The Tesco & other non-Morrisons supermarket thread

[Martin Phillp]

My local M&S Foodhall is still using the old NCRs which spit out your change onto the floor.

[thegeek]

Amazon have opened two new Fresh stores at Monument and East Croydon which don't require an account to enter, and let you pay by scanning a QR code on the way out, or a payment card, or even a manned checkout.

Some details here.

[Martin Phillp]

Amazon have opened two new Fresh stores at Monument and East Croydon which don't require an account to enter, and let you pay by scanning a QR code on the way out, or a payment card, or even a manned checkout.

Some details here.

Now that's more like it. Having the choice of being able to use card or a manned checkout will help increase footfall.

[Martin Phillp]

My local M&S Foodhall is using the new tills from today. I overheard staff discussing that two of them had faulty scales already.

[thegeek]

Amazon have opened two new Fresh stores at Monument and East Croydon which don't require an account to enter, and let you pay by scanning a QR code on the way out, or a payment card, or even a manned checkout.

Some details here.

Now that's more like it. Having the choice of being able to use card or a manned checkout will help increase footfall.

Popped in to the Monument one on my travels today. The entry gate is a big standard supermarket one (like you'd get in Morrisons). At the exit gates, there are two gates with both a barcode scanner and a contactless card reader - alongside two tills for cashiers to stand behind. There wasn't anyone at them, but I asked I think they're properly manual, ie with a barcode scanner. There's a third exit gate for those who've used the tills or 'just browsing '.

I t used a debit card to exit - they preauthorized £1 at the time and settled up a few hours later. The card is registered to my Amazon account, so I got the standard notifications from the app and emails. They had signs up saying they don't accept Apple Pay/Google Pay, I guess because they can't match the virtual card number with the physical card that they might already have on file (though TfL seem to be able to do it - not sure what the difference is there.)

I was there in the early afternoon, and there seemed to be more staff than customers. Though the sandwich fridge was looking a bit bare so maybe there had been a lunchtime rush.

(Oh, and I passed through Dalston, and noticed that branch has now closed)

[dosxuk]

though TfL seem to be able to do it - not sure what the difference is there.

TfL use the transit mode of contactless cards / devices, where sharing the actual card number is needed - primarily so you can use a mix of devices/physical cards, and have them all link together and go back to the same account.

Imagine the chaos if you tapped in using your phone, but it died, so you tap out with your card at the other end, and you end up getting two penalty fares to two different TfL accounts.

There's a whole load of extra liability on the operator which doesn't apply to the normal retail transaction mode, so I doubt many retailers would be interested in using the alternative mode, even if they could get a payment processor to agree to it.

[thegeek]

That's exactly what happens though - TfL warn that you have to use the same payment method to start and end your journey. The subtle difference is that if I sign in to my TfL contactless account, and enter the physical card number, it will also show another 'card' for the virtual card number associated with my phone. It knows they're different but linked.

Perhaps it is a special arrangement for transport providers, or because they've got my CVV number and Amazon don't.

[bilky asko]

Could that be to protect against different default cards across different devices, or inadvertently using a different card on your device to the physical one you have?

[dosxuk]

Perhaps it is a special arrangement for transport providers, or because they've got my CVV number and Amazon don't.

Transit mode is a completely different way for contactless cards to operate. A key difference as well is that the money doesn't leave your account immediately, your card is used as a token for a later transaction that occurs after your journey is known.

[Critique]

Amazon have opened two new Fresh stores at Monument and East Croydon which don't require an account to enter, and let you pay by scanning a QR code on the way out, or a payment card, or even a manned checkout.

Some details here.

Now that's more like it. Having the choice of being able to use card or a manned checkout will help increase footfall.

Popped in to the Monument one on my travels today. The entry gate is a big standard supermarket one (like you'd get in Morrisons). At the exit gates, there are two gates with both a barcode scanner and a contactless card reader - alongside two tills for cashiers to stand behind. There wasn't anyone at them, but I asked I think they're properly manual, ie with a barcode scanner. There's a third exit gate for those who've used the tills or 'just browsing '.

I t used a debit card to exit - they preauthorized £1 at the time and settled up a few hours later. The card is registered to my Amazon account, so I got the standard notifications from the app and emails. They had signs up saying they don't accept Apple Pay/Google Pay, I guess because they can't match the virtual card number with the physical card that they might already have on file (though TfL seem to be able to do it - not sure what the difference is there.)

I was there in the early afternoon, and there seemed to be more staff than customers. Though the sandwich fridge was looking a bit bare so maybe there had been a lunchtime rush.

(Oh, and I passed through Dalston, and noticed that branch has now closed)

In contrast, I went to the same Amazon Fresh last week and walked away empty-handed! I initially tried to pay using the app, which was all fine until it asked me to reconfirm the last four digits/security code of the card that I already had on file in my Amazon account. I didn’t have my wallet on me so couldn’t do that (the member of staff stood by the exit helpfully suggested I try and guess it). I then discovered that not even the manned checkouts accepted Apple Pay, so had to abandon what I’d picked up and go without.

I went in the middle of lunchtime on a Tuesday/Thursday so it should have been heaving but it was in fact very quiet. In contrast, the M&S across the road (which is closing at the end of the month) had a queue that seemed to go half way around the food hall, despite there being about 25 self-service tills.

[Martin Phillp]

Tesco are closing eight in-store pharmacies in August. The stores affected haven't been announced yet.

This is after Lloyds Pharmacy announced they were closing all their pharmacy concessions in Sainsbury's.