Shoppers left angry as UK supermarket introduces major change to checkout process

Some disgruntled customers have said that they are being "treated like a thief."

Giant trolley scales are currently being trialled at the checkout area at the Gateshead Trinity Square Extra store.

The initiative behind it is to weigh customers' trolleys before they leave, to check if there are any items that they forgot to scan or scanned twice while using Scan as you Shop.

Many customers have ridiculed the move online, likening the experience to going through airport security.

One user on Reddit said: "Am I at border control or Tesco?"

Another joked:  "No clubcard? Deported!"

A lot of people have questioned the move as a way to cut back on checkout staff.

Scan as you Shop handsets are available to Tesco Clubcard members to use as they fill their trolleys then check out and pay at the end.

Another disgruntled Reddit user said of the intiative: "More and more the honest shopper is treated like a thief."

Speaking to the BBC business retail consultant Ged Futter was critical of the move.

He said: "There is no way this is about making it quicker for the shopper. It's supposed to be scan and go - this is scan and stop while your trolley is weighed."

Futter said that shoplifting has increased since self-scan checkouts became the norm, but instead of bringing in staff to work at checkouts, supermarkets are introducing more tech to stop theft.

He added: "This is supermarkets saying, 'we know there are thefts so what we are going to do is treat every customer in exactly the same way to reduce theft.'

"They're forgetting that trust is the most important thing for all of the retailers and it works both ways. If customers don't feel trusted or think they're being treated like thieves they will go somewhere else."