In Praise of Inefficiency: Should We Serve the Economy or Should It Serve Us?

Tom Hartmann - Trader Joe’s VP Marketing, Tara Miller, announced on the store’s Inside Trader Joe’s podcast that they will not be installing self-checkout machines in their stores. Good on them.  “The bottom line here is that our people remain our most valued resource,” she said. “While other retailers were cutting staff and adding things like self-checkout, curbside pickup, and outsourcing delivery options, we were hiring more crew, and we continue to do that.” In not using everything available to them to increase efficiency, Trader Joe’s is very much the outlier in America. That’s because — unless regulated — capitalism will almost always push for maximum efficiency because that’s the fastest way to maximize profits. It’s become a virtual religion among America’s CEO class: maximize efficiency no matter what it does to customers, communities, or employees.