Shocking Reason Behind Grocer’s Removal of Self-Checkout: Learn Why

By David Landsel

Go beep yourself.

Customers of the upscale British grocery chain Booths were surprised this week to find out that the company is discontinuing self-checkout lanes, just six years after introducing them. The decision goes against the growing trend of replacing human cashiers with automated systems in supermarkets and big box retailers.

“We’re not great fans of self-checkouts,” said Booths managing director Nigel Murray in an interview with U.K. trade publication The Grocer. “We pride ourselves on great customer service and you can’t do that through a robot.”

Murray explained that the do-it-yourself approach initially seemed appealing for managing labor costs and improving efficiency, but the technology turned out to be finicky and detracted from the shopping experience.

Booths, which was founded in 1847 with a philosophy of providing great goods in attractive stores staffed with first class assistants, has decided to remove the controversial self-checkout lanes from all of its stores, except two located in the touristy Lake District where staff are overwhelmed during the warmer months.

Other retailers, like Walmart and Wegmans, have also revealed their struggles with automating the checkout process, citing issues such as abuse and loss. A 2016 study quoted by The New York Times found that retailers offering self-checkout options experienced a higher loss rate compared to the industry average.

As the grocery industry moves towards automated checkout, concerns about the “loneliness epidemic” have been attributed to the lack of human interaction with automated systems. Despite being introduced roughly twenty years ago, companies relied heavily on self-checkout options during the pandemic to minimize contact with human beings.

Reference