Aldi has scrapped its experiment with a checkout-free supermarket in Greenwich following widespread customer dissatisfaction, quietly reinstating self-checkout tills at the flagship store. The “Shop & Go” format, launched in January 2022, allowed shoppers to walk in, pick up items and leave without visiting a till.
Cameras tracked purchases, and customers were charged automatically via the Aldi app. However, frustration quickly mounted over technical glitches, lack of payment flexibility, and a controversial entry deposit system that placed a £10 hold on accounts until it was spent, sometimes lasting up to a week.
Unlike rival Amazon Fresh, Aldi did not expand the format beyond the Greenwich branch, as it had limited success.
The store temporarily closed this summer for a refit, reopening with a more conventional setup that includes self-checkout machines and no entry tap-in requirement.
Customer complaints ranged from the inconvenience of mandatory app usage to the exclusion of cash payments.
A video widely circulated on social media platform X showed activist Piers Corbyn protesting inside the store.
Wearing a “Resist, Defy, Do Not Comply” T-shirt, in the store he yelled: “These places must be closed down because if we don’t close them down, they’ll come all over the UK and we won’t have our freedom with cash. Resist! Defy! Do Not Comply!”
This comes as tensions around retail automation in the UK continue to grow. Earlier this year, major high street chains, including Gail’s bakery, Itsu, and Zizzi, faced growing backlash for refusing to accept cash.
A YouGov survey conducted last June also revealed that 71% of Brits support a legal requirement for retailers to accept cash.
While some shoppers welcome quicker, app-driven experiences, others have raised concerns over accessibility, digital exclusion, and the erosion of consumer choice.