Supermarket with no self-service checkouts spotted in QLD - Food Files

Apr 23, 2024

A very unexpected item in the bagging area.

A photo of a rare Woolworths store has flamed the ongoing debate around controversial self-service checkouts in Australian supermarkets.

Supermarkets have angered many shoppers after expanding the number of self-serve options in stores while simultaneously increasing intense security measures and seemingly decreasing staffed tills.

But one Woolworths store in Queensland’s Sunnybank is among the few yet to have self-service checkouts installed – with one shopper sharing their remarkable find on Reddit.

“Woolies with no self serve. Everything went smoothly,” the picture, posted on Friday, was captioned.

The snap quickly ignited fond feelings of nostalgia among Aussies, prompting calls for “more stores” to be self-service free.

“Bring this back,” one commented.

“Ah yes, back when supermarkets didn’t make you feel like a criminal. Good times,” another added.

Woolies with no self serve.
byu/ArenNerdy inaustralia

As one declared: “I’d forgotten how good supermarkets used to be.”

However, despite a full row of checkouts being manned by employees, many pointed out the sign hanging behind them, which reads: “Fresh new look coming soon.”

“The sign says ‘fresh new look coming soon’ which means in Woolies speak, all those checkouts will be ripped out and replaced with self serve very soon,” someone said.

The supermarket defended plans to upgrade the store, which is among just two percent nationwide yet to have the modern tech installed.

“We know some customers prefer to be served by a team member, and that’s why we always have a staffed checkout open at all times in our supermarkets,” a Woolworths spokesperson told news.com.au.

“Most customers with 20 items or less in their shopping basket opt to use our self-serve checkouts, while the majority of customers with more than 20 items choose to be served at a staffed checkout.

“Today we employ more team members in our stores than ever before, helping us serve customers in a range of new ways, including hand-picking online orders for rapid grocery delivery and Direct to Boot.

“We have a number of initiatives – both covert and overt – to target theft, however the majority of our customers do the right thing.”

While self-checkout systems were first introduced by retail outlets a decade ago, their usage has amped up in recent years alongside hefty security measures to reduce theft.

Supermarket checkout source: getty images

The seeming push towards self-service over manned checkouts has led to a rise in complaints, with some Aussies slamming supermarkets for making shoppers “work” when buying their food, a detail that has become even harder to accept amid the rising cost of groceries.

“Self-service checkouts are a great option for customers because they offer convenience and efficiency when shopping in our stores to help customers check out more quickly and pack their bags the way they like,” a supermarket spokesperson told news.com.au.

Aldi, which only began trialling self-checkouts in May 2021, said its decision to roll the feature out nationally is in line with its “low-cost model.”

“Aldi stores will continue to operate with both self-checkouts and staffed checkouts, so customers will still be able to choose the option they prefer,” a spokesperson shared.

Despite supermarkets taking a defiant stance against backlash to self-serve tills, public sentiment shows an increasing frustration, with some even describing having to scan and bag their groceries as “labour.”

An IGA supermarket in Greenslopes announced it would shut down the modern offering in favour of the old fashioned checkouts last week.

This story originally appeared on news.com.au and has been published here with permission.