BRITAIN’S biggest supermarket is trialling push-on scales for trolleys to try to slash thefts and make life easier for shoppers.
Scan as you Shop customers at Tesco can use them to weigh the contents to see if the total matches that of items they placed in the cart as they cruised the aisles.
If the figures correspond, they pay as normal. If not, a staff member does a full manual rescan to check if any item has been missed or logged twice.
The devices, which can also weigh baskets, have been installed at the Gateshead Trinity Square Extra store in Gateshead, near Newcastle — but have not gone down well.
One customer said: “Myself and my partner have tried it a couple of times and each time it’s never worked so the staff have to rescan every item in our full trolley, so it doesn’t end up saving time.”
Another shared a photo of the new apparatus on a social media page dedicated to food.
A reader wrote: “Since when has Tesco had a weighbridge? Does your Tesco have a weighbridge???”
Another urged them to employ more staff instead.
Some have likened the scales to the checks at airport security.
One joker asked: “Am I at border control or Tesco?”
Others questioned whether the scales were aimed at cracking down on self-scan shoplifters or on saving money on employees.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’re running a trial in a very small number of stores to help our Scan as You Shop customers make sure they haven’t missed any items when scanning.
“This will reduce the number of manual checks by colleagues, reduce queuing times and streamline the checkout experience for customers.”
