PRIMARK shoppers have been left furious over a “disgusting” change made to in-store checkouts.
The high street retailer has been introducing self-service checkouts at stores across the country since last year.
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They were first rolled out at sites in Sheffield, Northampton, West Bromwich and Kingston as part of a trial in autumn 2022.
The move was in a bid to reduce huge queuing times which are all too familiar to Primark shoppers – but not all shoppers are convinced.
Writing in the Bexleyheath News and Gossip Facebook group, one shopper was less than thrilled to find self-service tills had been introduced at their local Primark.
They said: “I went to Primark Bexleyheath yesterday and found the downstairs tills have been changed to five to fix self-service and three to four manned tills.
“Only two of the manned tills were operational and the queue started to form.
“Leading up to Christmas be warned it will be a nightmare.”
Fellow Primark fans rushed to comment on the checkout change, and many of them were livid.
One shopper wrote: “Disgusting..I’m not a fan of the store anyway, but that has really put me off.”
Another added: “Absolutely ridiculous. I hate them self service tills.”
While a third fumed: “I just don’t use them. I want to be served by a human being.”
A spokesperson for Primark said they were “sorry” to hear that shoppers had been experiencing local queues at the Bexleyheath store.
They said: “The festive period is always a very busy time in our stores. Our teams are working hard to help ensure everyone has an enjoyable shopping experience including doing all they can to keep any queues moving.
“So far, customers have really welcomed the increased choice, especially when they have a small purchase or are pressed for time.
“We’ll of course continue to review how we can improve any queueing times during the coming busy weeks.”
Below is the full list of 13 Primark stores that currently have self-service checkouts:
- Sheffield The Moor
- Coventry
- Slough
- Kingston
- Edinburgh
- West Bromwich
- Northampton
- Basingstoke
- Milton Keynes Shopping Park
- Salisbury – new store, opened in September
- Bexleyheath
- Bury
- Cwmbran
Primark said the checkouts are still in the trial stage and future stores are being chosen on a “case by case basis”.
The new self-checkouts are placed in their own designated area by the usual tills.
They’re protected by a security door which only opens once a receipt has been scanned, in a bid to deter shoplifting.
The Sun has given exclusive access to the self-service checkouts in Primark’s store in Sheffield city centre in November last year.
It comes after the retailer extended its click and collect service to an additional 32 stores in and around London and Greater London.
Shoppers who use click and collect can pick up their orders from a dedicated desk in any of the participating stores.
There’s no fee to use the click and collect service but customers need to spend a minimum of £10 on their orders.
The new service is good news looking to avoid extra money when shopping as they can plan what they’re going to buy beforehand.
We explain everything you need to know about Primark’s click and collect service in our handy guide.
Plus, here are four sneaky tricks Primark uses to make you spend more, and how to avoid them.
And, the six things to always buy at Primark – and four items to avoid.
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