Asda begins 'trial' and warns speak to staff if it's 'too complicated'

Asda is starting a "trial" in UK supermarkets as it brings in a new checkout system. Asda will trial a self-service machine just for returns and refunds and the new self-service machine allows shoppers to scan their receipt to automatically receive a refund.

They can also use it to exchange goods. In a LinkedIn post, Alexander Lacy, Senior Manager - Retail Front End Service and Back Office at Asda, said: “Self-service returns is live. Massive well done to all the people involved in landing our brand new self- service returns concept in our Ashton store in Greater Manchester.”

She added: “The service allows customers to return items they have purchased in-store using their receipt and then get a refund via their original payment method. If the return is a simple change of mind it can be done in around 30 seconds.

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“If the customer requires help or the return is more complicated then our colleagues are on hand to help. This is designed to help customers speed up their shopping trip by removing the pinch point of queueing at a traditional kiosk with customers wanting multiple missions.”

The latest trial from Asda, the UK's third biggest supermarket chain, comes after it announced it would be putting more staff on traditional checkouts. Any remaining old-style tills are now being staffed more often, particularly at weekends and other peak times. Michael Gleeson, Asda’s chief financial officer, said in August it was "not more checkouts, it's more colleagues on checkouts."

He added: "I think we have reached a level of self-checkouts and scan and go where we feel that works best for our customers, and we feel we’ve got the balance just about right. We have invested additional hours in manned checkouts and that’s been within the existing physical infrastructure [of the stores]."