Death of the check out? Sainsbury’s is making a major change in stores – and shoppers are not happy
SAINSBURY’S has been slammed after slashing the number of employee-operated checkouts to just one in some stores – with customers instead forced to use self-service checkouts.
Following recent alterations one store in Warlingham, Surrey, now has just five checkout old-style cashier-operated tills.
And when we visited last week just one was manned by a physical member of staff.
Instead shoppers are redirected to two large self-service checkout areas with around 20 to 30 tills.
Bosses at the retail giant say the arrangement we found at the store in Surrey on the outskirts of London is now the norm in some stores due to “customer demand”.
But last night consumers blasted the move for failing to take account of elderly or infirm shoppers who find it difficult to use the self-service checkouts.
And others who simply find them frustrating to use or are not tech-savvy.
Donna Farrier, 67, from Whyteleafe in Surrey, moaned: “As a senior citizen I find it extremely difficult to use a self-checkout till to pay for a trolley load of items.
“It is clear Sainsbury’s is not concerned with the discomfort of their customers; they’re just after increased profits.”
While Frankie Thompson, 44, mum-of-two from Westerham in Kent, added: “When I saw this I thought this is just another thing that makes shopping in Sainsbury’s with two young children even more difficult.
“I don’t have enough hands and arms as it is. Now they want to remove nearly all the checkouts with cashiers and make me use a self-service one instead.
“What a chiselling move especially given all their recent price increases. I won’t be rushing back to Sainsbury’s.”
Campaigners also slammed the retail giant for removing the human touch from shopping.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, said: “The supermarket giants are shooting themselves in the foot by removing the human touch from shopping.
“Older people in particular want a friendly helping hand from the till assistant, a chat and a smile as the goods are clicked through and probably help with payments and vouchers.
“More should follow the example of the Northern chain Booths in removing self-service tills from their stores. There is a growing reaction to the dehumanisation of retail.”
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Sainsbury’s isn’t the only supermarket to reduce staff manned checkouts in favour of self-service tills.
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor said: “It is interesting to see how different supermarkets are tackling checkouts and which option shoppers prefer.
“Some are cutting back on cashier operated tills in favour of self-service, while others, for example Booths, have done the opposite.
“Self-checkout tills can be frustrating for many people. Items don’t always scan properly and you’re often left stranded until a store assistant notices you.
“They also remove the social interaction that some people enjoy or even rely on when they’re at the shops.
“For some, self-service checkouts offer advantages, such as reducing queuing time or allowing shoppers to quickly get in and out of the store.
“This debate is only likely to continue as technology advances and supermarkets make decisions about how to deploy it in their stores.
“It is important that stores offer a range of checkout options to serve different customers’ tastes and needs.”
Sainsbury’s claimed it would not be cutting staffing levels in store but employees would be working in a different way.
They would not reveal the number of branches affected by the new checkout arrangements.
A spokeswoman said: “We regularly review the services available in our stores to make sure we offer the most convenient experience to our customers.
“We have increased the number of self-service checkouts in some stores to meet customer demand for this service.
“Our colleagues are on hand to help anyone who may need support using them and we continue to offer serviced checkouts for our customers who wish to use them.”
In April, Sainsbury’s boss Simon Roberts claimed that shoppers love its self-service checkouts despite backlash.
Shops including Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Morrisons and Primark all have barriers where customers must scan receipts in order to leave, in a bid to help cut down rising theft incidents.
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