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Kroger agreement has employees wondering what future holds for grocery stores

More grocers are turning to technology, eliminating the need for more employees.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The National Retail Federation predicts that online grocery purchases will account for 20% of sales in the next five years as shoppers look for more convenient ways to shop.

Grocery store shoppers use to choose which store they go to or what products they buy based on their experiences.

Depending on which shopper you talk to, the shopping experience is either getting worse or about the same.

"It's taking longer. Things are not what they used to be," said Cathy Hennessy

Lori Reber is an avid digital coupon collector.

"I saved $120 today because I played all those games," she said.

"I think the technology part is really good just because it got to upgrade with the times but just the whole waiting for 25 minutes just to check out is a little insane, said Noah Clifton.

Self-checkout lines are slowing, replacing the cashier.

Many stores are turning to grocery apps to buy their food eliminating the need for extra people to complete the transaction.

A Kroger employee said it's no surprise to him that fewer employees are doing the work.

"We've been seeing less and less employees since at least 2015," he said

Kroger and its union settled on a contract that gave employees a raise of $2.65 per hour, avoiding a potential strike.

Including wages, workers also expressed frustrations over those staffing numbers and health insurance.

A Kroger employee 10TV spoke to, who asked not to be identified, said he voted against the contract, because he didn't want to pay more for health insurance but understands why the majority voted yes.

"They voted yes this time only because they were worried about the strike. They could not afford to go on strike, they have to have that money coming in," he said.

As technology changes so do shopping habits.

The convenience of not having to get out of a car or even leave the house to get groceries is of great appeal to many.

But for some, the experience of checking out in line is the only place for them.

Grocery stores have already implemented new technologies to reduce customer interaction.

You can read more about how technology is changing the grocery business here.

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