Stop complaining about 'meat grinder' self-checkouts when it is exactly what you asked for

While many retailers are sprinting toward unmanned stores, some are realising that humans are a competitive advantage, not just a cost line. So says Lewis Hawkes, Senior Manager Store Operating Model UK&I at Currys.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Stop complaining about the self-checkout. You voted for this. We love to moan about the "Meat Grinder" experience. You know the one: A sea of red flashing lights, one frantic colleague trying to manage 12 malfunctioning machines, and five perfectly good manned tills gathering dust in the background. We stand there, holding our "essentials," (I mean the shopping!) wondering where the "service" went.”

He added: “But as some one who lives operating models, I have a bitter pill for us to swallow: This is exactly what we asked for. We’ve entered a post service world not by accident, but by design. We are trapped in a feedback loop of our own making: The Price Trap: We demand "everyday low prices" while living in an era of soaring overheads; The Wage Paradox: We champion for higher, sustainable wages, yet we recoil at the idea of a "service premium" on our groceries; The Labour Math: In a P&L, if the wage goes up and the shelf price stays down, the "human element" is the only variable left to cut.”

There is another way, however. While many retailers are tapping unmanned stores, some are doubling down on good old fashioned employee powered customer service.

“Look at us at Currys. We’ve explicitly doubled down on "capable and committed colleagues." Instead of pushing people toward a kiosk, we are leaning into fully assisted journeys, investing in thousands of hours in colleague and manager training,” said Hawkes. “In a world of complex tech and confusing choices, a human expert isn't an overhead, they are the reason the customer walks through the door. They aren't just staffing a till; they are driving the value proposition.”

He concluded: “At what point do we admit that the seamless customer journey in grocery is actually just a hollowed out operating model? We are reaching a tipping point where efficiency is cannibalising brand equity. If the only thing separating your store from a warehouse is a frustrated person in a branded fleece, you don’t have a service model. You have a vending machine with a heartbeat. Are we willing to pay the "human tax" to get the service back, or are we just going to keep staring at the red lights and complaining?”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.