A Tesco shopper was furious after not being able to buy his son a sandwich until he downloaded an app.
The dad said he had been refused entry to a Central London Tesco to buy a sandwich for his son's packed lunch unless he signed up for a Clubcard. Taking to Twitter, the Tesco customer branded his experience as "dystopian" and said he "didn't like it at all".
Jonathan Rowson went into the shop on Tuesday night around 11pm to buy a sandwich for his son's packed lunch when an employee told him he had to download the Tesco app and sign up for the Clubcard to even enter. While the dad was struggling to sign up, in an attempt to help him, Jonathan claimed the staff member took his phone and changed the option to 'accept Clubcard' before he could refuse, reported MyLondon.
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He told the employee he doesn't want a Clubcard, "he just wants a sandwich". He claims the employee replied: "This is store policy now and it’s what customers want. Soon all stores will be like this. People protest, but then they come back a few days later."
Taking to Twitter to vent his frustration, the dad vowed not to shop at Tesco and said he tried, unsuccessfully, to cancel his Clubcard. Jonathan, an author from London, wrote: "Never have I felt the pinch of surveillance society more acutely. My shock at the compulsory data cost for entry to a supermarket to buy a sandwich. What I felt at that store tonight was thoroughly dystopian. It was a taste of the future in the present, and I didn’t like it at all."
Tesco replied on Twitter to explain that he had entered one of their 'GetGo stores'. The store in Holborn is a trial store, opened in 2021, which allows customers to pick up the groceries they need and walk straight out again without visiting a checkout. A combination of cameras and weight-sensors establish what customers have picked up and charges them for products directly through the app when they leave the store, therefore requiring a sign up to the Clubcard and Tesco app.
A Tesco spokesperson told MyLondon that they have since explained to Jonathan the concept of a GetGo store and offered him help to cancel his Clubcard, adding: "Our customers that do use the GetGo store, enjoy the experience. There are many of our stores in the area that do not require the app to be downloaded or require a Clubcard to access it."
But the customer reiterated that he thought the concept was "dystopian" and shared his dismay at having to hand over personal data in order to use the store. Some Tesco shoppers showed their support for this, while others were quick to point out that this is not a new concept.
"Definitely wouldn't use one of these stores. We should have the choice of how we want to pay!" one person wrote. Another added: "Time to support the independents."
This technology is not unique to Tesco - a similar Aldi store exists near Greenwich station. The Aldi store is located on Greenwich High Street and allows customers to simply put items in a bag and walk out the store without the need to scan an item or visit a till point. In order to use the store, customers must download the Aldi Shop&Go app which will allow them to enter the barriers to start shopping.
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