To be worried about this trend? - Tesco check-out free store.

[mustlovegin]

It was first started by Amazon Fresh I believe.

Now Tesco are trying to do the same with their first check-out free store.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58951984

Basically you cannot physically get into the store unless you have the Tesco App. You also cannot pay by means of cash or a credit/debit card - you are made to pay for your purchases through the App.

Isn't this potentially discriminatory plus it forces customers to fit into their ecosystem and comply with their restrictions?

This particular store is in an area with many council flats nearby. Elderly and disabled people used to shop there and will now need to walk at least 15 minutes to do their shopping.

Where are we heading with all of this? Shouldn't we have more options and freedom not less?

The thing is human existence has always had changes in technology. Right from when we first used our opposable thumbs.
It’s just that as time has gone on, those changes become quicker and quicker. So now it only takes a generation or so before you are out of the loop and struggle to keep up.
Progress towards the digital age won’t be stopped. If this doesn’t work then something else similar or even more integrated will be along soon.
I do think there is a responsibility to slow it slightly so that everyone can access essential items by offering another payment method at least initially.

I do think there is a responsibility to slow it slightly so that everyone can access essential items by offering another payment method at least initially

Not every development that technology can enable is desirable though. You may want to slow down some or outright block others.

Technology allows us to carry out experiments on humans, for instance. It doesn't mean it's ethical or legal to proceed with them

OP, it sounds like you know that branch and that area…

So you’ll know it’s stocked and laid out to cater for office workers buying lunch, not the elderly and disabled doing a weekly shop

It’s total catastrophising to suggest there are loads of vulnerable people suddenly being disadvantaged by this

The shop is mostly massive fridges full of sandwiches, sushi and salads, a big booze aisle and loads of bottled water.
It’s for lawyers to grab some dinner at 1pm or 9pm to eat at their desks, not Mavis to do her shopping

As PPs have said, they know what they are doing trialling it at this store, and they will know the various demographics of their various stores in granular detail.

At worst, you’ll get some confused tourists who can’t work it out but this is not going to lead to the roll out of the system to poverty stricken estates around the country any time soon

Tesco clearly are going all out on trying to get everyone using the clubcard, and I guess ultimately their app, at the moment - see also: making all special offers clubcard only. It'll either work for them or it won't, but there's plenty of other places to shop if it won't.

There will soon be a time when nobody will every need to actually speak to or interact with another human being. How sad.

So you’ll know it’s stocked and laid out to cater for office workers buying lunch, not the elderly and disabled doing a weekly shop

There are in fact many elderly, disabled, cash-strapped and homeless people living and shopping in the area from nearby estates.

It's a much wider issue IMO, that's why I'm raising it

making all special offers Clubcard only

Yes, and they are aggressively pushing this as the discounts are significant

BTW, I didn't mean to start a Tesco bashing thread. It's the overall trend I find concerning

@mustlovegin

So you’ll know it’s stocked and laid out to cater for office workers buying lunch, not the elderly and disabled doing a weekly shop

There are in fact many elderly, disabled, cash-strapped and homeless people living and shopping in the area from nearby estates.

It's a much wider issue IMO, that's why I'm raising it

They might be shopping in the area, but they aren’t shopping in that store unless they really like £5 prawn and rocket sandwiches and san Pelegrino every day

So presumably they can carry on shopping wherever they have always been shopping, and leave Tesco to their office worker experiment

hey aren’t shopping in that store unless they really like £5 prawn and rocket sandwiches and san Pelegrino every day

The store is rather small but it stocks meat, chicken, milk, bread, all the usual items. It's not just sushi and San Pellegrino

@mustlovegin

Are there really that many council flats in Holborn But there is also another Tesco Express about 10 mins walk away plus the bigger one in Covent Garden and I’m sure there are various Sainsbury’s Locals too

You wouldn't think so, but there are several council flats in the area. Many elderly people with walking sticks and rollators. Sainsbury's is usually more expensive than Tesco.

The problem is that this is presented as a pilot, hence presumably they will want to roll it out to other areas.

BTW, this specific store was already cashless, operating with very few staff members, so I don't think this will help them reduce costs much further. What are they really trying to achieve with this?

I grew up in council housing in Central London in a place lots of people wouldn't think had much council housing.. but even I think you're grasping at straws a bit with this one. Living in such an area has upsides and downsides but having to go far to find a supermarket is not one of them. Now there aren't many aldi lidl or morrisons in the centre which is something I would feel more passionate about than one mid sized tesco trialling this.

It's B & M or Home Batgains my dd misses. She does at least have a Morrisons in Ealing!

It's a vicious cycle. The more people campaign for higher wages, the more motivation companies have to find innovative ways to replace humans
www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/11/29/thanks-to-fight-for-15-minimum-wage-mcdonalds-unveils-job-replacing-self-service-kiosks-nationwide/

For me this would be perfect, my dd doesn't cope well in stores and having to queue so being able to walk in and out would be a dream. However I can understand why others wouldn't find this appealing.

So presumably they can carry on shopping wherever they have always been shopping, and leave Tesco to their office worker experiment

By experiment I meant that we probably have the technology available nowadays to start cloning people. But it would be unethical and wrong to do so. So the argument that 'you can't stop progress' 'it's what's coming, you'd better adapt' is disingenuous to say the least

@mustlovegin

So presumably they can carry on shopping wherever they have always been shopping, and leave Tesco to their office worker experiment

By experiment I meant that we probably have the technology available nowadays to start cloning people. But it would be unethical and wrong to do so. So the argument that 'you can't stop progress' 'it's what's coming, you'd better adapt' is disingenuous to say the least

So what exactly is your point? That the conversion of this store will cause problems for existing customers? (It won’t)

Or that the concept of the store being converted is the ‘thin end of the wedge/slippery slope’ to vulnerable customers being disadvantaged if other stores are converted?

Retail provides thousands of jobs for people. When most large chains have gone over to this, what will happen to all their employees and those leaving schools in the future, who are not upto going to university? We will be paying the same prices for our food and goods, and keeping them on benefits? We may end up with a few high wealth individuals, running the businesses and the rest of us replaced by AI and technology - do the majority of us want to live on a UBI, handouts from the government?

@mustlovegin

So you’ll know it’s stocked and laid out to cater for office workers buying lunch, not the elderly and disabled doing a weekly shop

There are in fact many elderly, disabled, cash-strapped and homeless people living and shopping in the area from nearby estates.

It's a much wider issue IMO, that's why I'm raising it

So OP what did these people do when that store wasn't there? I went to law school and worked in that area for over 15 years. Until about 6 years ago none of those smaller supermarkets existed on High Holborn. The only one nearby was the Sainsburys on High Holborn and Kingsway.

At weekends nothing was open. If we wanted lunch on a Sunday when I was at law school you had to bring your own.

Presumably the rollating elderly and council tenants were okay with that before the 24 hour supermarkets appeared?