Sainsbury’s opens its first checkout-free store: Here’s how it works

Virgin Radio

2 Dec 2021, 12:46

The supermarket chain has teamed up with Amazon to open a store in London where customers don’t need to use a till. But how does it work?

The SmartShop Pick & Go store, which is situated in Holborn Circus in London, uses Amazon’s technology. The involves shoppers scanning a QR code using their SmartShop app when they enter the store. This is linked to a credit or debit card.

When shoppers are browsing through stores, Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology tracks them as they take items from shelves. 

However, if you are the kind of person who constantly changes their mind when wandering around a supermarket, then don’t worry, because the technology also recognises when a customer puts something back. This means you won’t accidentally be charged for all the things that looked appealing at first but that you decided against halfway through your big shop.

Once a customer has finished shopping, they are billed for the items that they have selected by scanning the QR code to exit through the automatic gates. So, there are no tills involved in the process at all.

The shopping experience doesn’t necessarily have to be entirely without human interaction though, as there will be shop staff available to help if you can’t locate something, and to ensure that the shelves are stocked. 

Clo Moriarty, Sainsbury’s retail and digital director, said: “We are always looking at new ways to make shopping easy and convenient for our customers.”

Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s vice president of physical retail and technology, added: “With no tills, no checkout lanes, and no self-service scanners, we can’t wait to hear how busy Londoners enjoy the experience.”

This new Sainsbury’s, which opened this week, joins other till-free supermarkets in the Holborn area of London, as Amazon Fresh and Tesco GetGo stores are already there. Amazon currently has eight Fresh outlets in total in the UK.

Meanwhile, in other supermarket innovation news, Aldi is trialling some very snazzy new trolleys, which have their own built-in wine rack! Find out more here.