Greenwich supermarket checkout-free experiment comes to an end
Aldi have announced the closure of an app marking the formal end of their checkout-free experiment in Greenwich.
According to the retailer their app will be discontinued from 29 May.
The shop opened within a former co-op and Poundstrecher unit back in 2022 with an app required to enter. Shoppers picked up items and walked out without using a checkout.
It wasn’t much of a success and self-serve checkouts appeared in 2024 with an app requirement to enter the shop ending.
Other checkout-free shops such as Amazon Fresh also failed. As did experimental shops along the same lines from Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Today Aldi have emailed app users to state it will be switched off for good marking an end to the experiment. It’s now a standard Aldi Local.
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It used to be so nice shopping in there, without all the hassle of having to use checkouts. They probably ended the experiment though because of how much it was costing them in lost revenue. I got so many items for free due to their system not recognising what I was putting in my bag (occasionally up to £20 or £30 worth of stuff at a time) that it was almost like legalised shoplifting. The AI obviously has some way to go yet before it’s fit for purpose.
Since the change they have also added an anti loitering device instore for youths, the one where you can hear a loud buzz. I asked the staff if they can hear it and as expected the ones I spoke to couldn’t.
Can’t shop there anymore because of this sadly.
I did enjoy the Shop and Go experiment while it lasted though.
To many supermarkets are losing revenue through self service checkouts..So sadly I sm not surprised that the Aldi app was not successful.
Personally I am all for supermarkets returning to staffed checkouts to reduce the amount of lost revenue and shoplifting. While creating much needed jobs for lical peipke. We are relying too much on AI in the work place.
Totally agree Graham Bring back checkout operators (Cashiers) in all storex and supermarkets. Get rid of self checkouts and AI both cause more problems than enough.
We need jobs !!
James Mardell…
“£20 or £30 worth of stuff”. No shame there then
Indeed he knew he was walking out without having paid, so not so much legalised shoplifting as, shoplifting. Classy.
Interestingly, I am a very regular user of the store and I enjoyed the ease of use during this automated period, but it was a very rare day that I was not charged for something. It worked well for me.
Has Tesco removed it’s camera based system from it’s Chancery Lane Express store then as it was still working a few weeks ago and relied on going through a traditional checkout except you didn’t have to scan your purchases and they appeared on the till for you to check in stark contrast with Amazon Fresh where you had to leave the store without knowing what you would pay with the invoice only being emailed 30 to 60 minutes later.
The Tesco Express camera system seemed to work perfectly but I had multiple errors on different occasions at Amazon Fresh, especially with anything I picked up and then put back on the shelf (where I was still charged).
I suspect now that the threat of Amazon Fresh has gone the other stores think they can go back to long queues for a wholly inadequate number of self scan checkouts…..