A photo from the 80s has revealed just how much Aussie supermarkets have changed, with one detail in particular fuelling a fierce online debate.
The image of inside a Coles store in Belmont, NSW, was recently shared in a Facebook group dedicated to Aussie retail nostalgia.
It showed a full row of checkouts open, with numerous cashiers ringing up customers’ grocery items.
The image, which according to the State Library of Victoria was taken some time between 1980 and 1989, quickly kicked off a debate about the rise in self-serve checkouts.
Self-checkout system first began to be introduced in stores nearly a decade ago, but, in recent years, there has been an increase in customer backlash to the machines, with many complaining about the dwindling number of manned checkout lanes.
So, seeing a photo of a supermarket with multiple busy registers opened has given Aussies a new opportunity to unleash their thoughts on self-service machines.
“That’s a very rare sight these days. I hardly ever see a register open anymore,” one commenter claimed.
“How it should be at every checkout!” another added.
Others called for the return of “old fashioned customer service” and the “good old days”, while another claimed the photo was “a dream”, with “so many registers opened with neatly dressed cashiers at each one”.
Multiple people went on to claim that they “hate” using self-service checkouts and “prefer interacting with a human” when paying for their shopping.
However, there were others that pointed out there were many factors – not just the introductions of self-serve checkouts – that meant this kind of scene wasn’t common in today’s society.
One commenter noted that in the 80s and 90s, most supermarkets traded from around 8.30am to 6pm and were closed on Sunday.
This meant that trading hours were significant compacted, compared to now, and therefore stores were likely to be busier in peak times.
Others also noted that this was the main supermarket in Belmont at the time, with one commenter claiming there was no Woolworths or Aldi for the store to compete with.
There were some who pointed out the image was also likely a promotional photo, which is why so many checkouts were open.
Other commenters even jumped in to defend the rollout of self-service options, saying they prefer scanning their own items over going to a register with a cashier.
“I love self service checkouts, so much quicker and easier than waiting in line for someone to scan the items,” one person said.
“I prefer self service because I have mobility problems, and I want to be in and out as I can’t stand for too long. I also find checkouts are prone to more mistakes then self service,” another wrote.
It isn’t just Aussies shoppers who have started to take issue with the growing number of self-service registers, with customers overseas also up in arms.
The backlash has even lead to some retailers ditching their self-service options, with US superstore Walmart and UK grocery chain Booths recently announcing self-checkout systems would be removed following a series of complaints.
“Our customers have told us this over time – that the self-scan machines that we’ve got in our stores … can be slow, they can be unreliable [and] they’re obviously impersonal,” Booths managing director Nigel Murray told the BBC.
Discount department retailer, Canadian Tires, have also followed suit, removing all of its self-checkout stalls in its Mississauga and North Bay, Ontario, stores.
The company was applauded for the move, with many customers saying they were “happy” to see the machines removed.
“I think that it’s much more customer-focused. It’s not relying on the customer to do the job for the retailer,” one said.
Despite many Aussies calling for our local supermarkets to introduce a similar approach, our major retailers have given no hint that they will follow suit.
Both Coles and Woolworths have recently added new security features to their self-service areas, in a bid to reduce the rising rate of thefts.
Both supermarkets have recently introduced automatic gates in some of their checkout areas, other security measures across the stores include new surveillance cameras and trolley lock technology.
However, Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci recently addressed one of shoppers’ biggest gripes with self-service check-outs.
In a “grocery inflation” update sent to customers last month, Mr Banducci responded to the question of whether the supermarket giant’s “focus on technology (and prices) [is] coming at the expense of our Team”.
Those who complain about the presence of self-service facilities in Australian grocery stores often argue they’re “reducing the number of jobs”.
But, in the email, Mr Banducci insisted there are now “more jobs at Woolies not less”.
“Self-service check-outs and the perception that this results in a reduction in team members in-store is a passionate dinner table topic in our house,” he wrote.
“The fact is, we employ more people than ever before and, with the popularity of online ordering, this year we’ve hired 5500 Personal Shoppers, so there’s more jobs at Woolies not less.”