Tesco opens first self-service-only Express store

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 22-Oct-09, 09:10

LONDON - Tesco has opened its first store with no checkout staff, calling it an "assisted service store", designed to increase efficiency.

The Express convenience store, in Northampton, features five self-service tills that are supervised by one member of staff. There are no staffed checkouts.

Tesco said it was designed to speed up shopping trips. However, critics are concerned with the loss of basic human interaction during weekly shopping trips and the fact that it could lead to thousands of job losses.

The grocery giant insisted that the Express store in Kingsley was a trial and that it had no plans to open large supermarkets without checkout staff.

A Tesco spokesman said: "The number of staff won't change. The customer interaction won't change.

"We're creating over 11,000 jobs this year. We're creating jobs, not cutting them."

Sainsbury's and Asda have said that they have no plans to follow Tesco's lead and introduce self-service stores.

Comments

John Gallen - 22/10/2009

I don't like this.

dano - 22/10/2009

Do you dislike shopping online too John? Its EXACTLY the same.

A DIAZ - 22/10/2009

Shopping online and going into a store EXACTLY the same? HARDLY.

Alan Malarkey - 22/10/2009

Bring it on. I always use the self-checkouts at Tesco where possible. Anywy, what sort of retard depends upon a visit to Tesco for their "basic human interaction"?

John Gallen - 23/10/2009

Hi Dano, I don't do grocery shopping online. And no, they are DEFINITELY not the same thing. "It's a sunny day, I'll walk to the shops" is not the same thing as "bugger! it be pi****g down I'll order online". Also, when you get there, it's not a single check out person. It's a big burly bouncer who points and grunts. Lovely.