Does Grocery Shopping Eliminate Loneliness?

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Around the world, social isolation is a public health problem, and in countries like the U.S., it has grown to epidemic levels. A recent in-store initiative by a grocery store in the Netherlands seeks to address loneliness among shoppers, reports Retailwire.com.

The privately-owned Dutch chain, Jumbo Supermarkets, has launched a special “chatter checkout” line and a coffee corner, both designed to help people who feel isolated socialize during their shopping trips. The specially labeled checkout line invites people who are not in a rush to stay and visit with the cashiers, while the coffee area encourages shoppers to socialize with volunteers from a local foundation.

Online shoppers try hard to avoid checkout lines. Solutions like BOPIS and scan-and-go help minimize the amount of time that they spend in-store and help get them on their way. But as streamlined checkout technology has gained in popularity, opponents have drawn a connection between faster grocery shopping and the loss of social connections.

It is not clear to what extent facilitating chatting between customers and cashiers or foundation volunteers, such as at the Jumbo location, would do to make a meaningful dent in the broader problem of social isolation. However, an Oregon labor leader recently brought about a ballot initiative to limit the number of self-checkouts in grocery stores, citing them as, among other things, a contributing factor to social isolation.

A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that loneliness is as much of a public health hazard as obesity. While often thought of as a problem that afflicts primarily the elderly, a recent U.S. News & World Report article notes that young adults also experience social isolation and loneliness at an alarming rate.

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