Shoppers in County Durham and Darlington have criticised a supermarket chain for replacing cashier tills with self-service checkout areas at several of its stores in the region.

People who have visited Sainsbury's Darlington superstore on Victoria Road and the Durham superstore at the Arnison Centre have taken aim at the big brand over its decision to favour self-service areas over checkouts with workers. 

Sainsbury's slammed for replacing tills with self-service:

Customers who have visited the two stores have noted their displeasure over the last few weeks, with one person calling it "a disgrace", while another shopper, who wished to remain anonymous, added: "This is a slide towards the full digital age and an end to people losing their jobs."

Adding to the criticism, another shopper said that old people who wanted the conversation and companionship would be disadvantaged by the move. 

But the supermarket has insisted that the move in its County Durham and Darlington stores won't impact shoppers significantly.

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A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said, “We regularly review the services available in our stores to make sure we offer the most convenient experience to our customers.  

“We have slightly increased the number of self-service checkouts at our Durham and Darlington superstores so that we can meet customer demand for this service. Our colleagues are on hand to help anyone who may need support using them and we continue to offer served checkouts for our customers who wish to use them.”

The supermarket added that 'customers will see the same level of colleagues in store as they usually would. They will just be working in a slightly different way.'