Tesco and Aldi trial checkout-free stores where customers don’t have to queue for tills

Tesco and Aldi have revealed their plans for checkout-free stores where customers won’t have to queue for tills.

Budget supermarket Aldi was the first to announce its plans last month, which include a smartphone app which customers will scan as they enter the store. Shoppers won’t be required to scan their groceries as they shop, with the charges being made automatically and a final receipt being sent via email.

The app is being trailed in one of its London stores, though Aldi has not revealed which store exactly, and is only being used by the supermarket’s employees, not customers.

Mike Mozart / Flickr

Aldi UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley 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.”

Tesco, on the other hand, has shared its plans just this week, with its first ever checkout-free store opening in Holborn, London yesterday.

The store, named GetGo, uses technology not unlike Aldi’s, which requires customers to download their app and scan their smartphones as they enter the store. They then pick up the items they wish to buy and walk straight out of the store, receiving a receipt and a total price for the products once they have left via email.

John Palmer / Geograph

This comes just months after Morrison’s trialled it’s first ever unmanned cashless store with no staff members. 

The experiment, which could result in a revolutionary change for the grocery giant’s stores and its staff, uses cameras to monitor the shop, with reports saying that customers are also required to download an app that is scanned upon entry.

The cameras monitor and track where shoppers are and what items are being dropped into their baskets. And with no tills, shoppers can leave immediately after getting what they need, with payment arranged through the app.