Tesco, the leading groceries and merchandise retailer in Britain, now has opened its first checkout-free store in Holborn, Central London on the 19th October.
Voice of London has carried out interviews at this brand new store. Customers’ opinions are being observed in order to reflect their experience of shopping at this till-free supermarket.
The Tesco online mobile app has to be installed in order to get into the store. Valid bank details is also required while pre-pay cards are not accepted. Customer A said: “It takes time but in the future that would be really convenient.”
Customer B said: “it is complicated to register the Tesco app. Without this I am not allowed to get into the store…”. A lot of customers are encountering this same issue, but all of them failed to get into the store.
It is argued that checkout-free shopping will result in exponential decline in working opportunities especially for cashier jobs. Millions of workers are at risk of unemployment over the next decade.
However, Mr. Samey, a 4-year Tesco staff, said: “We are having more staff than a usual Tesco store. I was working for another Tesco store while today I am being sent to here to offer help.” Potentially, more vacancies would be available for highly skilled technicians.
[Tweet ”
Tesco Get Go: Do you want more checkout-free supermarkets opening in the UK? #Cashlesssociety #HolbornTesco #reducetime #tillfree #trialconcept #groceries @Tesco pic.twitter.com/N3Qr0Amsyy
— Voice Of London UK (@VoiceOfLondonUK) October 22, 2021
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Video: Catherine Chu, Daniele Kieraite.
Image, Words and Audio by: Catherine Chu
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