Overview
- Kaufland board member Jochen Kratz said about 60 German stores scheduled for modernization this year will get self-service tills and the K-Scan system that lets customers scan items as they shop and pay via the app.
- Reporting indicates Lidl plans to offer self-service terminals in roughly every second German store by spring 2026, covering more than 1,600 locations.
- Both chains say staffed checkouts will remain available, yet customers and employees describe frequent scanner errors, weight checks, and age verifications that slow lines and require staff intervention.
- A Lidl branch in Berlin-Pankow reportedly barred student groups from using self-checkouts after irregularities were observed, while the company says no nationwide ban exists and only standard anti-theft measures apply.
- A consumer federation study finds supermarket apps encourage extra purchases and extensive data collection, and separate price-tracking indicates average savings from such offers are typically around two percent.