We tested the UK’s first till-free grocery store – here’s our verdict

Has technology gone one step too far?

As someone who still has an AOL account and revels in getting rid of loose copper coins at the supermarket checkout, the idea of doing the weekly shop at a till-free grocery store is not something I thought I’d like the sound of.

In an age where “real-life” interactions are shunned in favour of digital ones and money is exchanged via apps rather than by handing over cash, I long for the days of sharing a personal joke with a local supermarket employee who gives me a side-smile as a result of my penchant for Ben & Jerry’s, or paying for a weekly shop with money freshly withdrawn from an ATM.

But a till-free shopping experience is exactly what Sainsbury’s is now offering customers.

On Monday, the supermarket chain launched the UK’s first till-free grocery store, which allows shoppers to pay for their purchases with their smartphone and walk out of the shop without going through a checkout, or even speaking to an employee.

To use the service, customers are invited to use an app on their phones to scan their groceries as they walk around the store, pay for the products via Google Pay or Apple Pay, and scan a code to confirm payment.

When we heard the news, we were slightly dubious of just how quick and easy this service would be. After all, how simple would it be to download the app? Would it be easy to scan a product barcode using a mobile device? Would we miss interacting with a supermarket employee?

Despite our reservations, the move has been praised by several Twitter users, who commend the supermarket for embracing technological advances to aid consumer’s shopping experience.

“Great to see tech moving forward with @sainsburys till free trial at Holborn circus store in London #Sainsbury #retail,” commented one fan.

Another tweeted: “Props to @sainsburys for experimenting!”

So we decided to head down to a Sainsbury’s Local convenience outlet at Holborn Circus, where the supermarket is trying out the till-free service for three months, to find out if it hinders or helps shoppers.

First of all, we needed to contend with the app side of the initiative. To use the till-free service, customers must download the SmartShop app to gain access to use the SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology in store.

Sounds pretty simple right? Well, not exactly. As we soon learned when downloading the app, you must already have a Nectar card to do this. As a result, we found ourselves frantically searching online how to apply for a Nectar card to use the service.

Just 10 minutes into applying for said Nectar card, we were on the phone to a Sainsbury’s customer service employee who (wrongly) told us we required a physical Nectar card, rather than the card number as we were originally informed. Nevertheless, we were soon able to sign into the app and connect it with our Apple Pay, without the need of a physical card. Result!

All that remained then was for us to do the easy bit – shop. Having decided to head down the Holborn site at peak time when nearby workers were in desperate need of sustenance, we half expected most customers to shun the till-free service in favour of the helpdesk manned by a member of staff. After all, new technology and hungry customers didn’t seem like they’d be a good match.

However, when we entered the Sainsbury’s store, we were taken aback by just how many customers were eager to try out the new app. Mulling around the entrance were several shoppers reading through signs informing them how to download the app and chatting to helpful employees who ran them through the process of how the service works.

So, how does it all work?

With iPhone in hand, we wandered around the entrance of the shop to find a product that would quench our thirst. Fortunately, the range of products available at the store has been tailored for busy customers buying breakfast or lunch.

Just a few steps into the shop and you’ll find yourself presented with a deluge of ready-to-eat products including drinks, snacks, breakfast pots, and sandwiches that can be easily – and, more importantly, quickly – picked up, scanned and paid for.

As a result, we opted to buy a juice that looked easy enough to scan. To our surprise, a simple hover of the app over the drink’s barcode registered the purchase quicker than you can say “Sainsbury’s”. Our bemused looks must have led to an employee from the store to wander over, asking why we were so shocked it worked.

Sainsbury’s launches the UK’s first till-free grocery store (Sainbury’s) (Sainbury's)

“I didn’t expect it to be that efficient and easy,” I told her, genuinely shocked that my technophobe inclinations hadn’t broken the app, or even the Sainsbury’s entire till-free service.

From hearing conversations around the shop, it seemed like we weren’t the only customers to be surprised with just how well the service worked.

“I don’t want any more apps,” one disgruntled shopper exclaimed to an employee who talked him through the service. Minutes later, we overheard the same shopper telling another customer that the experience “wasn’t too bad”, after all. “I’d use it again, probably,” he told an employee on the way out, sandwich in hand.

When it came to finalising our purchase, we simply clicked on the “Apple Pay” button to confirm the end of the shop. To receive a receipt, we used the app to scan a QR code on a wall located near the shop exit, which resulted in an on-screen receipt with a bizarre but inoffensive GIF of a chihuahua dancing to tell us that the shopping experience was complete.

“That whole thing took less than a minute,” a colleague said, as we wandered out of the increasingly busy store, both surprised that we had successfully used the app and purchased an item without needing to wave over an employee for assistance or becoming frustrated at the process.

Sainsbury’s isn’t the only supermarket to have trialled apps that enable shoppers to pay via a mobile phone. Retailers such as Waitrose, the Co-op and Tesco have also attempted it. And it’s worth mentioning that alcohol, cigarettes and tobacco have been removed from the Holborn-based shop due to age-verification requirements.

However, we were genuinely impressed at the ease and accessibility of the till-free shopping experience. While the downloading of the app and linking it to our Nectar card proved a slight faff, we found the service to be surprisingly pain- and hassle-free.

For those in a rush, people who have eschewed cash payments entirely, or who simply want an social interaction-free shopping experience, Sainsbury’s till-free grocery store should be your go-to location. Welcome to the future of shopping.