ALDI shoppers have threatened to boycott the supermarket after it announced it is trialling a till-free store.
The discounter is testing out its first checkout-free branch in London and some customers aren’t pleased.
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Aldi is testing out a smartphone app that means you scan as you enter and can just walk out after.
You won’t even need to scan the fruit, veg and other groceries as you shop to avoid queueing to pay at the checkout.
The charges are made automatically and a receipt is sent for their grocery shop via email.
But some customers aren’t happy with the grocer’s decision, saying it will result in job losses.
A disgruntled shopper wrote on Twitter: “I keep saying people, especially politicians seem to have no realisation that a tsunami of job losses is just around the corner and are not planning for this.”
“Aldi check out free stores would put many workers out of a job I’d boycott any store that did that,” another said.
Another customer wrote: “Aldi now trialing till free stores. Automation will gut the workers in supermarkets in a race to the bottom.”
Aldi previously said staff will still be employed at the supermarket, with the same number as its smaller Aldi Local stores.
The Sun has contacted the grocer for further comment.
Users of the app, which is being tested out by staff before it’s trialled with customers, can set up the debit or credit card they want to be charged online.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi in the UK and Ireland, said: “We are always looking to redefine what it means to be a discount retailer, and the technology involved in this trial will give us a wealth of learnings.”
“We are really excited to be testing this concept that will enable customers to pick from our range of quality products, all available at unbeatable prices, then leave the store without having to pay at a till.”
Aldi shoppers often can’t keep up with how fast the checkouts are and the grocer has claimed that they are 40% quicker than rivals.
The company has even joked that its staff are “faster than 5G” thanks to using extra big barcodes to get items through quickly.
But shoppers can always ask staff to slow down if they need to.
The super-speeds will no longer be an issue for those giving the checkout-free shops a test.
Aldi is not the only supermarket to ditch checkouts and turn to technology to put an end to queuing at tills.
Tesco launched its first checkout-free store at the start of the year at its headquarters after successful trials, and then its first for the public over the summer.
Online retailer Amazon has gone checkout-free at its first bricks and mortar grocery stores, Amazon Fresh.
Other supermarkets have apps that can help you beat the queues by scanning items as you shop, though you still have to pay at the till points.
Tesco has “Scan as you Shop” and M&S’ “Mobile Pay Go”, while Lidl is testing the service through its Lidl go app.
At Sainsbury’s you can use the SmartShop app as a self-scanner and shoppers will have to use this to get discounts after a shake-up of the supermarket’s loyalty scheme.
Aldi shopper shares four hacks to beat speedy cashiers
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