Sainsbury's begins 'trial' at self-checkouts and it could become nationwide

Sainsbury's begins 'trial' at self-checkouts and it could become nationwide
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A mnajor supermarket is trialling a self-checkout change so shoppers can scan a big shop themselves. Sainsbury's is currently testing a giant hybrid till with a scanner on a moving conveyor belt, the supermarket giant has announced.

The shake-up at Sainsbury's, which is rivalled by Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and more, would give shoppers more space to scan and pack bigger trolleys. The retailer is currently trialling them in select stores before it decides whether to roll them out more widely.

In the trial, customers load their items onto the conveyor belt, scan each one and then pack them into their own bags. A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are always exploring new ways to offer our customers the best possible choice and convenience.

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“Our trial in Cobham and Witney is the latest example of that and we are listening to colleague and customer feedback.” Sainsbury's already runs SmartShop, which it describes as: "SmartShop is an in-store shopping app that lets you scan as you go! This means you'll be able to skip the checkout queues and be on your way in no time.

"Once you've registered on the SmartShop app, all you need to do is shop, scan and bag your products then skip the queues and pay instantly by heading towards our SmartShop checkouts when you're done." As long as you have an Apple (iOS 8.0 or later) and Android (Jellybean or later) phone you can download the SmartShop app, register and begin building your shopping list at home.

But SmartShop is currently only available in selected stores. You can use your 3G/4G connection or you can use the free in-store customer Wi-Fi to make sure you stay connected around the store and have the best shopping experience.

You will need to accept the T&C's the first time you use it and after that, you'll automatically connect to the in-store customer Wi-Fi each time you enter the store. Just make sure Wi-Fi is enabled on your phone.