Congrats Booths Supermarkets

[DTCwordfan]

Well done, Booths, that 'Waitrose' of Northern England for bringing back staff to man their tills and interact with their customers. Watch the Beeb news if you want the article.

Will Waitrose follow?

Will others follow?

After all, buy a bottle of alcohol and one has to have human interaction in some form - so why not? - the cashiers are all part of the brand.

[Buenchico]

I certainly won't be shopping in Booths!

I'd rather wait half an hour to go to a self-service till than go straight to a staffed one!

[Buenchico]

 "L'enfer, c'est les autres" - Sartre

[douglas9401]

Go on then, why?

[douglas9401]

Nowt as queer as folk. Anon.

[Buenchico]

>>> Go on then, why?

1. I can put things through at my own pace and pack them into separate bags accordingly.  (i.e. I can put all of the frozen and chilled stuff through first, packing them into a single bag as I go, rather than have to try to unload my trolley and pack vastly different items all at the same time) ;

2. I prefer machines to people any day!

[douglas9401]

Unexpected item in the bagging area. 🤣

[wolf63]

The Tesco across the road from me is mainly scan your own.  As I hate having to be civil to a till operator the scan your own sounds great.  But its not.

I would be here all night if I listed my complaints.  But I was told be staff that using phrases with kcuf in them doesn't encourage the till to work.

i know not of Booths.

[THECORBYLOON]

"I hate having to be civil to a till operator" why?

[Buenchico]

^^^ They've only got 27 stores, Wolfie, all in what they call the North West of England (although I doubt that the residents of Ilkley think of themselves as being in the North West!)
https://orders.booths.co.uk/store-locations

[retrocop]

My wife is incapable of using serve yourself and will happily join a long queue to pay for a couple of items. She justifies this that it keeps people in work.I can use the self service and be in the pub next door sinking two pints before she gets served.I would be happy if my local Sainsbury would follow suit.There are always about 18 empty tills.She objects to being photographed when using the self checkout whist she scans and packs. I'll just wait for her in the pub in future.

[wolf63]

CL, because I am a grumpy cow

[david small]

I much prefer paying cash to card payment. Waitrose machines are card only. Human vs machine, human defiantly.

[david small]

Definitely...... auto correct drives me nuts.

[gingejbee]

"Will Waitrose follow?". Well, my local Waitrose has always had lots of "manned" check-outs. I much prefer to use a scanning-gun as I go round and pay at a machine.

[ladybirder]

Get it all delivered like I do.  Worth every penny.  Waitrose charge £4 as do most supermarkets.  They are trialling a £2 charge for delivery in a 4-hour slot.  I tried it this week and closer to the time they gave me a one hour slot so I shall continue with that.

[fripfrip]

retro couldn't you do a bit a of shelf filling while you waiting for your mrs being served.

[Cloverjo]

I can't bear self-serve tills. I always get in a flap with them and I'm usually buying alcohol, so I have to wait for a person to look at my face and think 'Yes, she is CLEARLY over 25'. Thanks! 
You don't have to be overly chatty with the human cashiers. Just say, hello, thank you, goodbye. 

[Canary42]

Check-out operating is a terribly boring job, so I love to cheer them up with a few cheery words as I pass through.  

One very odd phenomena I've experienced on several occasions is that a jar of pickled eggs usually inspires a comment from them which is nice.

Self-service tills almost invariably break down for me and then I need a real person's attention anyway.

[jourdain2]

I refuse to use the self-service ones - unless I have one thing (like a newspaper) ane I am in a tearing hurry.  Then I get the assistant to do it for me.

OH loves it that (having moved up North) people chat to us - he's become friendly with quite a few of the staff at local supermarkets.

Well done Booths!

PS I have stopped my, admittedly infrequent, patronage of Sainsbury's in  Scarborough because there are only 2 staffed tills left.

[Roobaba]

So could there be a 'north-south' divide, or indeed a part (or parts) of the country where self-service tills are welcomed openly as being 'progress' heading blindly towards some future techno-utopia? I doubt the vast shopping majority approve of such things.. needless to say the opportunities for 'accidental theft' are increased, and human interaction reduced. I do not use self-service tills, although shopping late these days often they are all that are available, then like jourdain2 I get the assistant to do it for me.