Chat Checkout

Chat checkout. 

I read a fascinating article the other day about the Netherlands. Apparently the problem of loneliness in the elderly population is being addressed through the check-out line. 

Unlike the Express Lane found in American grocery stores, they have a Chat Checkout. This is a place where the cashier will spend a little extra time chatting with the customer.

Studies have found that loneliness is a commonly found among seniors. Their daily trek to the market might be their only opportunity to speak with another person that day. 

When they are rushed out the door instead of encouraged to be a part of a community their mental health suffers. They also have included coffee corners where instead of separate tables, customers share the same space while drinking coffee. This too fosters a sense of belonging. 

I remember when I first retired and left behind the familiarity of my school family I found myself adjusting to being alone. Brittany was off at college, and Chuck was at work. Most of my friends were still working full time, and often times the only person I would speak to during the day was the cashier at the checkout. 

What I started to do was to establish relationships with the people I came across on a regular basis. I began speaking to my bank teller, and over time we got to know more about each other.  

Ironically, when I moved to Las Colinas my teller from Frisco had been transferred to that branch, and we had a little reunion when we saw each other again. 

Each time I notice more and more self-checkouts at the store it makes me wonder about the future. Not only will an entire category of jobs will be eliminated, the result may be more and more isolation. 

I was talking with a young cashier at Home Depot the other day about how we used to get our cars filled up by a service station attendant. Now that seems like a million years ago, but I’m sure when my mother said, “Fill her up, and check it under the hood,” it opened the door to conversation. 

The next time you see an elderly person at the store you might consider striking up a conversation. Your future self might appreciate the gesture.