“We know many people are frustrated by Coles and Woolworths who during busy times often close service lanes to push people through self-service, whether they want to shop that way or not,” she said.
“Ultimately, it will be the customer who decides, of course, but I’d anticipate given the high levels of brand trust in Aldi versus the majors, this rollout will be viewed by the majority as a positive.”
But Adam Ferrier, founder of advertising firm Thinkerbell, said self-service felt “off brand” for Aldi, which has a reputation for being cheap and quirky.
‘Aldi as a brand has never chased dehumanised efficiency. They are cheap and quirky and it feels off brand for them to go self-service.’
Adam Ferrier, Thinkerbell
Ferrier said having to engage with someone scanning your groceries might feel like a chore, but in fact made customers value their shopping experience more.
Aldi did not respond to questions about the self-checkouts and instead pointed to a Q and A on its website calling the change a “win-win for everbody”.
Years after introducing self-service checkouts, Coles said more than two-thirds of customers use them.
An employee supervises self-service checkout kiosks at a Woolworths store.Credit: Bloomberg
“Of course, if customers prefer to be served by a team member, someone will always be available in the service area to serve them,” a spokesperson said.
And Woolworths, which introduced self-service checkouts in 2008, said smaller, more frequent shops had encouraged more people to do it themselves. It said 83 per cent of customers with 20 items or fewer chose self-service checkouts, while two-thirds of people with more than 20 items chose a staffed checkout.
Retailers stress that the rise of self-checkouts isn’t leading to job losses, as checkout staff have been redeployed to restocking shelves, online orders, and click and collect.
SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer.Credit: Nick Moir
“Overall staff numbers have increased in supermarkets since the implementation of the technology, not decreased, allowing them to focus on the additional services now being provided,” said Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra.
Precise data is difficult to find, although Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the number of people working as a checkout operator or office cashier has grown from 112,000 to 128,000 in the past two decades.
Coles said it had recruited an additional 22,000 employees in the past five years. Woolworths said it employed 30,000 more store team members than it did in 2009.
Gerard Dwyer, national secretary of the SDA, said the union was keeping an eye on the workload of employees charged with monitoring the self-serve checkouts, as well as a rise in customer abuse and violence since COVID.
“The SDA is concerned that one element behind this increase may be attributable to customer frustration with self-serve checkouts,” he said.
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To reduce theft, Australian retailers have invested in cameras, trolleys that lock when items have not been paid for, and smart gates that don’t allow people to exit a store with unpaid items.
The cost-of-living crisis had led to growing numbers of thieves stealing basics such as meat, adding to a $9 billion theft bill for retailers, said security expert Scott Taylor.
Taylor, who has done work for Woolworths and Coles, said great customer service was a deterrent to shoplifting.
“People with good intentions want to be noticed; people with bad intentions don’t,” he said.
Ben Rogers, of the Council on the Ageing Victoria, said many older people like to use cash but couldn’t always do so on a self-checkout.
“This can be particularly impactful for older Victorians in regional areas, who are facing bank closures in their communities,” he said.
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