Booths has become one of the first UK supermarkets to strip out self-service checkouts from most of its stores.
In a bid to keep its reputation for providing a high-end and premium store shopping experience intact, the Northern-based supermarket retailer – which is often dubbed “the Waitrose of the North” – has made the decision to call it a day on self-service checkouts and make a full return to having staff behind its tills.
The retailer is currently in the process of removing the technology from all but two of its 27 supermarkets, The Grocer reports.
As part of its current ongoing store renovation programme, Booths – which has dozens of stores in Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Cheshire, and just one here in Greater Manchester – appears to be going against the wider industry shift to self-service that’s been happening over the past few years by planning to increase the number of staffed checkouts and pay points across all its stores.
Booths becomes first UK supermarket to strip self-service checkouts from stores / Credit: Booths
While many supermarkets’ bosses claim shifting over to self-service has helped them to cut down on key costs, and ultimately speed-up the time it takes to serve customers, it’s fair to say some shoppers haven’t been so keen.
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Some have even claimed self-service detracts from overall service levels in store – which is why Booths has decided to do away with them.
Booths’ Managing Director, Nigel Murray, told The Grocer that the retailer is basically just “not great fans of self-checkouts”.
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“We pride ourselves on great customer service, and you can’t do that through a robot,” he added.
The supermarket says it’s in a bid to provide a premium customer service experience / Credit: Booths
Mr Murray put the company‘s decision to scrap self-service down to voiced customer concerns such as having to wait for a staff member to verify ID when buying alcohol, or issues with checkouts registering the correct items or weights.
Despite the the backlash from its customers in recent years, Booths said it “made sense” to keep self-service an option at two of its busiest stores in Windermere and Keswick.
This is because these two Lake District outlets are often known to get “quite busy” at certain times, especially if large numbers of tourists turn up during a short time period.
Featured Image – Booths
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Beloved Manchester artist Stanley Chow slams Conservative Party for using his artwork
Daisy Jackson
Celebrated local artist Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party.
The illustrator, who is famed for his cartoon portraits of famous faces, has discovered that the political party have been using his Andy Burnham illustration at their party conference.
Publicly addressing the usage, Stanley said he would be ‘seeking legal advice’.
He shared a photo of his Andy Burnham portrait that has been placed onto a water bottle with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’.
The label also says: “0% strength. Bottled under pressure from Badenoch.”
In another photo, Stanley Chow revealed that the Tory party conference has used his Andy Burnham portrait on pots of sweets, too.
This time, they say: “Andy Panders’ people pleaser pick n mix. Free sweets for everyone, it will only cost you higher taxes.”
Stanley wrote: “It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party…
“Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”
Backing him up in the comments are a number of other local artists, including Mancsy, who said: “As well as the copyright infringement, I expect more of political parties than making gags at the expense of the opposition. It’s alarming on multiple levels.”
Someone else wrote: “Imagine calling a prime minister a people pleaser like it’s an insult… when it’s their job.”
Another person said: “How does that even happen?! Layers of people signing off who go, ‘Sure, let’s not worry about copyright’ (people who’ve presumably never step foot in MCR and seen your artwork, like EVERYWHERE). Drag em, babe. Copyright and reputation, surely.”
Manchester man jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of woman on train
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of a woman on board a train to Manchester.
Following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last month.
At the trail last month, the court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, 39-year-old Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester and sat next to a woman he didn’t know, who was on the phone.
He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman.
The woman then noticed that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her. She shouted at him, and in response, he stood up and ran away to leave the train – but the woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.
When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman alerted a member of staff while Kurukulasuriya was stood only a few meters away, and BTP were subsequently called straight away.
Police quickly attended and arrested Kurukulasuriya.
When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.
After pleading guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing, Kurukulasuriya was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn’t know on public transport, as well as being put on thensex offenders register for 10 years.
BTP Detective Sergeant, Mark Haviland, called Kurukulasuriya a ‘despicable man’ who targeted a woman travelling alone ‘for his own sick sexual gratification’.
Emily Sergeant -
10th November 2023 
