Aldi to activate big in-store change at Cheltenham branch

An Aldi supermarket in Gloucestershire has finally embraced the self-checkout revolution. It has held firm with staffed checkouts only since opening in 2021 but that is all to change today (Friday, May 10).

The Aldi on Grovefield Way in Cheltenham was telling customers that the new zone will be activated on Friday following staff training. Many other Aldi and Lidl store have self-service checkouts.

The nearby Asda and Morrisons stores in the Hatherley and Up Hatherley area have made extensive use of them. While self-service checkouts are popular with customers, others miss the human interaction of a staffed checkout.

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Many customers of the Aldi in Grovefield Way have appreciated the way the store is responsive in opening checkouts when queues start to built. The famously fast checkout operators also get though trolleys filled with shipping in lightning quick time.

Unlike other major supermarkets, the self-service checkout does seem designed for smaller basket shops only. There would not be room to put a big trolley load of shopping through.

Signs at the supermarket suggest cash and cards are welcome at the new tills, which have reduced the number of staffed checkouts at the store.

One customer said: "I have been coming here ever since it opened and it is by far the best supermarket in town. Even though all the tills are staffed, you are never stuck in a queue for long.

"The moment they see a couple of people queuing, they swiftly open another till. I hope it still stays as responsive when the new self-checkouts go live.

"So many times, I have seen people with a lot of shopping allow people with baskets or a handful of items to 'jump ahead of them'. So I've never felt the store needed self-service, as it was nice to see so many staffed tills at the store's disposal."

Do you welcome more self-service checkouts? Or do you miss the chance to chat with cashiers? Let us know in the comments below.