going to reply with a Soviet era joke about getting in lines because there must be something at the end of the line (where the line circled around a block), but I clicked on your link instead. I see.
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Airports (Score:2)
Airports-Robots took mah job. (Score:2)
Someone sounds mad their menial job has been taken away from them.
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Not that there's anything wrong with that....
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Sure, if you think that a race to the bottom has a winner.
It does not.
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Said by someone who doesn't realize the enormous lease rates those shops have to pay.
and they don't poor people without bank accounts (Score:2)
and they don't poor people without bank accounts / people who don't use high fee cash cards
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I'm trying to parse this. Best guess so far is "they don't exclude poor people..."
So, what did you really intend to say?
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The world may never know...
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I would guess instead "they don't serve poor people without bank accounts / people who don't use high fee cash cards"
It seems unlikely that such places take cash, which is the only option a lot of people have.
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I would have assumed that, if not for the "high fee cash cards". I'm not sure of the relationship between the "high fee card" and implied poverty. They don't serve poor people without high fee cash cards?
So, if you're poor and have a low-fee cash card, no problems?
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I don't think such cards are high fee in Sweden. Cash use is very rare there these days.
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Is there another kind of cash card for poor people without a bank account?
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No.idea about Sweden but I got a Walmart money card for my sister to use. Unless you're needing a lot of cash for drugs the only charge is $6 a month if you didn't deposit $500 over the past thirty days. She works only 15 hours a week to cover that so it's basically free to use for her.
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Your alignment is Pedantic Stupid - taking every opportunity to deliberately misinterpret everything in the pettiest, dumbest way possible.
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I guess they don't teach good English in China.
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What? You guys don't
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True. The real problem is that you have to have an app installed on your phone, which will be the same kind of shitty, insecure spyware as 99.9999+% of all other phone apps.
And this will be the goal for all supermarkets and chain retail stores - no employees, and all customers required to be product.
Eventually, in the not too distant future, there will be very few shops you can enter without requiring one of dozens or hundreds of spyware apps installed, a slightly different implementation of China's Soci
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Yeah, no. In my central european country I have a bank account for free, and, get this, it also comes with a free cash card... No fees for me.
Now, in reality the fees are passed down to retailers. A friend/shop owner told me that it ranges anywhere from 1-5% of the transaction. So fees are indeed an issue, albeit hidden.
In this case the fees are probably cheaper than staff.
The part that I think warrants suspicion is this:
> which works in conjunction with BankID, a secure national identification app oper
Re:and they don't poor people without bank account (Score:4, Insightful)
Serious questions about this notions that the EU does not have an unbanked under class. Maybe they don't but help us out?
1) Are bank accounts still 'free' if you regularly carry a balance below a $100 us or so?
2) Can you get an account if you haven't got a permanent address?
3) Can you get an account if you don't have a SSN/TaxNumber of some kind - ie you are likely an illegal immigrant?
The vast vast majority of unbanked individuals in the US either are very much voluntarily so or they tick one or more of the boxed above.
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Re:and they don't poor people without bank account (Score:4, Interesting)
1) Yes.
2 and 3). See linked EU-directive https://eur-lex.europa.eu/lega... [europa.eu] that https://slashdot.org/~r2kordma... [slashdot.org] posten below. Quote:
”2. Member States shall ensure that consumers legally resident in the Union, including consumers with no fixed address and asylum seekers, and consumers who are not granted a residence permit but whose expulsion is impossible for legal or factual reasons, have the right to open and use a payment account with basic features with credit institutions located in their territory. Such a right shall apply irrespective of the consumer’s place of residence.”
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Serious questions about this notions that the EU does not have an unbanked under class.
I think that changed in the last few years when the Kings and Queens of EU nations decided to allow millions of illegal immigrants to pour over their borders.
A welfare state can only work with tight border control, because no nation can fund benefits for all.
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I think that changed in the last few years when the Kings and Queens of EU nations decided to allow millions of illegal immigrants to pour over their borders.
Highlights, are mine.
Your english must be very bad. If some authority allows something, it is not illegal to do what just got allowed.
Perhaps you wanted to use different words for your opinion, but actually I really wonder if I should care about the opinion of a person who is scared about a few million refugees.
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If some authority allows something, it is not illegal to do what just got allowed.
Of course it can. Something can be illegal while being carried out, then retroactively ignored by authorities who are derelict of duty.
Perhaps you wanted to use different words for your opinion, but actually I really wonder if I should care about the opinion of a person who is scared about a few million refugees.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] More German women are being raped by immigrants as immigration rates go up. I don't live in Germany so it doesn't affect me, but hopefully it's not your wife/daughter/mother who is next.
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Of course it can. Something can be illegal while being carried out, then retroactively ignored by authorities who are derelict of duty.
That is not what the word "allow" means.
More German women are being raped by immigrants as immigration rates go up.
There are 4 reported rapes. If they had not come to Germany, they had raped someone else.
Pretty odd logic to judge immigration policies by.
If we had not allowed them in a noticeable part of them had died.
What is your point about that?
Probably you are happy that
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That is not what the word "allow" means.
Sure, because you said so...
There are 4 reported rapes. If they had not come to Germany, they had raped someone else.
4%, not 4. "Asylum seekers represented 2% of the population and 15.9% of suspects in rape and sexual assault cases"
Germany has roughly 9000 cases per year so roughly 140 additonal women raped every year and you're fine with that?
Pretty odd logic to judge immigration policies by.
Odd to judge immigration policies by the rise in crime associated with immigration policies? Only if you have no brain...
If we had not allowed them in a noticeable part of them had died What is your point about that? Probably you are happy that you are not a Syrian who had to fled a war?
You can't solve all the world's problems via immigration, that is foolish thinking. I suggest you watch this: https://www.youtube.com [youtube.com]
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There only were 4 cases in press.
So I doubt your 4%.
But of you want to volunteer and and spot the future rapist during the asylum process: be our guess!! I'm pretty sure they take you with open arms!
So you admit that these policies have made your streets more dangerous
No they have not. A single case, is not "made the streets more dangerous".
Those sexual assaults, were not really assaults. And it was an organzied event, organized by some Nazis that promised the guys money. Perhaps you should read the wiki ar
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There only were 4 cases in press.
So I doubt your 4%.
I linked the data from actual police reports. Denial is not just river in Egypt...
A single case, is not "made the streets more dangerous"
Literally thousands of cases, not 1. You clearly didn't read any of it.
And it was an organzied event, organized by some Nazis that promised the guys money.
What are facts when you have your own opinion and you refuse to read anything that contradicts that...
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You did not link data from an actual police report, how stupid are you? You linked a newspaper. And a wikipedia page.
A single case, is not "made the streets more dangerous"
Literally thousands of cases, not 1. You clearly didn't read any of it.
Quoting out of context does not make you look smart. Yes, many harassments happened, not only one. But: that where two mass events on two occasions: so basically "a single case"
What are facts when you have your own opinion and you refuse to read anything that contradic
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You did not link data from an actual police report, how stupid are you? You linked a newspaper. And a wikipedia page.
Which reference the police reports. Do try to keep up...
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Of course not. A country with strong consumer protection laws seems alien to the USA.
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Re: and they don't poor people without bank accoun (Score:2)
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It's Sweden. They think cash is dirty and gross and only used by old farts who are over 30.
"sociable experience" (Score:4, Insightful)
despite critics warning that it would make shopping a less sociable experience
Seriously? Who goes shopping for a "sociable experience"? Besides, at this point, we're all wearing masks and staying at least six feet from each other, and talking to the cashier through a plexiglass screen.
Re:"sociable experience" (Score:5, Informative)
There were entire months last year when the only people I talked to face-to-face were checkout staff. It may not be the most sociable experience, but it's better than nothing.
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Heh, good point. That's true for me as well. But it really wasn't so much the "sociable experience" as it was just getting out of the house, if only for a brief while. I find myself enjoying any excuse to get out and move around, even if it's normally just mundane chores or errands.
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And then again, I've experienced exactly the opposite of that small talk experience.
When I lived in the big city of Copenhagen (Big by Scandinavian standards), I hung out at a small kiosk right around the corner, it was like the series "Cheers" from TV, we always ended up talking with the funny store owner, and hung around for hours each time.
I never got that same experience when I moved to a small town with only a few thousand citizens, everyone was too busy to talk, even with an empty store, no small talk
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Some of us talk to the cashier through a polycarbonate screen, you insensitive clod!
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You're actually talking to a cashier? Where I shop, I go up to the self-serve kiosk and check myself out. No human interaction required or requested.
This is simply the next logical step in a trend that has been building for many years. It's fundamentally no different than shopping online, beyond getting a little exercise and receiving your items faster.
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You can have it both ways: use the self serve checkout, and talk to a person whenever the self serve says "You didn't place the item in the bag. Do you wish to return it? Help is on the way!" despite the fact that I already put it in the bag. This happens several times during an average 20 item checkout, and it has happened to me in multiple grocery stores and in different chains. I finally decided that it's usually faster to go through the checkout that has a human being.
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Besides, at this point, we're all wearing masks
Why?
Rural Sweden is the perfect place to try this (Score:2, Interesting)
Outside of the major towns and cities, you can drive for an entire day and all you will see are trees, sky and the occasional herd of Elk. To some people in Sweden, "popping down to the shop" entails a 300 mile round trip, and your nearest neighbour might be an hour away, during which time you might drive past a couple of other properties that are only occupied during the summer.
In fact, it is not that unusual to have to take a coolbox and an icebox plugged into your car's battery with you when you go shopp
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Is this really rural? Looking at google maps it's a 9 minute drive to a large town.
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Re:Rural Sweden is the perfect place to try this (Score:4, Informative)
Outside of the major towns and cities, you can drive for an entire day and all you will see are trees, sky and the occasional herd of Elk.
You probably need to get a faster car. That kind of isolation is not common, and probably does not exist anywhere in Sweden.
"popping down to the shop" entails a 300 mile round trip
No. Where do you live if you have 200 km to the nearest store? Almost everyone in the country are within that distance of a major city (by Swedish standards), let alone a small city with a couple of shops.
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Outside of the major towns and cities, you can drive for an entire day and all you will see are trees,
If you drove for entire day in Sweden you would be in another country...
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Depends on direction.
So: no.
Sorry, are you new here or why are you pollution /. since a few days with complete nonsense?
https://www.google.com/maps/pl... [google.com]
https://www.google.com/maps/di... [google.com]
And that is a random town in the north to Stockholm. 16h drive. And if you take the northern edge to the southern edge it is probably 24h.
Oh, you are nitpicking again? Driving a whole day is less than 24h ... ah should have guessed that.
Seen in urban Canada (Score:3)
In a condo complex in Toronto I visited they had a small unstaffed convenience store. You had to unlock to door with your keycard so they can keep track of who goes in and out.
nice things (Score:1)
I have seen these "Calvinist vending machines" in the Erlangen botanic garden: one wicker basket for jars of jam on sale, another basket for cash payment, and a price list. I guess the app is nice so you don't have to add up the bill yourself but takes away from the coolness factor.
Unstaffed? (Score:2)
Not a remote rural town? (Score:5, Informative)
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Shhhh. Stop talking facts. Let people think this is a miraculous concept for those stuck in the middle of nowhere.
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There are folks who think a 30-minute trip is "long".
Though I could see the point of trying this system out in a relatively developed place, where some hardware/software failure or problem restocking doesn't leave people cut off. You'd need somewhere where it's mildly inconvenient to get to the regular store, but not so far away that people come to absolutely rely on your new store-in-a-box until you're done testing.
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There are folks who think a 30-minute trip is "long".
Watching the show 'International House Hunters' is interesting as it shows all different types of people moving to all different places. One couple wanted a place close to work and rejected a good house because it was too far to commute 10 minutes each way. They ended up taking a smaller place because it was only 2 minutes away. Different strokes I guess...
A Møøse once bit my sister (Score:2)
Alsø alsø wik Wi nøt trei a høliday in Sweden this yër? See the løveli lakes The wøndërful telephøne system And mäni interesting furry animals.
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The people behind the grandparent post have been sacked.
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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0... [imdb.com]
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Furry animals? Send in the Troll Hunter.
In other news, it looks like /. allows Unicode. Or at least you can put in Unicode code points and have your browser interpret them.
food deserts? (Score:2)
Before this is touted as a solution for a food desert in the US, let's look at WHY grocery stores don't open in food deserts in the US.
There's three major reasons.
Crime rate, population, and local income.
This solves NONE of those issues.
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Crime rate, population, and local income. This solves NONE of those issues.
To be fair the only one it doesn't solve is crime rate. Not having enough population with enough income to support a full staffed store is the core reason for this solution.
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When they do open, they're highly overpriced and generally have a poor selection of food (mostly packaged stuff, very little in the way of fresh veggies). I suspect that as a store gets smaller that the cost of overhead goes up. Thus the supermarket versus mere market, and you get more economies of scale.
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It directly works on two of them, population and local income. By not staffing the store you lower the costs of the store, increasing profit margin.
heyy (Score:1)
Good! (Score:1)
Good. It's time we did something to combat all those staff infections acquired in the shops.
How Useless is the Average Swede? (Score:2)
A town of 1,000 people
In Canada their would have been 2 competing stores open within a month. 1000 people is ridiculously huge, you can get by with like 3-5 people in a typical buying coop. With a couple hundred ordering by the shipping container is possible. Unless the next town over is under a 10 minute drive, this makes little sense that such a huge population could not manager to get a store