Lidl announces major shake-up for shoppers at its self checkouts - will it affect YOU?
Lidl has announced a major shake-up for shoppers at its self checkouts that could leave customers fuming.
Lidl has announced a major shake-up for shoppers at its self checkouts that could leave customers fuming.
The budget supermarket giant has slapped up signs warning shoppers its self-service tills are no longer accepting cash.
Posters in stores read: Self-checkouts are now card only. You can still use cash at the till.
Lidl, which is ranked by Which? as the second most affordable grocer behind Aldi, rolled out self-service checkouts in 2017.
However, the move reportedly led to a decrease in the number of manned tills, according to the Express.
Lidl has announced its self-service tills are no longer accepting cash
The latest measure being introduced has sparked outrage from campaigners fighting to keep cash alive - with shoppers also expressing their fury online vowing never to shop at the supermarket again.
One angry customer raged: I love Lidl, its nice in there [but] why the f*** do the self checkouts not let you use cash?
Another said: I often pop in to buy a few pieces of fruit, I prefer to pay cash - I know exactly where I am with my money then.
So now Ill have to stand behind a couple of shoppers with bulging trollies with my bananas and apples?
I dont think so, theres always somebody else wholl take my cash.
Campaign group Cash Matters argues: New technologies are changing the way we pay, and cash remains the most attractive option for many.
They add that cash gives customers stability and independence with their money, claiming it is more resilient in times of crisis, as well as supporting the magic moments captured on coins and bank notes.
However, this does not change the trend which shows Brits tending towards paying without cash, and even not taking their wallet to the shops at all in favour of using digital wallets.
Research by finder.com revealed in May that an estimated 25 million Britons aged 16 and over - 45 per cent - do not take their wallets with them when heading out, relying solely on their mobile phone as a payment method.
Millennials and Generation Z were unsurprisingly found to be the most likely to leave their cards and wallets at home, with 66 per cent and 72 per cent respectively admitting to going out with just their phones.
Comparatively, only one in four baby boomers - 23 per cent - and one in 10 silent generation members - 11 per cent - said they would feel comfortable leaving the house with only a phone as a payment method, even if it was just for a short period of time.
Overall, a quarter of Brits only leave the house without a card occasionally, such as when popping out the local shop, though one in five - 20 per cent - admit to leaving it behind frequently or all the time.
The declining use of cash comes as banks retreat from UK high streets, as well as instances like Lidls recent news that some checkout methods are becoming cashless.
