Comment: Retailers check out of checkout-free stores
When Amazon first introduced its Just Walk Out (JWO) stores it had high expectations of thousands of such units scattered around the world including the UK. Its first such outlet on these shores in West London has since closed its doors and the online giant has rowed back significantly on its plans for these tech-led shops.
The reality is that customers in grocery stores like to have options in the way they pay and have largely shunned those outlets that provide only JWO-type experiences that rely on cameras and smart shelves to track purchases. There is enough of a debate about self-checkouts being all pervasive, never mind checkout-free stores that automatically take payments from customers’ accounts.
Although they appeal to a small cross-section of people the population at large needs to be given as many options as possible judging by the results of the experimentation that has taken place within the grocery industry over recent years.
Following Amazon’s move with JWO stores we had Sainsbury’s using the US tech in a trial at its Holborn store in London but this Smartshop Pick & Go model was soon scrapped and it shifted back to using a mix of a customer kiosk with a till, self-checkouts, and Smartshop mobile pay.
Subscribe to TRBTesco came to the same conclusion with its trials of checkout-free stores through its GetGo outlets, which are now based on a hybrid model that includes self-checkouts and attended tills alongside the checkout-free tech. But even these stores seem to have stalled at only four units.
Likewise, Aldi has recently made the decision to revamp its Shop & Go shop in Greenwich that had relied purely on the checkout-free model but now has self-checkouts added into the mix for those customers who wish to use the outlet in the traditional way. This means shoppers are no longer required to tap a payment card or scan a QR code in the Shop & Go app at the store’s turnstile to enter the outlet.
It is such entry obstacles that have proved to be a stumbling block for these type of stores and even Amazon has backtracked in the US with having turnstiles at all of its stores as it assesses the best model to take forward. It has instead been placing an increased focus on smart trolley technology. This is something that Waitrose has just begun trialling at its Bracknell store, which involves tech that can be attached to the conventional shopping trolleys to identify every item that is placed into it or removed from the cart. These operate alongside the company’s Scan, Pay, Go handsets and other forms of traditional checkout and payment.
The company has stated it is: “Exploring options to for more frictionless payment for our customers, while still maintaining conventional checkouts for customers who value interaction with our partners.” This is absolutely the right move in providing an inclusive service to all its customers.
It comes at a time when there is a growing debate around accepting cash. While attended checkouts and cash-accepting self-checkouts are becoming increasingly rare beasts this represents an issue for those members of society who are reliant on using cash. A survey by NatWest in 2024 found the proportion of vulnerable individuals who consider cash to be essential has jumped from 47% to 54%.
Cash usage in general has been on the up in recent years after a near vertiginous rise of contactless payments since this form of payment became a mainstream solution having been adopted by banks and retailers. As many as 22% of consumers have stated they prefer to pay with cash in store in 2025 versus a lesser 17% in 2023, according to a survey from Takepayments.
It’s clear that retailers – certainly the major grocers with their broad swathe of shoppers – must provide a full array of checkout journeys and forms of payment if they are to deliver a proper level of customer service. Anything that diverts away from this will be short-changing a section of their shopper base and society.
