Until recently, it was one of the most convenient options when paying for a purchase. Take a few things, go through the self-service checkout and be gone in two minutes. But now it seems that this option is getting cracks. Lidl came up with a new product that unpleasantly surprised some customers.
Until recently, they were among the options that customers loved. Quick purchase, no waiting, everything under control. But now a wave of resentment is starting to rise around them, and Lidl is one of the chains where this is starting to be seen a lot.
On video fromWatch Adam Szwarc with instructions on how to use the self-service cash register in Lidl on YouTube:
A ban that divides customers
According to information from the last few days, Lidl started testing a measure that surprised many. In some situations, it limits access to self-service checkouts for typically for students in larger groups, for example.
At first glance, it may sound inconspicuous. In reality, however, this means that some people will not get to the popular cash registers at all and have to wait at the classic ones. And that’s what evokes emotion.
Why did Lidl do this?
The reason is quite prosaic – losses. Self-service checkouts speed up purchases, but at the same time they also bring problems. There are frequent situations when the customer scans the product incorrectly, forgets to load it or even deliberately overlooks it.
Therefore, more radical steps have already been taken in some foreign Lidl stores. For example, in Germany, groups of students were directly redirected to classic cash registers precisely because of repeated problems with unpaid goods.
Quick fix or injustice?
And this is where opinions differ. From the merchant’s point of view, this is a logical step, every mistake or theft means a loss, which adds up quickly with a large number of customers.
But customers see it differently. Many point out that it is a collective punishment. Thus, even those who have never done anything pay for the behavior of individuals.
“Forbidding the whole group seems excessive to me. When someone cheats, it should be dealt with specifically,” is often heard in discussions under this topic on social networks.
Can it also happen in the Czech Republic?
That’s a question a lot of people are asking themselves right now. Officially, a similar general restriction in Czech stores is not yet planned. So far, the measures appear more locally and abroad.
At the same time, however, it is clear that retail chains are becoming more cautious. Security checks, cameras and various restrictions at self-service checkouts are gradually increasing.
Comfort that has its limits
Self-service checkouts were meant to be a symbol of convenient shopping. But reality shows that everything has its limits. As soon as trust begins to be lost, the rules come, and they are not always met with understanding.
This means only one thing for customers, the style of shopping is changing. And even if it’s just the cash registers, this is where it breaks down how stores will trust people, and vice versa.
