Shoppers at the Sainsbury’s superstore in Southend city centre will notice a significant change at the tills, as the number of manned checkouts has been slashed from 12 at the start of the year to just four.
The supermarket has replaced the traditional checkouts with additional self-service tills, reflecting a broader shift in the grocery retail sector towards automation.
This move comes as part of a major restructuring by Sainsbury’s, which recently announced it will cut 3,000 jobs nationwide. The supermarket giant is shutting down all its remaining in-store cafés and closing its patisserie and pizza counters.
A spokesperson for the company explained that these closures are designed to “simplify the business”, adding that the cafés were underused by the majority of customers.
It marks the second major wave of job cuts at Sainsbury’s in just over a year. In February 2023, the retailer confirmed that 1,500 roles would be axed as part of its cost-cutting measures.
The Southend-on-Sea Sainsbury’s store has been a fixture in the local community since it first opened its doors on 14th March 1989. At the time, it boasted a fresh fish counter, an in-store bakery, a butchery, and a delicatessen – amenities that have gradually disappeared as the supermarket has adapted to changing shopping habits and business strategies.
With self-service checkouts now dominating the store, many local shoppers will be adjusting to a more automated experience. While some customers appreciate the convenience of quicker transactions, others may find the reduction in human-staffed tills a frustrating change, particularly for those who prefer personal service or have larger trolleys of groceries.
Local shoppers have been vocal about their concerns regarding the shift to self-service checkouts:
Stephanie Howlett, who is partially sighted, said: “I rely on manned checkouts, it’s discriminating the vulnerable and elderly.”
Sarah Bessant added: “I’m quite happy with a self-checkout, but they do still need to be properly staffed. You can’t have 20 self-checkouts with one person to sort issues, authorise alcohol, do the random checks etc. This is how queues start to build and people get frustrated.”
Chrissie Baylis shared her frustration: “I won’t be spending my money there then. I prefer humans. I never use self-checkouts, even if I have to queue. This is slowly happening everywhere, getting rid of jobs.”
Julie Moyes also weighed in, stating: “I prefer manned checkouts otherwise customers are doing a staff job by putting the shopping through the checkout themselves.”
As the UK’s supermarket sector continues to evolve, Sainsbury’s joins other major retailers in prioritising efficiency and cost-cutting, even at the expense of traditional customer service roles.
The question remains: will this shift benefit shoppers in the long run, or will it leave a gap in the shopping experience that automation can’t fill?