In today’s world, where automated self-service checkouts have become the norm in supermarkets, one UK grocery chain is taking a courageous step back towards the days of fully-staffed checkouts. Booths, an upmarket supermarket chain with 27 stores across Northern England in Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, has made the bold decision to bid farewell to most of its self-service tills, emphasizing the importance of human interaction and customer service over automation.
Often referred to as the “northern Waitrose” due to its reputation for quality and exceptional customer service, Booths is charting its own course in the retail landscape. The decision to remove self-service checkouts was prompted by customer feedback and the desire to provide a more personal shopping experience. Nigel Murray, the managing director of Booths, underlined their commitment to customer satisfaction, stating, “Our customers have consistently told us that the self-scan machines in our stores can be slow, unreliable, and impersonal.”
In an era where automation and artificial intelligence have steadily infiltrated the retail sector, Booths is standing up for “actual intelligence” provided by their human cashiers. This move has ignited a spirited debate about the merits and drawbacks of self-service checkouts, particularly in the context of ongoing shoplifting concerns. The British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) has pointed out that the rising rates of retail theft pose a significant challenge for retailers relying on self-service tills, which can quickly become an expensive liability. This raises questions about the effectiveness of automated checkout systems in deterring theft and their overall cost-benefit analysis for retailers.
Booths’ decision to revert to fully-staffed checkouts is not a one-size-fits-all approach. They plan to retain self-service tills in just two of their stores, specifically those situated in the Lake District at Keswick and Windermere. These exceptions are based on the stores’ high levels of customer traffic, where the convenience of self-service may still be preferred.
Booths, with its storied history dating back to 1847, serves as a testament to the enduring value of personalized customer service. In a retail landscape dominated by convenience and automation, the supermarket chain is placing a premium on the human touch, recognizing the importance of face-to-face interactions in nurturing customer loyalty.
