Waitrose pushes cashless payments amid coronavirus outbreak

Waitrose has announced a series of social distancing measures for its UK stores.

These include a drive to encourage more customers to shop in a cashless way to prevent unnecessary contact. Staff members will guide customers where possible to download the app and use Waitrose Quick Check self-service technology and contactless card payments.

According to a press release, this means “products are handled less and customers with large baskets will be able to checkout through our fastest self-checkout channel with minimal contact with others.”

Waitrose is also part of discussions to increase the contactless limit to £45. Meanwhile, checkout screens have been ordered to protect employees and customers from infected moisture droplets. The likes of Morrisons and Lidl have also gone down this route.

Bérangère Michel, Partner & Executive Director, Customer Service, John Lewis Partnership, says: “While these measures will dramatically change how people shop and interact with others in our stores for the moment, they are absolutely vital to ensure that our customers can shop safely and that our partners are protected as they go above and beyond to serve shoppers in this time of crisis.”