Strange things are happening in self-service at UK retailers Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s
Leigh Sparks, Professor of Retail Studies, Deputy Principal, University of Stirling, and Chair Scotland's Towns Partnership, has been discussing the wider move to non-food self service in M&S and self-service checkouts generally.
In an online post, he notes that his Twitter timeline has been populated recently by photos of retailers doing, for her, some strange things with self-service tills.
“These tills have popped up everywhere over the last decade and not always to universal acclaim. B&Q and WHSmith have often been prime offenders, but there are new culprits on the block,” he writes.
He adds: “I can see the point of self-service tills, sometimes, for both the retailer and the consumer. But, I do feel a balance is needed and there is something positive about good service in a retailer.”
“I appreciate that the service some consumers want (including me) at some times is best served by a self-service operation. It is the routinisation of that that concerns me.”
“So the almost complete removal of full service checkouts in some large food retailers worries me. I don’t feel this is a good look and worry where it ends up for retailers and consumers.’
By way of example, Sparks flagged up Sainsbury’s introducing barriers for those leaving self-service checkout areas. Customers now need to take their receipt and scan it on the barcode reader in front of the barriers.
And then there’s Marks and Spencer.
Sparks said: “Last weekend I popped into a large Marks and Spencer and found they had removed all the service counters in the clothing and non-food sections.”
“I was surprised at this further expansion of self-service. My short observation of the tills showed not a single transaction that did not need staff intervention, including my own.”
“I tweeted that observation and received a very large (for my tweets) and varied response.”
“Most respondents were against such changes, pointing out the difficulties, the isolating tendencies, issues for those with hidden and/or visible disabilities and generally the feeling that shopping (even paying) needs to be more than this.”
“Others pointed out that this was not new and other retailers were doing this and had been for some time. This was combined with an observation though that M&S self service checkouts were amongst the most unreliable in the sector; whether this applied only to food or not was unclear.”
Sparks went on to ask whether the typical M&S clothes shopper is ready for such impersonal ‘service’.
He continued: “Time will tell of course (and I do understand the labour and cost saving point) and maybe most people are (resignedly) accepting of what now makes up so much “service”. But if it does not work consistently and seamlessly then consumers will be unhappy and take action accordingly.”
Sparks concluded: “Retailers are increasingly polarising into functional and experimental types. Moving to the former lays one open to more direct comparisons on function (including price). I wonder if unintended consequences will emerge from this rush to automate.”
“Or maybe I am too nostalgic for service in retailing that actually involves humans? (and I know that too can also be dreadful!)”
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