Totally. It's the same reason small talk with your barber or an Uber driver works, just lowers everyone's guard.

Honestly, I was all for self-checkouts because they saved time. But @amy_coleman, your comment about handing off bits of knowing really CHANGED my view. I noticed I barely remember how to count back change correctly anymore. We're letting go of simple skills without even realizing it, and that's KIND of a big deal. I used to believe all new tech was better, but now I see we might be losing something BASIC. It sneaks up on you until one day you can't do a simple task without a machine helping.