Sainsbury’s has announced it is to introduce new technology that will help cut waiting times at its check-outs by around 500,000 hours a year.
The supermarket chain is planning to roll out a new self check-out system to over 330 stores, which it claims will help reduce the average queuing time by 12 per cent thanks to the use of the latest bi-optic scanners, which are able to read a barcode at any angle.
In addition to saving customers time, the new technology also offers environmental benefits as it enables double sided printing on receipts at self-scan check-outs for the first time in the UK, which according to Sainsburys helps reduce the amount of paper used by over 350 tonnes a year.
The multimillion-pound system is to be installed at both regular and self-service checkouts. The latter were introduced at more than 240 Sainsbury stores last year.
Commenting on the move, Roger Burnley, Sainsbury’s retail and logistics director, said: “This is a massive investment in IT from Sainsbury’s that will reduce queuing times for customers but also provide a big boost for the environment at the same time.”
“We know that lots of our customers really value the speed and convenience of self-check outs, particularly when they are just popping into our stores for a quick shop, however we are as always committed to offering all our shoppers a choice between the two systems.”
“It is also great that we can reduce the amount of paper used in our stores when printing receipts as we know this is a real concern for our shoppers.”
