Sainsbury’s has reinstalled tills in an experimental checkout-free shop after a mixed reaction from customers.
Sainsbury’s began trialling what it claimed to be the UK’s first till-free grocery store in April. Customers visiting the Holborn Circus convenience outlet were able scan and pay for their groceries using the company’s SmartShop Scan app, which launched last year and is currently being tested in other stores alongside checkouts.
Sainsbury’s stated at the time that removing the checkout area and tills would free up store staff so could focus on helping customers in the aisles and keeping shelves fully stocked.
However, the retailer has now admitted that system resulted in long queues at the store’s helpdesk as people attempted to pay for their groceries in the traditional way.
Customers were said to have had difficulties in scanning QR codes when leaving the store, whilst other shoppers found the store’s wi-fi sign up process too long.
Sainsbury’s said it had learned “a huge amount” from the experiment, adding: “It’s clear that not all our customers are ready for a totally till-free store.”
The option to pay via the app is still available at the Holborn shop but the retailer has reintroduced a manned till and two self-checkout points.
