LIDL has made a huge change at self-service checkouts – and some customers are going to be furious.
The budget supermarket has put up signs in some stores informing customers that self-checkouts no longer take cash.
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The signs read: “Self-checkouts are now card only. You can still use cash at the till.”
Martin Quinn, a leading advocate for cash usage, shared a photo with The Sun from his local store in Wallington, highlighting the shift.
He said: “This is a huge misstep from Lidl.
“By moving away from cash, it’s as if they don’t understand their customers, many of whom use cash to budget and control their spending.
“Lidl’s demographic includes people on lower incomes who prefer using cash. Why are they being penalised?
“This change will mean longer waits at the few remaining staffed checkouts for cash users.”
Lidl introduced self-service checkouts in its UK stores in 2017 as part of a broader strategy to enhance customer convenience and streamline the shopping experience.
It meant that the number of manned tills in affected stores was reduced.
Initially, these machines could accept both card and cash payments.
However, not every Lidl supermarket in the country offers them.
It’s now understood that the supermarket chain is converting more and more self-checkout kiosks to card-only.
With Lidl operating out of 960 stores across the UK, this change risks affecting many customers.
A spokesperson for the chain did say that it would retain cash options in stores where demand is highest.
However, Lidl did not respond when The Sun asked to confirm how many shops have these cashless tills.
Customers wishing to pay by cash can still do so, but they’ll need to queue at their store’s manned checkouts.
This development comes just a day after Starbucks customers threatened to boycott the coffee chain over plans to ban cash in some stores.
Other supermarkets, including Tesco and Asda, are also reducing cash payments in some branches to shorten queues.
SWITCH TO CASHLESS
In recent years, the UK has witnessed a notable shift towards cashless transactions, driven by the convenience and speed of digital payment methods.
With the rise of contactless cards, mobile payments, and online banking, many businesses and consumers are increasingly opting for electronic payments over traditional cash.
The use of banknotes and paper cash is declining, with a recent survey for LINK indicating that nearly half (48%) of people expect to see a cashless society in their lifetime.
However, cash transactions still remain important to millions, particularly the vulnerable and elderly.
They’re also immune to global outages and technology failures.
In July 2024 a major global tech outage caused many UK businesses to grind to a halt when shoppers couldn’t make card payments, but cash payments remained unaffected.
Adrian Buckle, head of research at UK Finance, recently said: “There is a huge amount of choice available to consumers in terms of how they make payments, but we can definitely see the continued popularity of debit cards and contactless.
This has been driven both by consumer demand as well as new technologies which help to increase acceptance levels, particularly among small and mobile businesses.
“Mobile contactless payments are growing fast and one-third of adults are now making these at least once a month, with scope for usage to increase further.
“This doesn’t mean we are on our way to becoming a cashless society.
“Cash is still the second most frequently used method of payment in the UK, although on the whole we are using it less and more people are leading largely cashless lives.”
The Post Office handled a record amount of cash in July, with transactions totalling £3.77billion.
RULES ON GOING CASHLESS
MOST people think it’s their right to use cash to pay for goods at the shops. But the reality is, that’s not the case.
Even though our pennies and pounds are often referred to as legal tender, it is actually the business owner’s right to decide what payment methods they want to accept.
After an online petition was launched to make it unlawful for shops to refuse cash, the Government confirmed in April that it does not plan to mandate cash acceptance.
Cash transactions remain important to millions, particularly the vulnerable and elderly, but it is the choice of individual businesses.
As we move ever closer to a cashless society, I worry about the elderly and those who are most vulnerable, as many rely on cash for budgeting and it’s easy to overspend when you are using a card.
With so many people still reliant on, or keen to use, notes and loose change, it really does make sense for businesses to continue to accept it.
OTHER RETAILERS CUTTING CASH
In a huge shakeup for shoppers, retailers such as Tesco and Asda are cutting cash payments in some of their branches to shorten queues.
So, whether you’re filling up the car or ordering a sandwich for lunch, you may get to the checkout to discover you can’t pay with cash.
Tesco revealed it would be going cashless at cafés in 40 UK sites in August.
However, customers will still be given the option to pay by cash in the actual store.
Another supermarket which is starting to introduce a cashless way of life is Asda,
They have already introduced cash-free in 82 of their stores –Â get the full list here.
Asda has confirmed that customers can still pay by cash in the rest of its outlets, including manned and self checkouts, cafés and concessions.
Supermarkets that continue to take cash payments include Morrisons, Aldi, Waitrose, and Co-op.
As of September 2024, many petrol stations have continued to accept cash.
However, Asda has 267 cash-free petrol stations, where customers must pay at pump by card to fill up.
Starbucks customers have threatened to boycott the coffee chain over plans to ban cash in some stores.
Signs at some of the coffee chain’s locations have informed shoppers that they are transitioning to cashless payments.
It’s believed a small number of licensee-operated stores have imposed cashless rules.
Starbucks has 1,168 shops in the UK – but only 354 are company-operated and the remaining 814 branches are run by licensees.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
It means those shops can set their own payment rules.
A spokesperson said the “majority of its stores continue to offer cash payments to customers”.
