Shopping at Dollar General usually means grabbing a basket and heading for the checkout. But one North Carolina shopper gave viewers a look inside what he called an “autonomous Dollar General,” where customers enter their payment details to unlock the doors before shopping without a traditional cashier.
The footage begins outside the store, where the shopper walks viewers through the unusual process step by step. Firstly, he enters his payment card details on a touchscreen at the entrance before selecting whether he would like a receipt. Next, once the process is complete, the doors unlock, allowing him into the store. Inside, the store is lined with dozens of overhead cameras, while traditional checkout lanes and cashiers are noticeably absent.
He explains, “All these cameras right there that is the person working here. There is nobody in here, as you can see. So I guess, when you pick your items up, the camera catches you, and it charges your card.” Although he admits he doesn’t really want to buy anything, the shopper picks up a bottle of root beer before walking out of the store, bringing the video to a close.
Viewers Debate the Future of Shopping
Many Reddit users were unconvinced by the concept, with several raising concerns about accuracy, privacy and the lack of traditional checkout options.
One commenter drew comparisons to Amazon’s former Just Walk Out technology, writing, “Didn’t Amazon try this and it turned out the big secret was an army of people in the far east that watched you shop & took notes of everything you put in your basket.”
Others shared their own experiences with similar cashierless stores. One person recalled, “I tried it in Seattle. The scanner on the turnstile was weird so my wife scanned the wrong turnstile. She was charged for someone else’s purchase.”
Concerns about being incorrectly charged appeared several times throughout the discussion. One Reddit user wrote, “When they overcharge you it’s your burden your time and prove you didn’t take X Y and Z items to try to claw back some of your money. Oh I can’t wait customer service at a new low.”
Others questioned whether the technology was necessary at all. “Yeah I would never buy anything in these stores for that reason. At least let me scan the items at a register myself. I don’t understand why they have to have cameras for the checkout process. Should just be for security,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “I hate this more than I hate interacting with people.”
Some users also focused on the wider impact of removing cashiers. One person wrote, “Now Dollar stores won’t even employ anyone from the depressed areas where they thrive. Wonderful.”
Not everyone was critical, however. One Reddit user simply described the concept as “The future of retail.”
Whether cashierless stores become more common remains to be seen, but the concept has already sparked a lively debate over convenience, privacy and the future of in-person shopping.
