Somerset shoppers urged to boycott self-checkouts to protect jobs

Posted by author February 20, 2025 Jobs

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Ross Pollard & Alice Smith

BBC News, Somerset

BBC A man wearing glasses, a navy blue coat and a pullover sitting on a yellow and blue patterned sofa. — Ken Jones said the campaign was about defending jobs and keeping human interaction in shopping

A community group is calling on shoppers to avoid self-service checkouts and use staffed tills instead to protect jobs and preserve “human interaction”.

Bridgwater Senior Citizens’ Forum said it believes automation is replacing workers and damaging customer service.

Forum chairman Ken Jones said the group’s campaign is not about older people struggling with technology but about promoting employment and social ties.

“More and more supermarkets are replacing staff with machines, and we must help to reverse the trend,” he said.

Mr Jones added: “The knowledge and advice of retail staff is invaluable, but we also value human interaction above machines and artificial intelligence.

“Just saying hello to someone makes you come back, especially in dark days of winter.

“The feelgood factor, you can’t put a price on it can you?”

Glen Burrows said using self-service tills was “a soulless experience”

A woman with round glasses and a purple and blue coat stands in front of a statue in the centre of Bridgwater in Somerset — Glen Burrows said using self-service tills was “a soulless experience”

Self-checkouts are present in 96% of grocery stores worldwide and campaigners argue that automation, energy costs, and online shopping are accelerating the decline of town centres and eroding traditional face-to-face retail experiences.

A recent study by the Centre for Retail Research found about 170,000 UK retail jobs were lost in 2024, with most of those roles held by women.

However, retailers argue self-service tills reflect changing consumer habits and offer speed and convenience.

Kris Hamer, director of insight at the British Retail Consortium, said: “The expansion of self-service checkouts is a response to changing consumer behaviours, which show many people prioritising speed and convenience.

“Many retailers provide manned and unmanned checkouts as they work to deliver great service at low cost for their customers”.

‘Soulless experience’

However, Glen Burrows, a member of the Bridgwater Senior Citizens’ Forum, said the issue goes beyond technology.

“For a lot of people, shopping is about communication, about getting out and about – we don’t want it to be a soulless experience between one person and a machine,” she said.

“I just want us to get back to shopping being part of a human community service and not a robotic experience.

“We’re quite right to say we don’t want to go down that road. If enough people feel strongly, supermarkets will get the hint”.