Marks & Spencer has implemented self-service checkouts for home and clothing products in dozens of stores.
The high street retailer said it was adding the checkouts, which are similar to those used in the supermarkets for groceries, in 10 more stores before the end of March as it speeds up the roll out.
A spokesperson for the company said its shoppers will still have the option to pay for clothing and homeware at manned checkouts.
“We continue to offer customers new ways to pay to make shopping with M&S quicker, easier and more convenient,” they told The Telegraph.
M&S began trialling the checkouts, which are currently operating in 20 stores, in 2021.
A wider rollout is expected to take place by the end of the year.
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The retailer has come under scrutiny in recent weeks over the accessibility of its self service tills, with one user taking to Twitter to slam the company.
She claimed that the tills were too high for her to reach in her wheelchair and accused M&S of breaching the Equality Act, pointing out that there are approximately 14.6 million disabled people in the UK, and of those around one million are wheelchair users.
“You cannot be ignorant of our existence. Making things less accessible for us is unacceptable,” the user wrote.
The retailer told Charged: “While our tills are tested and certified to meet accessibility standards, we take customer feedback seriously and are exploring adjustments we can make to our new tills, including altering the height of the basket and reviewing the positioning of the till so people with disabilities can shop independently if they wish to.
“At M&S we are committed to ensuring all our stores are accessible and we are in the early stages of research and design to launch a designated accessible till in every store.
“Our store colleagues are always on hand to support all our customers, including those with accessibility needs.”
2 Comments. Leave new
This is not a very good service for customers.
There are now less staff to serve in the stores and these new self payment points only in place to save more money employing staff.
The service we used to get is gone, and the staff that are there tell us its not their idea but they take the day to day complaints from the public about lack of service. I think you will lose customers who would rather look and select instore rather than online.
Very rarely do I see any store management on the sales floor.
Shopping at Marks and Spencer was once a pleasure. Today I have made a few purchases in the fashion department and was shocked to find I had to do the job of an assistant at the self payment points. I will not be in a rush to shop with your company again even though I did want to make some more purchases. We were helped by a very nice assistant, but my disappointment is with the company. We have been regular shoppers for many years but there has been a decline in standards I am sorry to say. Sylvia Slinger