United KingdomRetail and e-commerce2022–2026Aldi UK
Shop & Go checkout-free store in Greenwich
Aldi ended its Greenwich checkout-free trial and returned the store to conventional checkout
Problem
Aldi wanted customers to shop without queuing to pay. Its Greenwich concept store tracked purchases with cameras and automatically charged customers after they left.
Approach
Aldi opened Shop & Go to the public in January 2022, initially requiring registration through its app. The service later also allowed entry with a payment card. Reports described complaints about a £10 payment pre-authorisation and delays in releasing funds, although some customers reported no problems. In March 2026, Aldi confirmed that the trial had ended and the location would remain an Aldi Local; it said the concept had ended as planned and explained that the pre-authorisation checked available funds.
Results
Takeaway
Removing the checkout queue still left customers dealing with payment holds and refund timing. Aldi's statement did not establish that those complaints caused the trial to end.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Retail and e-commerce
- Business function
- Customer serviceProduction and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Computer vision
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Evidence
- Press reporting
Sources
Source summaries
Sky reported the public opening of Aldi's Greenwich store after employee testing. It described camera tracking, app registration and Aldi's aim of eliminating checkout queues.
Aldi confirmed that the trial had ended as planned and that the site would continue as an Aldi Local. The report described AI-powered purchase tracking, mixed customer reactions and complaints about the £10 payment hold and delayed refunds.
Full details are in the original sources.