No turning back: How self-checkouts are reshaping your shopping trip 

When was the last time you stood in a supermarket queue, waiting for a friendly checkout assistant to scan your groceries, exchange pleasantries, and even pack your bags? For many of us, that ritual is fast becoming a relic of the past. 

The rise of self-service checkouts at Coles and Woolworths has been swift and irreversible. But what does this mean for the future of shopping in Australia, especially for those who remember when the only ‘beep’ in the supermarket was the sound of a barcode scanner, not a machine telling us to ‘place your item in the bagging area’?

Let’s face it: the days of the human checkout assistant are numbered. According to Professor Nitika Garg, consumer behaviour expert from the University of New South Wales, the shift away from staffed checkouts will only accelerate. 

‘In Australia, we have some of the highest baseline wage rates in the developed world, so it’s expensive for retailers to employ checkout assistants,’ she explained. 

The economic reality is simple—machines don’t need lunch breaks, sick leave, or superannuation. When self-service checkouts were introduced initially, many staff were redeployed to help customers adjust. 

But as we’ve all become more comfortable with the technology, those roles have quietly disappeared. The long-term plan for supermarkets is clear: the more we do ourselves, the more they save.

ALDI’s seated revolution and the march of the machines

Remember when ALDI made headlines for letting their checkout staff sit down? It was a small but significant change, based on research showing that seated employees were more productive and could scan up to 1,200 items per hour. 

But even that innovation now seems quaint compared to the technological leap that followed.

In 2008, Coles and Woolworths rolled out self-service checkouts, and the pandemic only sped up their adoption. 

With social distancing and mask mandates, many of us were happy to avoid close contact with strangers. Coles reports that more than two-thirds of their customers use self-checkouts. 

Woolworths says 83 per cent of shoppers with 20 items or fewer opt for the DIY approach.

Even late adopters like Costco and ALDI are jumping on the bandwagon, introducing self-service options as the technology becomes more accepted—and expected—by shoppers.

The dark side: Shoplifting and surveillance

Of course, not everything about self-service is rosy. The rise in shoplifting is a genuine concern. 

Surveys suggest that around 7 per cent of Australians admit to stealing at the self-checkout and another 7 per cent have deliberately misrepresented what they’ve scanned—that’s about 1.4 million people!

Because of these losses, some retailers in the United States and the United Kingdom have scaled back self-service checkouts. 

But here in Australia, the response has been different. Rather than returning to human cashiers, Coles and Woolworths are doubling down on technology—ramping up surveillance, improving error detection, and making it nearly impossible to ‘accidentally’ walk out with an unpaid avocado.

Enter the smart trolley

The next big thing is smart trolleys. These high-tech carts scan your items as you shop, speeding up the process and reducing the chance of mistakes or deliberate theft. 

As Garg puts it, ‘You’d have to really mean to shoplift as they eliminate the chance of a genuine mistake.’ 

It’s a win-win for supermarkets: faster checkouts, fewer losses, and even more data about our shopping habits.

Some of us still value human interaction at the shops. But, as Garg pointed out, grocery shopping isn’t like buying a new phone or a TV. 

‘People like human contact, and they want help, which is why companies like Apple and JB Hi-Fi train their sales force to be knowledgeable. But it’s not the same at grocery stores. It won’t make or break your experience if an assistant doesn’t know where something is.’

Before COVID, we expected to see staff on the floor, ready to help. Now, we’re used to fending for ourselves. The retail sector has trained us to accept fewer staff, and this trend will only accelerate.

Not everyone is thrilled about these changes, of course. Some older shoppers may find the new technology daunting or miss the personal touch. 

But for younger generations, self-service is second nature. As they become the dominant force in the market, the shift towards automation will only continue.

‘In future, there will be more tech and less customer service, and we’ll see this pattern replicate across different industries,’ Garg said.

Are you a fan of the new technology, or do you miss the days of chatting with your local checkout assistant? Have you had any memorable experiences—good or bad—at the self-service tills? And what do you think about the rise of smart trolleys and increased supermarket surveillance? 

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.

Also read: Are you being watched? Customer speaks out on supermarket self-checkout hassle