Some Tasmanian shoppers are vowing to ‘boycott’ any supermarket that ‘forces’ them to use self-serve checkouts when paying for their groceries, opting for stores with attendants instead.
A disgruntled shopper, unhappy with recent changes made to Coles Kingston, reignited the ongoing online debate on Tuesday night and said the loss of the serviced express checkout means he ‘won’t be going back’.
“I refused to operate a self checkout,” the shopper who went in to purchase eggs wrote, with many others raising concerns about the ‘declining level of customer service’ and its potential impact on vulnerable people.
“I certainly don’t like [the self-service machines]. I’m elderly and sometimes only buy a few items,” one shopper mentioned, while another described interactions with the machines as ‘exhausting’.
Other shoppers insisted on only using the self-service option and said they ‘actively avoided’ the checkout lanes that are left.
In response to similar complaints from people across the country, Coles has previously claimed that ‘two-thirds of customers’ prefer to use self-checkouts over traditional lanes, a number that was ‘increasing’ – a figure that is doubted by many shoppers.
Many believe the ‘increase in popularity’ is due to customers being ‘forced’ to use self-checkouts, as opposed to voluntarily choosing to do so.
“Self-service checkouts are a great option for customers because they offer convenience and efficiency when shopping in our stores,” a Coles spokesperson told Yahoo earlier this year.
“Team members will always be available throughout our service area to help our customers if they would like assistance.”
Woolworths stores also prioritise a self-service approach, while Tasmanian Hill Street, Salamanca Fresh and independent grocers continue to provide full-service checkouts.
Customers are being reminded to be kind to workers who ‘don’t make the decisions’, but are ‘there to help’ if needed.
