My neighbor's kid just got a robot to mow their lawn and it made me think

I was talking to my neighbor, Frank, yesterday while his new robot mower was buzzing around. He said he bought it because the local landscaping company raised their price to 80 bucks a cut. He was happy about saving money, but then he mentioned the company had to let two of their crew guys go because a bunch of people on our street got these things. It hit different because I know one of those guys, Carlos, who has three kids. It's not about some far-off factory job anymore. It's the guy who used to wave from his truck, now looking for work because of a quiet little machine. It made the whole 'jobs' thing feel real and close to home. Has anyone else seen a small local business change because of stuff like this?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_max2mo ago

Yeah, it's the quiet stuff that gets you. We all want the cool robot thing until you realize it's basically a Roomba that took a guy's paycheck. My barber was just saying the same thing about those self-checkout kiosks at the grocery store.

foster.jordan2mo ago

Look at it this way though, those kiosks let stores stay open later with less staff cost. That paycheck might have been gone anyway if the place shut down.

sean8541mo ago

I've done the math on this... it's about even once you count the tech support calls.

the_paul2mo ago

Consider how many jobs those kiosks actually create in the first place, building and fixing them. That paycheck might just move from a cashier to a tech person. Stores staying open later means more sales, which can actually protect other jobs in the long run. It's not about taking a job away, it's about the store changing to stay in business so everyone else there still has work. Trying to stop every new machine is like trying to stop cars to save the horse buggy drivers.