Shoppers pay by phone app as first Tesco axes checkout
TESCO has opened its first checkoutfree store where customers pay without scanning products or using a till.
The public trial, called GetGo, was getting under way at its Express store on High Holborn in central London today after a pilot scheme for staff in Welwyn Garden City, Herts.
Shoppers use a phone app to swipe a barcode as they enter. Sensors and cameras identify what they pick up, charging their accounts so they can just walk out.
Kevin Tindall, the managing director of the chain’s convenience store format, said: “We’re looking forward to seeing how our customers respond.”
Age-restricted products will be kept in a separate part of the shop, with its own exit where staff will check shoppers’ ID verification.
A Tesco spokesman said the technology will save time “for those who want to pop in to pick up something for lunch or grab dinner”.
Aldi said last month it was trialling a supermarket without checkouts, for staff, also in London. Amazon Fresh, the online giant’s first checkout-free store, opened to customers in Ealing, west London, earlier this year. Meanwhile, store chiefs hoping up for a bumper Christmas have started recruiting an army of workers. Marks & Spencer is aiming to hire 12,000 seasonal staff to support its food and clothing stores. The festive recruits are set to join M&S from early December with a range of start dates and contract lengths available for the roles.
There may be opportunities for permanent employment after the holidays too, depending on vacancies at each store. Helen Milford, the chain’s stores director, urged people interested in the positions: “With a range of start dates available and 20 per cent colleague discount, apply today via the M&S careers website to join the M&S family and be part of something special this Christmas.”