Discount supermarket to close temporarily within days as shoppers threaten to boycott its return

A DISCOUNT supermarket is set to close temporarily but shoppers are threatening to boycott its return.

Aldi's store in Thetford will be shutting its doors on October 14 before reopening a few weeks later.

But not everyone is thrilled at the idea, with many shoppers saying they won't be shopping at the store when it returns.

This is due to self-checkouts reportedly being added to the shop, a feature which has proved divisive amongst fans.

The discount supermarket has been slowly rolling out the self-service tills at certain shops since 2019.

Posting on Facebook, one shopper asked when the supermarket in Lime Kiln Lane will be reopening.

The post was met with dozens of comments from the local community.

One said: "Said it was putting self checkouts in more jobs gone."

Another user replied: "Boycott it."

A third wrote: "Boycott them, and Tesco as well."

A fourth posted: "If it has self checkout I wont be shopping there again."

And another local said: "Won't shopping there is there is a self checkout?"

Not everyone was upset at the news of the new additions to the store though.

One wrote: "It’s self checkout and manned tills.

"I for one, will be pleased that when I’ve only popped in for a single item or two, to be able to be in and out quickly."

Another said: "Self-checkouts are brilliant if you only have a few bits, no getting stuck behind someone with a full trolley load of shopping."

A third commented: "Self-checkouts will be in store when it reopens.
The maned tills will also still be in store.

"So the best of both worlds. You shop and choose how you checkout.

"You shop and choose how you checkout. Like you would in Tesco, Lidl Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer."

The Thetford Aldi will be reopening on October 26 and will have both traditional tills and self-checkouts following its refurbishment.

Self-service tills are available at at least a dozen stores in key cities including London, Manchester, and Leicester - but Aldi has not confirmed exactly how many.

The new-style checkouts were first launched in Aldi's Tamworth store in Staffordshire back in April 2019.

The trial was then extended to four other shops including Bedford (Bedfordshire), Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire), Manchester Arndale (Manchester), and Woodgate (Leicester).

This was followed by a further four supermarkets to have the tills installed are Lichfield (Staffordshire), Atherstone (Warwickshire), Hounslow (West London) and Tooting (South West London).

Since then the scheme has been rolled out to at least three other shops including in Portslade and in Hednesford.

No Aldi stores are completely self-service and customers are still able to pay for their goods at a staffed checkout if they prefer.

The supermarket has previously said that scanning the shopping yourself could make paying even faster.

Customers can pay for goods at the new tills with cash, cards, and Apple and Android Pay.

It comes as data revealed that self-service checkouts are pretty unpopular among shoppers.

Aldi has been slower to roll out the self-service technology compared to its rivals.

Self-service machines were first introduced in stores in the 1990s and have since been adopted by Lidl, Asda, Morrisons, M&S, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Even clothing retailers like Primark have since introduced the new wave of checkouts.

Fuming shoppers have threatened to boycott Primark too after the change.

Disappointed customers fear the problem will only get worse - making Christmas shopping an absolute nightmare.

One woman visited the Bexleyheath branch in southeast London and was shocked at what she found.

In a rant on Facebook, she wrote: "Went to Primark in Bexleyheath this morning and was mortified to find that they have now introduced ‘self-serve’ tills.

"I can’t abide ‘do it yourself’ tills and I will boycott shops that introduce them."

The discount clothing chain has introduced the self-serve checkouts to nine shops so far.

Meanwhile, Aldi shoppers have been left fuming after a string of popular snacks and veggies were discontinued.

Plus, the chain has issued a message to all shoppers with an account after a major change to shopping.

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