Booths, a well-known UK supermarket chain, has made the bold decision to remove self-checkouts from the majority of its stores, a move that has been credited with significantly boosting customer satisfaction.
The Lancashire-based company first began phasing out these self-service machines in November 2023, responding to growing concerns about the impact of automation on the in-store experience.
Managing director Nigel Murray has confirmed that the decision has positively influenced customer feedback, contributing to a noticeable increase in satisfaction.
According to Birmingham Mail, Booths’ focus on human interaction and personalized service has been at the core of this transformation, leading to improved results.
Customer Satisfaction Soars
According to Nigel Murray, Booths has seen a noticeable improvement in customer satisfaction scores, rising from 70 to 74 out of 100. He noted that this rise is not solely due to the removal of self-checkouts, stating :
We’re at 74 now, up from 70 (out of 100). Not all of that is due to the fact that we’ve taken self-service checkouts out of many of the stores.
He emphasised that Booths has scored highly in areas such as service and long-term expectations, adding :
When you look at things like service, into the ‘promise of things to come’ section, we’ve scored brilliantly.
Efficiency Through Human Interaction
One of the key reasons behind the decision is Booths’ belief in the consistency and quality of human-operated service. Murray explained that employees performing repetitive tasks throughout the day tend to do them more effectively than occasional users :
Because in really simple terms if you’ve got somebody who is doing a job repetitively for six, seven, eight hours a day, they are going to do it faster and better than if you are just turning up to do it once every three days.
This statement reflects a broader confidence in traditional retail service, suggesting that customers not only receive better assistance but also experience smoother transactions when dealing with trained staff.
A Changing Landscape for Checkout Systems
Booths’ decision aligns with a broader shift among UK retailers reassessing the role of self-checkouts. Home Bargains, for instance, is implementing AI-powered anti-theft software in its self-checkout areas.
Developed in partnership with SAI (Storewide Active Intelligence) and Everseen, the software enhances CCTV systems to detect whether items have been scanned correctly before leaving the checkout.
Meanwhile, Aldi is expanding its self-checkout offerings by allowing customers to purchase lottery tickets at these terminals—previously available only at manned tills.
Asda’s Hybrid Approach
Asda has also acknowledged limits to self-service models. The retailer has announced that it will assign more staff to manned checkouts, citing operational improvements rather than customer preference.
A spokesperson explained that the move was not driven by a desire to return to fully human-operated systems, but rather to invest additional working hours in areas that enhance the overall store experience.
