Over 100,000 sign pensioner’s petition to bring back tills at Tesco
69 year old Pat McCarthy says her local Tesco has ''inaccessible self-service tills with no staff', leaving some shoppers waiting over 30 minutes to be served
A regular shopper at Tesco is pleading with the supermarket giant to “stop replacing people with machines”, and has even launched a petition to take them on.
Pat McCarthy, aged 69, started the petition after she struggled to use the self-checkout tills at her local big Tesco supermarket.
Stating “you can’t speak to a machine”, she’s now calling on the company to reintroduce more staffed checkouts – and it seems the nation is on her side.
The petition has already hit over 100,000 signatures – 102,222 at the time of writing – and looks set to soon become one of the most-signed petitions on Change.org.
In it, Pat makes several well-put arguments for the return of more staff, explaining that at her local Tesco, and “probably all over the country, Tesco is bringing in new self-service and sort-it-yourself card only till machines. They make up 3/4 of the tills now.
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“These new tills are not accessible for people who don’t have credit cards and can only use cash or those with little confidence to use these self-service card-only tills – myself included.
“As an older woman, I can’t lift anything heavy, and that goes for many disabled people.”
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She continues: “People such as carers, older people, disabled people with mobility problems or lifting problems have to queue waiting for more than 30 minutes.
“I couldn’t lift the windscreen wash the other day in Tesco because it was so heavy and some men were lovely to help and had to put it in my car for me.
“If they weren’t around and my daughter wasn’t with me, I would have been helpless.”
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On my last visit to Tesco’s we had a £170 shop. We were told to go to the self check out tills! We said unless you open the check out we were leaving all this right here and will never shop here again – they opened the tills #BringBackTescoStaff
Her petition also points out that the new self-service tills have “displaced mainly part-time women staff”, and echos something many older people miss – the bit of chit-chat you have with the staff as they’re scanning your items.
She explains: “I love chatting with the staff, albeit briefly, especially as l live on my own. Talking with human staff is important to me. Now that experience has been taken away from me.
It is not the first time that shoppers have pushed back against self-checkout tills. Back in 2015, Morrisons brought back staff at 1,000 “express” checkouts after learning 67% of their customers felt enxious using the self scanning tills.
The full petition reads: “My name is Pat, I am 69 years old, and retired but I am a volunteer helping disabled people with applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) forms and a Trustee of my local Disability Network.
“My local Tesco has inaccessible self-service tills with no staff which makes the shopping experience physically difficult and overwhelming.
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“At my local Tesco mega-store, and probably all over the country, Tesco is bringing in new self-service and sort-it-yourself card only till machines. They make up 3/4 of the tills now.
“These new tills are not accessible for people who don’t have credit cards and can only use cash or those with little confidence to use these self-service card-only tills – myself included.
“People such as carers, older people, disabled people with mobility problems or lifting problems have to queue waiting for more than 30 minutes.
“I couldn’t lift the windscreen wash the other day in Tesco because it was so heavy and some men were lovely to help and had to put it in my car for me. If they weren’t around and my daughter wasn’t with me, I would have been helpless.
“These new self-service card tills have displaced mainly part-time women staff.
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“I love chatting with the staff, albeit briefly, especially as l live on my own. Talking with human staff is important to me. Now that experience has been taken away from me.
“With these new replacement Self-service-card-only tills (SSCOT) you have to choose your shopping if you can find it, put it in the trolley, unpack it, load it onto the belt that is static, scan it (if the scanner works), shove it across onto a packing area, pay for it and then lift it off out of the packing area and then load it into your trolley. This is a physically taxing process. As an older woman, I can’t lift anything heavy, and that goes for many disabled people.
“I challenge Ken Murphy Chief Executive of Tesco to meet with me for a discussion to explain his ‘replace people with machines policy’. I want Ken Murphy to bring staff back to do check-outs on the till and not have a replace people with machines policy.
“If we lose, it means an erosion of a great shopping experience into a Tesco’s shopping nightmare.
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“Sign and share this petition to help people with physical difficulties to have a better shopping experience in Tesco by bringing back staff.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Our colleagues and the friendly service they provide are absolutely vital to our stores and will always be on hand to help our customers, whether they are checking out at one of our colleague-operated or self-service checkouts.”
If you’d like to sign the petition you can do so here.
How to look after your cats and dogs this Bonfire Night
Thomas Melia
Bonfire Night may be a blessing for some families who can take advantage of the beautifully lit sky and incredible views, but for those who own cats or dogs, this isn’t necessarily the case.
When it comes to your furry friends then simply turning to their owners is usually the best point of call, but sometimes it’s still good to have a quick refresher on how to spot when your pet is in distress.
Luxury clothing retailer, Joules, is one of those leading research this year as they provide a list of tips and tricks on how to notice a change in your dog’s behaviour, soothe your cat’s stress and just generally make things more manageable for your four-legged companions.
72% of cat and dog owners see a change in their pets’ behaviour over this season, with 68% saying that they are frightened by the loud noises. With that in mind, here are some helpful tips on how to take care of your cats and dogs this Bonfire Night.
How to create a safe space for pets on Bonfire Night
Cover your windows where possible
Closing the curtains is always a good start; although this may not reduce the noise fully, it will help to block out the flashes from those pesky fireworks and even dial those big bangs down slightly.
In order to combat sudden light changes, dog owners are advised to keep their lights on, this way the animals are used to this setting and there are no drastic differences.
The simplest thing you can do is just make sure you’re there for your animals; much like us humans, they don’t like to deal with things on their own and sometimes it’s nice to have a helping hand by their side for reassurance – especially when that includes some always welcome petting.
It’s also good to keep their minds occupied by playing games and interactive activities with them to distract their cute little faces from all the madness outside.
Stay calm yourself
It might sound a little self-involved but it’s also important that alongside keeping your dogs and cats company and playing with them, make sure to keep calm yourself, much like your children and little ones you know, dogs are very reactive and can pick up on emotions easily.
As much as this information may be handy, you still know your pet best, so reacting to their behaviour and catering to their needs is definitely a must.
There are also some easy ways to spot something’s up…
Joules worked with animal behaviourist Kimberly Grundy to help develop these helpful Bonfire Night tips cats and dogs.They are one of many retailers that stock comforting cushions and blankets that are perfect for these occasions.
The best way to spot any changes in your dog or cat’s behaviour is to look for these nine surefire signs – if you spot them, they’re most likely feeling unsettled by the celebrations.
Whining or barking – this will include whimpering, crying, barking, and growling.
Clinginess – i.e. more than normal.
Excessive panting or drooling – can signal anxiety and distress instead of the usual excitement.
Hiding or trying to find a safe space
Trying to escape – make sure your doors and windows are locked and dog/cat flaps are covered.
Trembling and shaking – soothing strokes can still work wonders.
Pacing or restlessness – if you can get them to just sit with you that’s a step in the right direction.
Loss of appetite – but don’t try and force them to eat though, the goal is to help them relax.
Dilated pupils
Whether you’re cosying up to your cat or dog, or venturing out to a bonfire, make sure you stay safe this November and most importantly have fun!
Manchester to commemorate our armed forces with ceremony and parade this Remembrance Sunday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to fall silent and remember the fallen during this year’s annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
Just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed the details of how the city will mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend, and has confirmed that the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade will set off at 10:25am from John Dalton Street.
Civic dignitaries, servicemen and women, service and ex-service organisations, faith leaders, emergency services, and other uniformed organisations, have all been invited to lay traditional poppy wreaths and pay their respects at the Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square, along with members of the public.
Proceedings will start at 10:25am, and run through until midday.
Plans to mark Remembrance Sunday in Manchester have been announced / Credit: David Dixon (via Geograph)
Veterans and military personnel will march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph, where a service will be held at 11am, along with a two-minute silence, all before a short march to Peter Street across St Peter’s Square then takes place to close out the commemorations.
The two-minute silence will be observed at 11am, and the start and finish of this silence marked by the firing of a maroon.
In order for necessary security checks and safeguards to be carried out, Manchester City Council has confirmed that a series of road closures will be implemented on Sunday 10 November between 7am and 1pm.
The following road closures will be in place:
John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
Princess Street (Cross Street to Portland Street) with a ‘hard closure’ at Back George Street
Cross Street (Princess Street to King Street)
Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street) with a ‘hard closure’ at Watson street and Hale Street
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Bootle Street (Deansgate to Mount Street)
Lloyd Street (Deansgate to Southmill)
Jackson Row (Deansgate to Southmill)
Central Street (Southmill to Mount Street)
Cooper Street (Kennedy to Princess Street)
West Mosely Street (Booth Street to princess Street)
Bow Lane (Clarence Street to Princess Street)
St James’s Square (South King Street to John Dalton Street)
Ridgefield (Mulberry Street to John Dalton Street)
All the road closures for the ceremony have been confirmed too / Credit: Manchester City Council
As well as road closures, there will also be a number of parking restrictions set to apply on the day too.
It has been confirmed that all parking bays – including accessible parking bays – will be suspended from 8pm on Saturday 9 November, right through to 2pm on Sunday 10 November.
The roads where parking restrictions will apply are:
Lloyd Street (Deansgate to Southmill Street)
Jackson Row (Deansgate to Southmill Street)
Bootle Street (Deansgate to Mount Street)
Mount Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Museum Street (Windmill Street to Peter Street)
Southmill Street (Windmill Street to Albert Square)
Peter Street (Deansgate to Oxford Street)
Oxford Street (Peter Street to Chepstow)
Princess Street (Albert Square to Portland Street)
John Dalton Street (Deansgate to Albert Square)
Ridgefield Street (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Central Street (Southmill Street to Mount Street)
St James’ Square (South King Street to John Dalton)
Windmill Street (Mount Street to Watson Street)
Cross Street (Princess Street to King Street)
Cooper Street (Kennedy to Princess Street)
West Mosely Street (Booth Street to Princess Street)
Bow Lane (Clarence Street to Princess Street)
When it comes to other forms of public transport, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that no trams will run through St Peter’s Square between 10am and 12:30pm on Sunday 10 November.
Georgina Pellant -
18th May 2022 
