Supermarket giant Aldi has announced it is to increase the number of self-service checkouts in its stores.

Although not everyone is happy with the increasing march of this technology, two KentOnline reporters previously employed in retail explain why they don't miss the unwelcome wrath of customers as they went about their work.

I worked in retail for more than four years and it definitely had its highs and lows, writes Charlotte Phillips.

A particularly memorable low was when someone rang the store and asked me if we sold tutus (we didn't, it was New Look) and they told me I was a "useless b****" before hanging up.

I started working there when I had just turned 17 and was based in the Bromley and Canterbury stores, transferring back and forth for university which was really handy.

Although in each I would receive verbal abuse from customers, pretty much daily.

I worked on the tills every shift – which would range from four to nine hours, and with that came a number of different types of interactions.

Sometimes, I would deal with regulars who knew me by name, and who made the monotony of working in a shop just a little more rewarding.

However, returns were the main time verbal abuse would occur – someone would come along with a huge sack from their delivery, totalling anywhere from £20 to £200.

Clothes would be out of their shipment bags, really smell and would have been very clearly worn.

But when I would bring any of these factors to the customer's attention, all hell would break loose – and I would be the one in the wrong (apparently).

Having to smile and apologise for something you have no control over is not something that I will miss.

Not only that, but asking to see the last four digits on a customer's card would turn into a huge argument, and would often end with me getting called some kind of name.

When you pay for things on your phone, it has a weird habit of changing the last four digits of your card to a 'device number' as opposed to your card number.

Due to this, we would have to ask customers to go into their wallet app where the device number would appear, a very simple process – or so it should be.

I ended up losing count of the amount of times someone kicked up a fuss when I asked them to do this, as if it was my fault they decided to pay on their phone.

During my time at work, I witnessed a customer verbally abuse a 16-year-old girl to the point she ran from the shop floor crying – all because she didn't ask her if she wanted her receipt emailed (she was ill that day and couldn't speak).

Another thing I noticed quite a lot was customers changing the prices on things.

But the truth is, if you rip a promotion sticker off a sale item and put it on something full-price, we're going to know about it. You're not going to get a discount.

In all fairness, I would say the redeeming quality about working in retail for me was the people I worked with, who made all of the above somewhat bearable.

But working on the tills all day, and having to withstand the constant abuse and name-calling was certainly a challenge.

Isabel Tree writes: I started working at Iceland Food Warehouse in Maidstone when I was 16, in the middle of the pandemic.

I spent many of my weekends working behind the checkout, serving customers.

While working on the till, I was frequently subjected to verbal abuse from customers.

They were quick to notice when something had gone through at a different price to the original tag.

While most shoppers were polite and calm about the situation, there was always the odd few who liked to make a fuss.

To maintain a high standard of customer service, staff remain level-headed and speak to the customer in a courteous way.

Shoppers would frequently demand to see a manager complaining of employee performance, although we followed our training to the highest standard.

Many would take their anger and frustration out on the cashiers, although we are not in control of the price items would scan at.

While I can understand why customers may become frustrated at this situation, cashiers are usually unaware of the problem, meaning we have to get guidance from other members of staff.

There were also customers who made the working environment uncomfortable.

I remember once having a regular customer in his late 30s who would come in and ask what days I worked, and whether he could get a job in order to spend more time with me.

There were many occasions where I was told I have a "beautiful smile" or that "I am too pretty to be sitting behind a till all day".

Many of my colleagues were young and female, and I know they had also been made to feel uncomfortable a number of times.

Customers would frequently lean over the protective screens in place for Covid safety regulations, and it often felt quite intimidating, being trapped behind the till.

On one occasion, a customer managed to steal cash from my till by leaning over.

They could tell it was busy and tried to confuse me by asking to change up some notes for her.

In all the confusion, she managed to scam me out of more £100 in notes before leaving.

The Maidstone store only has four checkouts which is a small number for such a big outlet.

Many shoppers would get frustrated at long queuing times, while seeing we were understaffed and operating as many checkouts as possible.

This often led to arguments between customers about who was queuing first.

Being stuck behind the till, cashiers didn't have much authority as we weren't allowed to leave them unattended.

However, working behind the tills did have benefits.

It was nice to be able to see regular customers coming in and to talk to them.

It is also reassuring to know elderly customers have somebody to talk to, even if it is just for five minutes out of their day.

The majority of customers were polite and pleasant and respected us for the job we was doing, especially during the pandemic.

It was nice to be able to talk to customers throughout the shift although the bad experiences are more memorable than the good.

Will the machines take over?

Leigh Sparks is a professor of retail studies at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Although the number of self-service checkouts is growing – Tesco is also a big supporter of the technology – he doubts they'll fully replace traditional tills in the long run.

He said: “I am not sure that many businesses will fully convert. The [automated checkouts] are more likely as part of the offer of a store.

"Those potentially going 'all the way' would be those where volume of customers is very high at set times and/or where staffing is an issue.

"So perhaps city centre convenience/food stores and very isolated locations.”