Shoppers divided as Booths swaps machines for real people at checkouts
Booths leads retail revolution by removing self-service tills
Share:

People Also Read

Booths, a renowned supermarket chain often dubbed the “Waitrose of the North,” has taken a bold step by eliminating self-service checkouts from almost all its stores, aiming to restore a more personal touch to the shopping experience.
The company’s leadership, including managing director Nigel Murray, emphasized that the shift was driven by customer feedback and a commitment to hospitality, with Murray stating, “We like to talk to people and we’re really proud that we’re moving largely to a place where our customers are served by people, by human beings, so rather than artificial intelligence, we’re going for actual intelligence.” This move has been met with increased customer satisfaction scores and a noticeable improvement in service speed, as Booths invests in more staffed tills and enhanced counter expertise.
The decision to remove self-service technology, which had been introduced six years ago to manage wage bills and efficiency, comes after repeated complaints about the machines being slow, unreliable, and impersonal.
Customers expressed frustration with issues such as waiting for staff to verify age-restricted purchases and machines misreading items, leading to a diminished shopping experience.
Booths has retained self-checkouts only at its two busiest Lake District locations, Windermere and Keswick, where tourist surges can create exceptional demand, but otherwise, the focus is squarely on human interaction and service quality.
This approach diverges from the strategies of major UK retailers like Tesco and Sainsbury’s, which continue to promote self-service for efficiency and cost savings, even as global trends show a reevaluation of such technology.
In the US, retailers like Walmart and Costco have also begun to reconsider the widespread use of self-checkouts, responding to similar concerns about customer experience and increased shoplifting rates.
According to a survey by The Grocer, nearly 40% of shoppers admitted to missing at least one item while using self-checkouts, suggesting that Booths’ return to staffed tills could help reduce theft while reinforcing its reputation for exceptional service and a “warm northern welcome” that has been central to its brand since 1847.