Coop imposes new rules on self-checkouts: What you need to know

As the number of people using self-checkouts at Swiss supermarkets continues to rise, Coop has decided to enforce new rules for the system. Here’s what shoppers need to know:

Swiss Coop to impose new rules at its stores

12 years after self-checkouts first premiered in Coop in Switzerland, the machines have now become the standard way to pay for shopping for many people. At the time, the company said the checkouts were designed to help ease queues at staffed checkout points, and today, virtually all branches across the cantons have the system.

However, over the last week, shoppers have noticed new rules springing up for self-checkouts at Coop, restricting many people from using them. These rumours have now been confirmed by the company itself. With this in mind, here’s what you need to know:

What are the new rules for Coop self-checkouts?

It is now no longer possible to use Coop’s self-checkouts to self-scan large amounts of shopping. In future, only those with a shopping basket full of items will be able to use the machines to scan their own items. Those with trolley-fulls of shopping who use the Passabene gun or app to scan items as they move around the store will also be able to use the self-checkouts.

However, anyone who has a shopping trolley full of items and hasn’t used the Passebene system will be required to use the staffed counters. Having been trialled in select stores last year, the new rules will be gradually rolled out to Coops nationwide, and workers will remind customers of the new rules as they get ready to check out.

Staffed checkouts are here to stay, Coop assures

Speaking to Watson, Coop spokesperson Anna Berger explained that the move is designed to make shopping faster. She noted that people scanning every item at the checkout themselves, "especially during high customer traffic, can temporarily slow down the payment process for other customers in that area".

Berger added that those who use staffed counters, regardless of how much shopping they have, need not worry: "Our customers also value staffed checkouts, which is why we will continue to have them in all our stores in the future." She concluded by denying the allegations that the new rules are an attempt to clamp down on shoplifting, noting that the “vast majority of our customers are honest”.