A supermarket has had its say after several additional self-service checkouts have popped up in shops in Darlington and County Durham. 

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

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."

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

Sainsbury's on self service checkouts in County Durham:

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.'