Shopper angry at Sainsbury's checkout targets
The shopper, who has asked not to be named, described the way she was treated at Sainsbury's CastleVale store as she struggled to pack her shopping as 'disgusting'.
"I felt very rushed," she said.
The shopper claims that on complaining to the checkout operator, she was told that, although they were sorry, staff have been told that they must scan at least 20 items per minute to meet store targets.
The shopper said: "This is ridiculous. I am a young, active 63-year-old, but I am sure that elderly and disabled customers could not pack items at such a pace.
"Furthermore, when staff are on a checkout for eight hours a day, it is not physically possible to work at this pace. It is appalling – customers should come first, not profit.
"I am sure Sainsbury's appreciate gaining customers, not losing them. Maybe if enough customers agree Sainsbury's may rethink this madness."
A spokesman for Sainsbury's confirmed the store imposed targets, but said the company's policy was to adapt the scanning speed to the needs of individual customers.
He said: "We were sorry to hear of the customer complaint. Our aim is to provide our customers with great service and not to compromise this. We do have an average target, which is to allow both for customers who like slower service and more time to pack as well as those who like quick service.
"We always try to work with colleagues closely to ensure any concerns they have are addressed.
"We constantly guide and coach them to support them and to improve their service ."
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