Encroaching Cashlessness in Photos

This is what the it looks like.

The first three photos were taken in April 2023. They are of the unmanned, self checkout, cashless convenience store in the cafeteria of my medical school. I included a blurb about this in a post around that time but didn’t go that deeply into this then. Those who think we can evade this, please read carefully.

First we have this sign, that is still up over a year later, instructing the faculty, staff and students of the medical and nursing university in the proper method to wash our hands and disinfect surfaces to combat viral disease. Oh, and to engage in “mokushoku”, eating in silence.

Notice the cute viruses at top wearing masks. KAWAIIIIIIIIII.

The store is small. In view is the chilled drink section. On the left we see the end cap of the dry goods section. Key below photo.

1. The unmanned, cashless, self checkout register. In 2., we see stacked up seating that was removed to enforce unsocial distancing in the cafeteria. 3 are some of the partitions they installed to isolate all diners.

Below is the checkout counter. A sign informs users that is monitored by video camera 24 hours a day. Not only are they recording the transactions of whatever form of emoney you choose but also video of you making it; all stored in an accessible and hackable databank somewhere. At the right of the counter is a QR code for you to download the “login app” onto your idiot phone.

Now, let us dive deeper in to what all this means. I am employed at this school. To avail myself of the convenience of of the unmanned, cashless, self check out convenience store, I must do at a minimum the following. Go online a fill out the appropriate forms to apply for permission to down load the login app. This requires our employee number and password and I think we have to touch our ID badge to the reader. We can not even enter the building without keying in with the same id badge, yet, we have to again to use the convenience store, or at least type in the number on the card and its password. We then have to key in a unique ID and password to check out provided from yet another source. There is also some kind of authorizing card, physical or digital I do not know, that we must also obtain, probably linking to an account linked to the school with funds to cover the purchase, or, that may be yet another layer altogether. All to buy whatever can be found in the tiny selection provided.

Now, this is in addition to all the applications and logging in to set up the school’s email account, which is more layered than that of an individual account. Then we have another online system that we must set up and maintain to get our monthly pay slips and yearly tax documents. This one has been a particularly headache inducing issue. There is yet another system that we need to apply for and login to use the school’s wifi system. At last check, none of the part timers have yet to be successful in our repeated attempts to do so.

A newly hired assistant department head has an app they like to use and they want all of us to use it for real time communication. I have too many apps already and have zero inclination to download, set up and learn how to use yet another one, especially after the school year has already gotten underway. Having the ability to do so, in my belief, makes it easier for them to make last minute changes that render all planning useless. I do not desire to aid in this.

I realize that many reading this probably have the same with their employers and while you may agree that it is a hassle but given your working environments may find it far less of one than we part timers do. Full timers go through this only when they start out at a new position or when these systems are first implemented and later when updated or services changed. Part timers have this with multiple employers and given the nature of our employment, we are frequently starting in new positions . But even for those fully employed by one employer, is all this really necessary? Is it worth it?

That is one hell of a lot extra work, unpaid for part timers, by the way, at great expense to the employer just to be able to buy a bottle of water at the company cafeteria, is in not? Not to mention just to be able to use the employers communication system. And, the amount of time and money wasted on this increases with each new layer of what amounts to electronic surveillance of your every action.

What, exactly, was wrong with showing a security guard your work ID at the door, walking up yo your desk, greeting those you meet along the way, sitting down at your desk and start working and when hungry or thirsty just going to the cafeteria for a snack or a drink and finding your monthly pay slip in the mail box with out having to provide personal details into some data base that will eventually be sold or hacked just to be able to begin work or get a can of Pepsi or fill out your income tax forms?

Now we take a look at the newly reopened convenience store in my express train station. Note the mad masker in the photo. This was taken yesterday, June 12th 2024.

Below, the floor sign. The yellow is a warning that Cash cannot be used. Below that it states that the registers are for use for cashless transactions and are for self checkout.

Below, close up of the two registers. Oh look! These have video monitors so that you can see how you look on the video recording! How nice of them. Comb your hair and say “Cheese”.

For those who have never had to wait behind people using their idiot phones to make a purchase, let me provide a wee bit o’insight into the pleasure such experience grants one. When such a customer’s turn has come, they first must close whatever app they were using to read the latest gossip, play the newest idiot phone game or the newest posting of their favorite YouTuber or tictoker. Then they have to open up whatever app is required for their preferred app based payment service. This usually, though not always requires guidance from the clerk. After all the swiping this way and that way; from right to left, scrolling from top to bottom, more swiping click, more swiping, Opps, clicked the wrong button, gotta start all over, swipe, scroll, swipe left, stagger right, crawl crawl crawl stagger stagger….opps! Sorry, flash back to one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

Note; I have long remembered this as “Stagger right, stagger left, crawl, crawl…” hence the connection with swiping right, swipe left, scroll, scroll, scroll.

Yes, right. Sorry.

Then the clerk scans the bar code or QR code on the shopper’s idiot phone’s screen. After a few seconds, sometimes longer, an alert sounds (PayPay!) letting both customer and clerk, and all waiting in line know that the transaction has been completed, only then does the clerk begin to bag the purchased items. I have not timed it, but this takes much more time than it does for me as I have cash out ready for my turn before I step up to the register. Takes much more time to go through the checkout line than it once did if you have the misfortune to have several making cashless purchases in line before you.

But this is not just with cashless stores. ¥100 stores, that’s what 80 cents US now?, have similar unmanned self checkout registers that still accept cash complete with video screen so that your can make yourself look your best for posterity as you make you massive transaction of 80 cent items.

As written about in the past, fewer and fewer places accept cash even in cash based Japan. Those that do still accept it, continue to reduce the number of registers, manned or unmanned, that take cash. Paying with cash costs the shopper more as discounts, points and other cost saving promotions are currently given for cashless purchases. Thus, we die hard users of cash have decreasing venues we can use it in and those cost us more than they do for those who accept cashless.

When the encroachment is universal, where do you go to buy food and gas, to pay your rent, utility bills, loans and for internet service? When you finally have had enough and flee to the woods to live like Grizzly Adam’s, how do you erase all the data they have on you? They will hunt you until they have forced you to follow their dictates or your physical self has ceased functioning. They cannot abide the mere thought that a single soul exists outside their control.

On to masks. Picking up the 5th grader from cram school late last night (June 12, 2024) I spied 35 children, all preteens, 20 of whom were masked. Most of my students still wear masks in class with many putting them on only at the bell signaling for classes to start and removing them for breaks or at the ending bell.

Time to cat the hook and lay a course for my evening classes.