Toronto doesn't like the new Shoppers Drug Mart automated checkouts
You can take the cashier out of the snarky teen, but you can't take the snarky teen out of the cashier.
Shoppers Drug Mart announced this month that it would soon be changing the voice used for its recently-installed, automatic self-checkout machines after lots and lots of negative feedback.
Shoppers Drug Mart needs a better voice performer. This one sounds like she’s rolling her eyes and filing her nails. pic.twitter.com/TkDDSZMrMU
— Tod Maffin (@todmaffin) June 30, 2017
Isn't "less attitude" one of the upsides to replacing people with robots? Like, aside from the fact that robots work for free?
Regardless, some Shoppers customers say they feel "judged" by the imaginary person inside their check-out machine.
The Shoppers Drug Mary self-checkout has the snottiest, most unimpressed voice ever. I feel like she's judging my purchases.
— Big Jim (@TheBiggestJim) September 9, 2017
Others find her voice "incredibly grating" and say the robot sounds "like a bored drunken teen."
The fake cashier has also been compared to the "Cash Me Outside" girl, several teenagers, the receptionist from the original Ghostbusters movie, Family Guy's Peter Griffin in a flashback, and a "whiny millennial."
I know! And that whiny millennial voice. Ugh!
— Colleen (@WrayColleen) September 6, 2017
The most common criticism among customers is that it the checkout speaks with what's called "vocal fry" – a term that's inspired dozens of viral think pieces over the past few years.
Think young women who draw out the ends of words to sound sexyyyyy – or creaky, as some hear it. Think "valley girl." Think Kim Kardashian.
The Shoppers Drug Mart automated self-checkout voice lady has vocal fry. Seriously. #Toronto #The6ix #thesix #YYZ
— MovieJay (@MovieJay) July 19, 2017
Shoppers has been receiving so many complaints online (and presumably through other means of communication) that the company recently sent the following public message to a customer:
"Thanks for your tweet! We are currently working on new self-checkout prompts using Canadian talent. Watch out for this in the next month!"
"Hang on Jenna, some rude person wants me to check their groceries through" https://t.co/KoYO0ShrWs
— Josh McLean❄️ (@RadioMcLean) September 4, 2017
It looks like robots aren't so perfect after all now, are they Shoppers? They may work for free, but they still hold the ability to alienate customers who "don't like [their] tone, young lady."
Ha. Humans: 1, Machines: everything else.
