Almost three quarters of all checkouts at a selection of Brighton city centre supermarkets are self-service, a survey by the Argus has found.
The Argus visited 14 supermarkets in the city, and found that 142 of the total 192 checkouts were self-service - 74 per cent.
This comes as Asda and Morrisons said they would be adding more manned checkouts amid a backlash from customers, according to the BBC.
While the perceived speed of a self-checkout appeals to many, other customers value the in-person interaction with a member of staff - particularly the elderly and those with disabilities.
Sainsbury's and Co-Op: percentage of self-checkout tills
The Argus study found that Sainsbury’s on New England Road had 81 per cent self-service checkouts, while Co-Op stores on London Road and North Street had 66.6 per cent and 72.7 per cent self-service tills respectively.
A Co-Op spokesperson said: “We offer both self-service and manned kiosk checkouts across our stores. As we are a convenience retailer, most of our customers have one basket of shopping or just a couple of items they are holding, and the nature of their shopping trips to Co-op are quick.
"So in this sense, self-checkouts offer real convenience for our customers. We always have manned kiosk checkouts in all our stores, which allow customers to access other services, and for customers who prefer not to use the self-checkouts.
“The decision on how many till points, and whether they are self-checkout or manned is based on a number of criteria, although, for us, the main one is often space. As a convenience retailer, our stores are relatively small so we need to balance the space available for selling and serving.
“Customers who may have additional needs always have access to manned kiosk in Co-op stores if they choose.”
Similar picture with Morrisons and Aldi
In Morrisons in Kemp Town, just over 73 per cent of all checkouts were self-service.
Similarly, in Aldi on London Road, 68.4 per cent checkouts were self-service, while only 31.6 per cent were traditional manned checkouts.
No manned tills at Brighton station M&S
In M&S Simply Food at Brighton station, however, all 12 of the checkouts were self-service, raising concerns about how those with difficulty using self-service checkouts would be able to pay for their shopping.
At their food hall on Western Road, 76.5 per cent of all checkouts were self-service, 17.6 per cent were manned, and 5.8 per cent were kiosks.
A spokesperson from M&S said: “We help our customers to shop when, where and how they want by providing a choice of manned checkouts and self-service tills and we always offer customers the option to shop and pay with a colleague’s help. Our city-centre store in Brighton has both manned belted tills and self-service to cater for the high frequency of transactions with smaller baskets.”
Waitrose, who have 65% of their checkouts as self-service, said: “While some of our customers prefer the speed and convenience of self-checkouts, all of our stores continue to have traditional tills for those who prefer a more personal service.
“We’re constantly reviewing feedback from our customers to ensure that their checkout preferences are reflected in our stores," they said, adding that staff are always on hand to offer support with customers checking out when required."
Local and express stores also prefer self-service checkouts
Local and express shops also favoured self-service checkouts.
Sixty per cent of checkouts at the Sainsbury’s Local stores on Queens Road and Old Steine were self-service, while the Tesco Express stores on Queens Road and Jubilee Street had 80 per cent of their checkouts as self-service.
A spokesperson for Tesco said: “Our colleagues and the friendly service they provide are absolutely vital to our stores, and will always be on hand to help our customers, whatever time of day, whether they are checking out at one of our colleague-operated or self-service checkouts.
“We first introduced self-service checkouts nearly 20 years ago to give our customers a choice and our stores have both types of checkout. We are proud to offer customers choice when it comes to checking out and customers can always ask a colleague for a manned till to be opened.”
Sainsbury's and Aldi were approached for comment.
Share