EXCLUSIVERise of the machines: Now some Asda stores are bringing in self-checkout only hours - but in select supermarkets
- READ MORE: MailOnline reveals supermarket with quickest self-scanners
Asda has introduced self-checkout only hours in some of its supermarkets days after it revealed plans to top up the amount of time staff would be manning tills.
One of the bargain giant's stores is closing its checkouts for between two and five hours a day, six days a week.
An upset customer of Bournemouth's Asda Superstore shared a snap of its 'checkout opening hours' with MailOnline.
It showed for the first hour of every day, except Sunday, only self-scanning checkouts would be open.
Then on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursday, tills would be closed for the final three hours of the day.
Asda has introduced self-checkout only hours at some of its supermarkets
An upset local shared a snap of the Bournemouth Asda Superstores 'checkout opening hours'
Asda recently said it will not replace self-service tills with manned units - but will ensure the remaining old-fashioned checkouts are readily staffed more often
On Wednesdays the last four hours of the day would be self-scan only, and on Friday it would be the final two.
Checkouts would be open all day during Sunday's trading hours.
One Bournemouth local said the cut-back checkout hours made for an 'unpleasant experience'.
They told MailOnline: 'For the first hour and the last 2-4 hours of the day, regardless of ones needs, only self service checkouts are available.
'This combined with their facial recognition cameras makes shopping there a rather unpleasant experience. Fortunately Lidl is nearby.'
An Asda spokesperson said it was up to the individual store to decide when they opened their checkouts and said that should customers need a hand, they could approach staff.
The spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Like other retailers, our stores have the discretion to open or close checkouts at different points of the day depending on how busy the store is.
'If any customers in Bournemouth would prefer to use a manned checkout during these times they should speak to a colleague who will be happy to help.'
Asda boss Michael Gleeson said earlier this month the supermarket had found 'the right balance' between traditional checkouts and modern scanning such as 'scan and go' handsets (above)
Earlier this month Asda said it was spending £30million on extra staffing hours to keep shelves fully stocked around the clock and to increase the number of workers on checkouts.
Michael Gleeson, chief financial officer, said at the time Asda has found a 'balance (that is) just about right' when it comes to manned and self-service checkouts.
He told The Telegraph: 'I think we have reached a level of self-checkouts and scan-and-go where we feel that works best for our customers.
'We have invested additional hours in manned checkouts and that's been within the existing physical infrastructure (of the stores). It's not more checkouts, it's more colleagues on checkouts.'
The supermarket may be hoping a promise to better man its remaining tills will entice customers back as it loses its grip on the market.
It is battling for supremacy with Tesco, which has more than double the market share, and German discounter Aldi, which is eating away at its customer base.
Data from market analysts Kantar shows Asda's market share has fallen from 13.7 per cent to 12.7 between the start of the year and July, while Lidl, Aldi and the Co-op have all enjoyed a surge in customers.
Alongside the £30m investment in staff hours, Asda is spending £50m on sprucing up some of its stores and says its Asda Rewards loyalty app is being used in more than half of all transactions.
The chain is also expanding into a network of smaller convenience stores in the same mould as competitors such as Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local, including at petrol stations.
Mr Gleeson added separately: 'We... know that there are some areas where we can and need to improve.
'We have today set out clear and decisive action to deliver a more consistent customer experience – to match the uncompromising value we offer.'
But there is a growing rebellion against the use of self-service tills in British supermarkets - with one independent chain, Booths, dropping them from all but two of its stores.
Bosses at supermarkets including Sainsbury's and Tesco have tried to claim shoppers love using the self-service tills despite their widespread unpopularity and the ever-present fear of an 'unexpected item in the bagging area'.
Earlier this year, Sainsbury's boss Simon Roberts claimed 'a lot of customers like the speedy checkout' despite the chain imposing security gates that require shoppers to scan their receipts in order to exit, in a bid to combat shoplifting.
Last year, a MailOnline poll found four out of five readers prefer staffed checkouts to self-service tills.
And earlier this year, amid anger at Marks & Spencer's seemingly unusable self-service machines, we sent a reporter to try a whole host of supermarket DIY scanners in order to find out which was fastest.
Last week Morrison became the latest retailer to make a U-turn on its self-checkout policy with its boss admitting it 'went a bit too far' with the number of unmanned tills.
Rami Baitiéh, the chief executive of the company, said that it is 'reviewing the balance between self-checkouts and manned tills' as the company reveals plans to cut down on the numbers after installing too many.
Mr Baitiéh explained to The Telegraph that the supermarket came to the decision after it conducted an analysis of self-checkouts across its entire estate.
It reviewed stores and found 20 stores that must balance the number of self checkouts versus the number of tills.
Mr Baitiéh said for example at one store in Brough in Yorkshire, Morrisons had removed some of its self-checkouts and added four manned tills instead.
He said: 'Colleagues and customers are very satisfied with the change.'
