// Members of the public are planning to protest against Tesco’s increased self-service checkouts drive
// A petition opposing the move has over 240,000 signatures
Protests are planned against the shift to self-scan checkouts at Tesco stores this month, ahead of the grocer’s AGM at its Welwyn Garden City headquarters.
The demonstration from members of the public will take place in two weeks’ time, on Friday 16 June at 10am, at Welwyn Garden City train station, where shuttle buses are taking shareholders to the grocer’s AGM.
This will give protesters “enough time to lobby shareholders”, according to one organiser.
Last year, Tesco chose to remove a majority of manned checkouts from its bigger stores due to a shift towards self-service checkouts.
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The demonstration will take place after a petition opposing the move to automation was launched last month. It currently has over 240,000 signatures.
Protesters are also planning to hand out leaflets to shareholders and “make their presence known”.
An organiser for the protest told The Welwyn and Hatfield Times: “This new way of shopping is destroying jobs, disenfranchising many and making our shopping trips self-service-card-only. This is not what tens of thousands of you want.”
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3 Comments. Leave new
TBH self automated checkouts are descriminatory to those that can’t or won’t use them.This group includes the elderly/disabled/illiterate/dyslexic/non english speakers/cash payers/anxious etc.I know as I serve them everyday .They cannot use the automated checkouts.
Jane Mitchell you can pay cash on self service checkouts
No good to me with severe arthritis handling goods more and dropping them. Takes longer to shop, pay cash and have never got through without help. It discriminates against elderly people already struggling.