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Aldi trials £10 charge for shoppers entering supermarket with new self-checkout rules
Shoppers risk being charged multiple times if they tap the app twice
ALDI has introduced a £10 pre-payment for shoppers entering a checkout-free store in Greenwich, sparking frustration among customers.
A deposit is taken before entry and deducted from the final bill, but those spending less than £10 or leaving empty handed could wait days for a refund.
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The 'pre-authorisation' charge applies to both app users and contactless shoppers at the Shop & Go store.
Customers tapping their card at the entrance or generating a QR code through the app are automatically charged £10 before being allowed inside.
A refund is issued if they spend less than £10 - but the timing depends on the customers's bank or card provider.
Some shoppers have also reported being charged multiple times if they accidentally press the app button more than once before entering.
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Aldi's terms and conditions confirm that the deposit is required to verify payment cards and ensure smooth transactions, but customers are given little warning how much is being pre-authorised before payment is taken.
The Greenwich store, which opened in January 2022, is Aldi's only checkout-free location.
It uses AI-powered cameras to track what customers pick up, automatically billing them as they leave without the need for scanning or till.s
Initially, customers had to download the Aldi Shop & Go app and register a payment card, but in 2023, Aldi introduced a contactless entry option.
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This new £10 deposit system follows a similar model used at Market Express in London's Excel Centre, which also requires a pre-authorisation payment before allowing shoppers inside.
Aldi has defended the trial, stating that the store is constantly evolving to make shopping experience smoother and that in most cases, refunds are processed within 48 hours, depending on the customer's bank.
What are Aldi Specialbuys?
While Aldi was one of the first UK supermarkets to trial the checkout-free technology, the concept has struggled to take off.
Amazon initially planned 260 Just Walk Out stores in the UK but has since scaled back its ambitions, while Tesco operates just four hybrid check-out free GetGo stores.
Aldi CEO Giles Hurley has previously suggested that self-checkouts, rather than more checkout-free stores, are the retailer's next focus.
A spokesperson for Aldi said: "This is a concept store that opened in 2022 and is designed so that shoppers don’t have to manually pay for items – they can simply place things in the basket and the store’s camera technology registers the purchase without them having to go to a till - similar to Amazon’s Fresh stores.
"This one store has always required shoppers to download an app to enter the store and takes a small pre-payment (similar to Uber) to ensure the bank account a customer account is linked to has available funds.
"Only relates to a single Aldi concept store in London."
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While Morrisons is planning to scale back the number of self-service checkouts in its supermarkets, after bosses admitted the expansion had "went too far".
In recent months, Primark has been rolling out self-checkouts at dozens of stores.
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