Around here the self check out lines were installed well before COVID.
And in my experience they're often quicker than waiting for a cashier, meaning they're the exact opposite of a "tax on one's time".
However, there are plenty of other examples of businesses pushing more responsibilities onto their customers/employees that the business itself used to take care of, however. This includes classics such as "customer service" requiring you to talk your way through 8 layers of robo-prompts before reaching a human being.
My recent favorite was attempting to book flights for my honeymoon, and Delta's website was glitching. I was talking to their automated service.
CS-Bot: "What city are you flying out of?"
Me: (City Name)
CS-Bot: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. What city are you flying out of?"
Me, slightly annoyed: (City Name)
CS-Bot: "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. What city are you flying out of?"
Me, slightly annoyed while my wife is laughing hysterically: (City name, mispronounced in hopes that the CS-Bot is looking for the way non-locals sometimes mispronounce it)
CS-Bot: Please wait. A customer service representative will be available in 32 minutes
Me: Hangs up and decides to book a portion of the trip on United instead