Asda is testing out a self-service returns “drop box” where shoppers can deposit unwanted or faulty products and be refunded automatically.

Under trial at its Ashton-under-Lyne store in Greater Manchester, Asda customers who want to return goods, which can range from grocery items to electricals, scan their receipts and barcode at the self-service machine then drop their product into a chute or place in a cupboard.

If a refund cannot be issued automatically, for example if the shopper had forgotten their receipt, they need to call for assistance from a staff member so it can be processed manually. The system can also manage item exchanges.

Additionally, the supermarket is trialling a service that could potentially allow shoppers to buy tobacco and vape products without having to queue at the traditional kiosk.

The trials, which began in October, will seek to address a “key pinch point” for shoppers who currently need to queue at the customer service desk to buy tobacco or vape products, often when they’ve already gone through the payment process once for their groceries.

In the first phase of the trial, Asda staff will use dispensers to serve shoppers from the existing kiosk area.

In phase two of the trial, customers can simply select the products they want to buy at the self-serve tills where age verification will take place.

They will receive a receipt that they can then scan at the automated product vending machine to receive their item.

Asda senior manager retail front end service Alexander Lacy said: “We recognise that a key pinch point for customers is at the kiosk and customer service desks in our stores, with added queue times and multiple missions taking place in a small area.”

The move comes as other retailers make changes to their self-checkout services, with Sainsbury’s trialling larger self-checkout tills to boost efficiency.

M&S also recently added self checkouts to its changing rooms across its 180 clothing stores.

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