Supermarket chain abandons self-checkouts and returns to staffed checkouts
Supermarket chain Booths is to remove self-checkouts from stores, saying it is better for customers to have staff at checkouts.
All but two branches of the northern supermarket will be moved to fully staffed checkouts.
The decision is based on customer feedback and “what we think is the right thing to do”, a spokesperson told Sky News.
“We believe that helpful colleagues provide a better customer experience.”
Two stores in Keswick and Windermere will maintain self-checkouts as the Lake District sites can be very busy, the company said.
The upmarket chain, sometimes called the ‘Waitrose of the North’, has 28 stores across Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
Booths is believed to be the first supermarket to ditch self-service checkouts.
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Booths said its founding philosophy since 1847 was to “sell the best products available, in attractive stores, staffed by first-class assistants.”
The spokesperson said: “Delighting customers with our warm Northern welcome is part of our DNA, and we continue to invest in our people to ensure we stay true to this ethos. »
In July, a survey by The Grocer found that customer service scores had fallen to record lows. This is due to the decline of self-checkouts and long queues at the remaining staffed checkouts.
