As we are approaching to a new era of unprecedented development of advanced technology, the
\nbusiness models in Hong Kong are gradually transforming. From McDonald\u2019s replacing cashiers with
\nordering machines to the recent Okashi Land going unstaffed, the trend is conspicuous — retails shops are
\nremoving their staff and adopting a grab-and-go model. While this new concept sounds innovative, there
\ncould still be inevitable drawbacks on economic and social aspects. Let\u2019s explore what the pros and cons
\nare!
\nTo begin with, this new shopping experience leads Hong Kong to be a more innovative city and can
\ntherefore propel more technological research. Everyone knows that Hong Kong has been investing a
\ncolossal amount of capital into the tech field for years but Hong Kong has yet to become a smart city like
\nwhat our counterparts are doing. However, this is a great leap for a local retail shop to introduce the grab-
\nand-go model, relying on high technology. By doing so, Hong Kong can be \u2018smarter\u2019 and the significant
\nconvenience of technology be brought about in front of the people\u2019s eyes, making them more willing to
\nchange their lifestyle a little bit. When people recognize technological developments which can actually
\nbring benefits to their lives, MORE talents would be MORE dedicated to doing MORE research. A virtuous
\ncycle could then be formed, making Hong Kong more innovative.
\nMoving back to a microscopic advantage of the staff-less shops, it can reduce the time for queuing
\nup and enhance the efficiency of transactions. Most Hong Kong people attach paramount importance to
\nevery minute and every second, regarding time as precious as gold, so the inexperienced staff behind
\ncounters can sometimes be irritating. With their undesirable efficiency due to failing to scan a bar code
\nand struggling to place the goods properly in a plastic bag, the queue can be longer and customers would
\nfrown more. However, the grab-and-go model making use of the radio frequency identification technology
\ncan minimize the errors from humans as human involvement is kept to a minimum. With a smaller
\npossibility of getting into minor troubles, transactions can proceed more smoothly and efficiently, saving
\nthe time for fast-paced Hong Kong people and quick-tempered teenagers like us.
\nUndeniably, while welcoming this kind of self-service can be beneficial in both long term and short
\nterm, its disadvantages cannot be overlooked.
\nOne downside to retail shop going unstaffed is that our unemployment rate can suffer a blow.
\nWhen the unstaffed model is growing from its infancy to its maturity, more staff are \u2018forced\u2019 to step back
\nfrom the forefront of the cashier counters, losing their meagerly paid jobs. For most of the time, they are
\nunskilled and can hardly look for another opportunity once they are laid off. With machines substituting
\nfor their posts, the unemployment rate can surge unexpectedly as the cost of labor cost is slashed, which
\nfavors the shop-owners. While tens of thousands of the citizens are enjoying the enhanced efficiency of
\nshopping, some can lose their bread and have no other ways to make ends meet.
\nOther than workers losing jobs, the ties among the people of this city can also be weakened.
\nDespite the ubiquity of computers and smartphones, people are not necessarily brought closer together
\nphysically or even pulled further away psychologically. And now, with the new model surfacing, the mere
\nchance of interaction during purchases is also taken away. We are losing more and more connections with
\nother people, making this metropolis \u2018colder\u2019, and more apathetic despite its remarkable development.
\nIntimacy can be the cost for convenience. We young people may not bother, but how about the older
\ngenerations?<\/p>\n
As the old saying goes, \u2018every coin has two sides\u2019. Whether we should go for this model remains an
\nopen question. Yet, from my perspective, youths like us, who symbolize innovations, dynamics and open-
\nmindedness, should embrace this emerging and evolving trend. New opportunities always derive from new
\ncrises. Therefore, instead of focusing too much on the negative sides, we should seize the chance to jump
\non the bandwagon of developing IT. Only by doing so can we forge a more vibrant, dynamic and creative
\nHong Kong. Let\u2019s go to Okashi Land in Mong Kok to have a taste of the grab-and-go model, shall we?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we are approaching to a new era of unprecedented development of advanced technology, thbusiness models in Hong Kong are gradually transforming. From McDonald\u2019s replacing cashiers witordering machines to the recent Okashi Land going unstaffed, the trend is conspicuous --- retails shops arremovi.........Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":8474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","language-en","classlevel-s6","schoolyear-79"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6245"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6325,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6245\/revisions\/6325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}