In today’s world, where automated self-service checkouts have become the norm in supermarkets, one UK grocery chain is taking a courageous step back towards the days of fully-staffed checkouts.

Booths, an upmarket supermarket chain with 27 stores across Northern England in Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, has made the bold decision to bid farewell to most of its self-service tills, emphasizing the importance of human interaction and customer service over automation.

Often referred to as the “northern Waitrose” due to its reputation for quality and exceptional customer service, Booths is charting its own course in the retail landscape. The decision to remove self-service checkouts was prompted by customer feedback and the desire to provide a more personal shopping experience. Nigel Murray, the managing director of Booths, underlined their commitment to customer satisfaction, stating, “Our customers have consistently told us that the self-scan machines in our stores can be slow, unreliable, and impersonal.”