Supermarket chain Booths is to remove self-checkouts from stores – saying having staff at tills is better for customers. 

All but two of the northern supermarket’s branches will moved to fully staffed tills.

The move is based on customer feedback and “what we feel is the right thing to do”, a spokesperson told Sky News.

“We believe colleagues serving customers delivers a better customer experience.”

Two stores in Keswick and Windermere will keep self-checkouts as the Lake District locations can get very busy, the company said.

The high-end chain, which is sometimes called the “Waitrose of the North”, has 28 stores across Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Yorkshire.

Booths is believed to be the first supermarket to move away from using self-service checkouts.

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Booths said its founding philosophy since 1847 was to “sell the best goods available, in attractive stores, staffed with first-class assistants”.

The spokesperson said: “Delighting customers with our warm northern welcome is part of our DNA, and we continue to invest in our people to ensure we remain true to that ethos.”

In July, a survey by The Grocer found customer service scores had fallen to record lows. It attributed to decline to self-checkouts and long queues at the remaining staffed checkouts.

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