Sainsbury’s is trialling bigger self-checkouts with conveyor belts to replace human cashiers.
The new hybrid self-checkouts feature the moving belt for shoppers to load their groceries on and a bigger bagging area.
They are similar in size to those of the manned checkouts in a bid to get people with trollies to use them.
They are being trialled in two stores: in the leafy Surrey town of Cobham and in Witney, west Oxfordshire.
Britain’s second largest supermarket is also trialling new digital touchscreens that allows shoppers to find the location of items in stores – meaning they wouldn’t have to ask a member of staff.
Sainsbury’s is trialling bigger self-checkouts with conveyor belts to replace human cashiers
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said earlier this year: ‘As an industry, we can’t say we can’t become more efficient’
The Grocer reported the move is part of Sainsbury’s ‘mission-based’ plan.
A spokesman for Sainsbury’s told The Telegraph: ‘We are always exploring new ways to offer our customers the best possible choice and convenience. Our trial in Cobham and Witney is the latest example of that and we are listening to colleague and customer feedback.’
It comes on the back of several stores implementing unpopular barrier systems which require self checkout shoppers to scan their receipts before leaving the store.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts told The Grocer earlier this year: ‘As an industry, we can’t say we can’t become more efficient. In a three per cent margin business, with the cost pressures we face, we have to find efficiencies.’
He said Sainsbury’s would keep ‘at least one’ manned checkout within all stores.
Mr Roberts proclaimed that shoppers love Sainsbury’s self-checkout machines and value the ‘speedy checkout‘.
Speaking in April, he said: ‘If you visit one of our supermarkets, what you’ll see is definitely more self checkouts than a number of years ago, because actually a lot of customers like the speedy checkout.
‘Over the last year, where we’ve put more self checkouts in, we’re always making sure that the traditional kind of belted checkout is there.’
In February, Sainsbury’s said it was planning to cut around 1,500 jobs as part of efforts to reduce costs by £1 billion over the next three years.
It comes on the back of several stores implementing unpopular barrier systems which require self checkout shoppers to scan their receipts before leaving the store
Sainsbury’s have claimed that customers love their self checkout machines
The business said that it would cut roles in its contact centre in Widnes, in Cheshire, at its in-store bakeries and a few at local fulfilment centres.
The changes are part of the group’s new ‘Next Level Sainsbury’s’ strategy, and plans for the money it saves to be reinvested into the business to give customers ‘great value, quality and service.’
It also plans to move more of its shops ‘to a more efficient way of freshly baking products’.
Meanwhile, Asda earlier this year caused uproar as some stores introduced self-checkout only hours.
The bargain supermarket told MailOnline in August it was up to the individual store to decide when they opened their checkouts and said that should customers need a hand, they could approach staff.