Self Checkout Here to Stay

Correspondent Kevin Judd sends along an article making the case that the self-checkout is here to stay.  I agree,  the decrease in labor requirements in retail are too tempting to ignore.  We examined the cost and training requirements of self checkout systems as well as how they changed the nature of the shopping experience.  What may well change is how self checkout is achieved.  Will it move from the semi-automated checkout you see today to hand scanning in the aisles,  or to the use of Smartphone Apps?