A SUPERMARKET giant is trialling self-service checkouts with large conveyor belts to replace human cashiers.
The hybrid till has a scanner on a moving conveyor belt, giving shoppers more space to scan and pack bigger trolleys.
Sainsbury’s is currently testing them in select stores before it decides whether to roll them out more widely.
To use the tills shoppers would load their items onto the conveyor belt, scan each one and then pack them into their own bags.
The tills are a similar size to manned checkouts that are currently in all big supermarkets.
But introducing these tills could divide shoppers.
Currently self-service checkouts are very small and are typically used only when buying a basket of goods.
Customers who are doing their weekly shop usually use bigger tills which are operated by a member of staff.
These are often popular with older people or families who need help scanning and packing their shopping.
If the number of manned tills falls then this could mean longer waits for shoppers who do not want to scan their own items.
But those who are used to scanning and packing their own food may save time when doing their shopping.
The checkouts are currently being trialled in the Witney and Cobham stores in west Oxfordshire.
Sainsbury’s says that no decisions have been made on a further roll-out.
It says that it will continue to offer a range of checkout types for customers including self-checkout, Smart Shop and serviced tills.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “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.”
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Self-service checkouts have become loathed by some shoppers as they are often used as a way to reduce the number of staff in store.
Earlier this year Sainsbury’s introduced new barrier systems which require self checkout shoppers to scan their receipts before they leave the store.
Asda also angered shoppers earlier this year when it introduced self-checkout only hours in some of its stores.
Meanwhile, Amazon and Tesco both offer “just walk out” shopping as another way to reduce the number of staff needed in store.
Sainsbury’s supermarket giant is also trialling digital touch-screen stations which will help customers to find products in the store.
The screens could mean that customers will not need to ask a member of staff for help.
They will also provide information such as recipes.
But Sainsburys’ chief executive Simon Roberts told The Grocer in April that Sainsbury’s would keep “at least one” staffed checkout within all stores.
He also added that many customers enjoy using self-checkouts.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
The changes come after the announcement of cost-cutting measures at the supermarket.
In February Roberts set a cost saving target of £1 billion for the next three years.
He said he expects to boost the supermarket’s profit by prioritising food, Nectar card and convenience through its “Next Level” Sainsbury’s strategy.
Under the plans the money it saves will be reinvested in the business to give customers “great value, quality and service”.
When it is complete the group will have cut £2.5 billion of costs over the last decade.
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