Tesco is moving one step closer to cashier-less stores with the largest single-store installation of self-service checkouts in the UK.
Its London Metro store in Bishopsgate has been transformed for commuters and offers 20 self-service checkouts out of 40 till points.
Tesco productivity director Attila Winstanley said that customer acceptance of the checkouts had already exceeded expectations.
"The compact size of this unit means we can maximise the number of self-checkout positions available for our shops," she said. "In these locations, our customers are often business people who appreciate the fact that they are able to buy their lunch quickly or select a few items on the way home from work."
The NCR Fastlane Mini checkouts had been phased in over the past three months, said a Tesco spokesman, following smaller trials at six other city stores in London.
They have the smallest footprint of self-service checkouts and use touchscreens, voice and visual prompts as well as a signature capture pad for credit card purchases.
The checkouts are also able to accept coupons, deactivate electronic surveillance tags and dispense cashback in a similar way to an ATM. However, he dismissed talk of a move towards cashier-less stores. "We will be rolling out to other stores but at the moment we don't have plans to introduce self service checkout-only stores."
He said that some stores would be too small to offer the service, adding that there were still issues to be addressed with the system, including problems such as age verification on purchases of cigarettes and alcohol.
Tesco is not the only supermarket to be extending its trials of self-service checkouts. In May, Asda announced it was rolling out the checkouts to 270 supermarkets as well as to its non food Living and George stores in a bid to cut queue times by 15%.
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