Worcester News readers have been making their views known on fully-staffed checkouts following news a northern supermarket chain has ditched self-service tills.

The chain in question, Booths, which runs high-end supermarkets in Northern England, has brought forth a flurry of opinion, with many sharing their experiences and thoughts on the ongoing debate of self-checkouts versus staffed ones.

One Facebook user, was all in for fully staffed counters, stating, "100% all supermarkets should ditch self checkout... AI and robotics should not be allowed to replace the human element entirely because that would not be good for humanity at this point."

 

 

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Echoing this sentiment, one reader also preferred the human element, suggesting supermarkets "Give people their jobs back and fewer self checkouts. Prefer being served by a person," while another wrote: "I like to see real people and interact socially, this is part of human nature."

Others advocated for a balanced approach, with one suggesting to "keep both, keep everyone happy."

In a similar vein, one reader embraced the self-service, finding value in its efficiency: "Self checkouts all the way", while another added: "They are fine if you've used a self scanner or you're only buying a couple of things."

Interestingly, there was also concern raised about pricing, with one user warning: "The people who are saying yes will soon be saying how they can't understand why the prices have gone up", due to the need to cover the costs of employing more staff.

Some felt supermarkets were already making the shift, referencing her recent Asda visit one user said: "There were only about four lanes left staffed by cashiers, right down at the bottom end away from the entrance."

Another, meanwhile, hit out, saying: "The supermarkets are getting rid of staff to save money, when the self-service break down they will have to replace them.

"Get your staff back on the tills before more people start ordering online."

Another echoed the sentiment, saying: "We need Booths whoever they are in every town because I hate self checkouts too, plus humans need the jobs that machines are".