Supermarket chain Booths have removed almost all self-service tills across their stores.
Founded in Blackpool in 1847, Booths say the plans are in response to customer demand and to boost the overall customer experience.
Only two of the 28 stores have kept the self-checkouts, those being in Keswick and Windermere, two of the company’s Cumbria branches.
The decision to keep the technology at these two branches is due to them being amongst the most popular with tourists attending during a short time period each year.
They plan to increase the number of manned checkouts and pay points in replacement of the self-service checkouts.
Booths MD Nigel Murray told The Grocer: “We’re not great fans of self-checkouts.
“We pride ourselves on great customer service and you can’t do that through robot.”
Supermarket executives have stated the changes have helped them cut cost and speed up time it takes to serve customers.
Downsides of the self-checkouts include waiting for store colleagues to remove security tags and ID people and items being weighed and registered incorrectly by the technology.
Whilst popular with Booths customers, the decision has prompted rival supermarket Waitrose to clarify that they will not follow suit and will not get rid of their own self scan tills.
Booths are a chain of high-end supermarkets in the North of England with most of its branches in Lancashire.
