Kletskassa, supermarket cashiers against loneliness

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Kletskassa, supermarket cashiers against loneliness

Kletskassa has been driven by the Dutch government and more than twenty corporations in the country.

Image from Jumbo’s website.

Network of chat boxes (“kletskassa” in Dutch), in operation at the payment boxes of various supermarket chains, which at the time of payment of the purchase offer a moment of conversation with the cashier to people who are in no hurry and that they may feel alone.

The initiative is part of the action plan of the National Coalition against Solitude, created by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands, along with about twenty major organizations in the country. This institution fights against the social isolation that a part of the population suffers through campaigns that encourage interpersonal connections, such as having a coffee with a neighbor, or talking to the cashier of the supermarket. Hugo de Jonge, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, says: “Everyone can do something to break the loneliness of others”.

Some large supermarket chains, such as Jumbo, have opened “kletskassa” in all their establishments.