Self-checkout machines at supermarkets in the UK are being shunned for the “human option”, even if that means that shoppers have to queue for a longer period of time.
A debate was sparked after a shopper posted a picture of a lengthy queue inside his local Sainsbury’s, which showed six people lined up ahead of him, with no one opting to choose the self-checkouts instead.
Customers lined up ahead of the man all had trollies, likely meaning that it took a considerable amount of time for the shopper to make it to the front of the till.
However, he said he did not mind, stating: “I don’t give a f**k, I’ll queue till Xmas. I am not doing self-service.”
Other social media users chipped into the debate, with one user adding: “This may sound right wing but there needs to be tills open. I’m not against self-serve and use it a lot but there needs to be a choice.
“What if one day I choose to go for a manned till rather than a self-serve? I should be able to have that choice.”
Another said: “I refuse to use the self-checkout. The stores make big profits and make staff redundant. They’ve taken over the high street and mopped up the independent stores, with express shops.”
However, other users didn’t see a problem with the self-checkouts, with one user chiming in: “Why are you complaining on Twitter if you’re ‘willing to queue till Christmas’?
“It’s not the staff’s fault they only work to the guidelines set by those higher up in Sainsbury’s HQ complain to them.”
GB News’ Bev Turner replied to the post, adding: “Happened to me today at Aldi…..‘excuse me, you can use the self-checkout.’
“Me (with a smile): ‘No thanks. I’m trying to make sure you will still have a job’.”
Replying to the original post, a customer service representative for the chain apologised for the inconvenience: “Thank you for getting in touch and notifying us about this. I’ve now fed your comments back to the store manager for an internal review.
“Please be assured this will be looked into and dealt with accordingly. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”
Do you think self-service checkouts should be banned in supermarkets? Have your say in our poll above.
