Marks & Spencer is making a big change to its fitting rooms

If you’ve ever seen long lines at stores and thought “no, those pants aren’t worth trying on,” EM is trying to change that.

The department store plans to add self-checkout checkouts to its 180 clothing departments and has already done so in 28 locations.

By early 2028, shoppers will be able to try on clothes and then pay for them in the changing rooms using a self-scanner in more than 100 of its stores.

This despite concerns raised last year by the brand’s president, Archie Norman, that “middle class” thieves were taking advantage of self-checkouts to steal from stores.

Chief Operating Officer Sacha Berendji told Telegraph: “We would like customers to be able to walk directly into the fitting room without queues, try on what they have chosen, pay there and simply leave.”

It is not the first time that M&S ​​has sought to innovate with its payment experience.

In 2019, they replaced robotic cash register voices with the hosts and judges of Britain’s Got Talent, with a mixed response from shoppers with some calling Ant and Dec’s “disembodied voices” telling them approval was needed “creepy”.

This was for charity and the new cash registers will have the standard voice.

At the moment, only one self-scanning cash register will be installed per locker room area, but this could change if shoppers like them and want more.

People will still have the option of being served by a human being, and there will also be staff available to deal with the inevitable “unexpected items in the bagging area” issues.

As well as the changes to the fitting rooms, there will also be changes to the dining room, with the introduction of larger self-service checkouts.

Currently, self-service checkouts are only suitable for the amount of purchase that fits in a basket.

But the newspaper reported that people with carts full of food will be able to use boxes with larger conveyor belts, like those operated by staff, but with self-scanning technology.

The technology is already being rolled out and is present in 42 stores, including the Fosse Park store, where four in 10 staff-operated conveyor checkouts have been removed and replaced with self-service versions.

Many will welcome the option, but others may miss the human interaction or feel frustrated by the difficulties of incorporating even more technology into daily life.

Speaking to LBC last year, Norman said there is also a trade-off for businesses, as with cost savings and fewer queues people are tempted to shoplift: “With the reduction in service you get in many shops, a lot of people come in and think, “well this wasn’t scanned or it’s really hard to scan these things and I shop here all the time, it’s not my fault, they owe me.”

Mr Berendji said: “It’s about choice.” If you would like a colleague to assist you, that is absolutely fine and you can always do so. But if people want to serve themselves, they can.”

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