M&S places self-checkouts in an unlikely place; customers say it’s stupid

Despite warnings of a ‘major’ trend of shoplifting, Marks and Spencer has announced that it has decided to install self-checkouts in a rather unlikely place: in changing rooms.

M&S plans to introduce self-checkouts in the changing rooms of its 180 clothing stores to speed up the process and make checkout smoother.

According to the Telegraph newspaper, M&S aims to have this new technology implemented in more than 100 stores by early 2028. The retailer’s flagship store, Fosse Park in Leicester, is one of the locations where self-checkouts are already operational.

Once a wider store revamp has been completed, the technology will be rolled out across all clothing stores. Sacha Berendji, M&S operations director, said: “We want customers to be able to skip the queue straight into the fitting room, try on what they have chosen, pay there and simply walk out.”

He added that the brand is in the process of adding one self-checkout per dressing room, but more would be added based on customer demand.

Archie Norman, the supermarket’s chairman, has noticed an increase in theft by middle-class customers, attributing this to faulty self-checkouts.

Mr Norman claimed M&S gets “very little help from the police” when it comes to shoplifting – and says she believes middle-class thieves are mainly to blame.

Mr Norman told LBC’S podcast Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson: “You’re getting the sort of middle class… with the reduction in the service you get in a lot of stores, a lot of people are going in and thinking ‘well this is didn’t happen.” “I can’t scan these things or it’s really hard to scan these things and I shop here all the time, it’s not my fault, I owe it.”

“So you see at the self-checkouts… there’s just a little bit of that creeping in.”

However, Mr Berendji assured that M&S ​​staff would “host” changing rooms to ensure customers paid before leaving. He said: “Shoplifting is a big problem in this country, but there are things we are all doing to ensure we can reduce some of those losses. This has everything to do with freedom of choice. If you want to be served by a colleague, that is absolutely okay and that is always possible.

“But if people want to serve themselves, they can do that instead.”

Mr Berendji added: “Where some businesses may scale back, they may feel they need to offer more choice to customers. But we have never gone on a full self-checkout route, apart from some train stations.”

But not all customers are impressed, with some branding it a ‘stupid’ and unwise move. Twitter user Peter Ackerley wrote: “The height of madness,” while Vanessa Smith said it was: “Asking for trouble.”

Meanwhile, Twitter user Lindsey (@Lulubelle1981) wrote: “I worked for them, this is not a wise move. Theft is already widespread, this will only encourage shoplifting. Absolutely stupid.”