Supermarket tills make me anxious - I worry more stores will axe self-service checkouts and staff will judge my food

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Self-service tills are often accused of being impersonal but for shoppers who struggle with social interaction they can be a 'lifesaver'.

Earlier this month, supermarket chain Booths axed its self-checkouts and vowed to keep staffed tills for a 'warm northern welcome' to customers.

A MailOnline poll set up soon after found 83 per cent of readers also prefer staff checkouts to the self-service alternatives.

The move was praised by many for a return to the good old days of human interaction - with the added hope it aid a crack down on shoplifters.

But for people who suffer social anxiety, agoraphobia or are neurodivergent, self-service tills can be the difference between feeling able to go to the shop or staying away to avoid the stress of crowds, harsh lighting and unpredictability.

For Suzi Payton, if she's experiencing a bad day with her autism and ADHD, the anxiety of going to the shop is so bad she simply goes without.

Suzi Payton struggles with the experience of food shopping. Credit: Rose Bainbridge

Self-service checkout machines at a Waitrose store in Granary Square in London (stock image)

The self-employed empowerment coach from Brighton said: 'I can cope with most things in life but not supermarkets. It's the most awful thing. If I need to go shopping and I'm tired I get sensory overwhelmed and that can be really hard on me.

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As Booths puts workers back behind the tills, do YOU prefer self-service or staff checkouts?

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As Booths puts workers back behind the tills, do YOU prefer self-service or staff checkouts?

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'The lights, the screaming children, people in my way...it just builds and build and builds.

'So to just checkout with self-service is a lifesaver. It makes the difference between going to the shop or not.

'It is a lot of energy to talk to someone asking about my day and so on and it's so much worse when they comment on my shopping, it feels like they're judging me.

'Self-service tills are revolutionary. I don't think people realise. The majority who are saying 'oh they're bad we need more social interaction' don't realise that some people can't cope with any more social interaction.

'Thankfully, we do have the option of click and collect but it's not always convenient if you just need to quickly pop to the shop.'

When asked about Booths getting rid of their self-checkouts, the 48-year old from Brighton said: 'I think it's quite discriminatory.

'What about those people who really can't face talking to people? I can just grit my teeth and do it if I really have to. I think they should keep the self-service tills - you need to consider everyone, not the majority.

'It's good for some people, especially the elderly, for them it might be their only source of connecting with people.

'I'm quite good at managing my energy but if I'm having a bad day and I need to buy food...if I didn't have the option of self-service I would just go without.' 

Booths has become Britain's first supermarket chain to return to just staffed checkouts

Dr Jo Mueller said that it is 'complex' when weighing up the pros and cons of self-checkouts for those who struggle with food shopping.

The clinical psychologist told MailOnline: 'If we’re thinking about social anxiety, without an underlying neurodivergence, using self-checkouts to avoid human interaction could actually make the anxiety worse - because avoidance perpetuates anxiety. 

'Psychologists treating someone with social anxiety would try to equip them with skills to help them feel more confident in coping with a normal checkout interaction, while not avoiding it.'

While the majority of people who suffer from social anxiety say using the self-service tills is a big relief for them, their anxiety spikes when they experience an 'unexpected item in the bagging area' - with the till loudly announcing this to staff. 

Dr Mueller said: 'The unpredictability of the social interaction in the “unexpected item” situation is also likely to exacerbate social anxiety because it’s harder to anticipate, and because the situation makes you feel as though you are the problem.

'It feeds directly into the types of thoughts that people who have social anxiety tell themselves about social situations - such as that everyone is looking at them, people will think they’re weird, or have done something wrong.'

But Mr Mueller explained that for neurodivergent people who are prone to social anxiety but aren't actually socially anxious, self-checkouts can be healthy. 

She explained: 'Neurodivergent people, especially autistic people, are more prone to social anxiety, but are not all socially anxious. 

'Autistic people may just prefer to avoid social interaction where possible - for example because eye contact can be uncomfortable, and reciprocal dialogue may feel unnatural or tiring, but this is not the case for all autistics.

'Using a self checkout can help autistic people preserve their energy and avoid constant masking (trying to appear neurotypical). 

'So in this situation, the option of self checkout is healthy. Neurodivergent people can sometimes find unpredictable situations (such as the unexpected item in bagging area) anxiety-provoking, but if they have a plan for handling this, the self checkout may still feel preferable.

'For people who are neurodivergent and have social anxiety, it’s a tricky one.'

If supermarkets did follow in Booths' footsteps and started reducing the amount of self-service tills, those with social anxiety could sink into isolation.

The prospect of social interaction is so terrifying that they may turn exclusively to online click and collect or delivery. 

A shopper at Booths, which was praised for scrapping self-service tills (stock image)

Georgina Sturmer, a BACP registered counsellor who owns her own practice told MailOnline: 'The fear of interacting with the outside world can lead to panic attacks, compulsive behaviours, negative thought patterns, and choosing to hide ourselves away.

'If we experience social anxiety, then we measure each outing in terms of how many times we might be forced to interact with another person. So self-service checkouts offer a sense of relief and a sense of control. 

'The knowledge that we can purchase what we need without fear of having to cope with what someone else has to say.

'If self-checkout tills do close, a shopper with social anxiety might choose to shop elsewhere, or might instead prefer to stay at home and rely on internet shopping. 

'This can lead to further isolation, which can deepen their anxieties.'

But there is a downside to self-service checkouts for those with anxiety, she said, calling them a 'double-edged sword solution'.

She continued: 'On one hand, they offer a sense of relief, minimising our interactions. 

'But on the other hand, the enforced interactions in a shop can help us to remain connected with the outside world. To stay grounded and communicating with others.'

Psychotherapist Gin Lalli, who specialises in anxiety, agrees that self-service checkouts can encourage people to withdraw and become more lonely.

She told MailOnline: 'In the short term a self-service checkout does provide some relief. You don’t have to interact with anyone, and you can get on with your day.

'But this is leading to a serious lack of social skills where I am seeing more and more young people trying to now navigate the world of work but cannot even answer the phone (an example being someone who was working at hotel reception but refused to answer the phone because of their anxiety).

'I feel that if we accommodate anxiety too much, we’re not dealing with the underlying issue, but instead just making room for more problems. Where will it end?

'Social anxiety can actually be the first signs of more serious issues such as agoraphobia.'

She went as far as saying those with anxiety shouldn't be encouraged to use self-checkouts and instead should try to interact with people to help 'step out' into the world more through micro-interactions. 

She said: 'In the long term it is not a solution to social anxiety, nor should it be encouraged in my opinion.

'The micro-interactions we can have every single day proved a lot of help in us to feel connected with the world and to encourage people to step out into it.

'Loneliness is becoming one of the biggest issues in mental health issues right now. 

'If you cannot do micro-interactions, then how will you ever have more meaningful connections?

'From an evolutionary point of view, we used to function in a tribe and have lost that sense of community. We need to get back and it could start simply by passing the time of day, chatting about the weather with someone at a check out.

The chief executive of Booths Andrew Goodacre told MailOnline: 'Independent retailers would never use self-service tills, preferring instead to deliver personal service at the till.

'Furthermore, indie retailers view the checkout as an extra opportunity to sell and it seems that Booths are now following their example.

'There may also be a reality check with the current level of retail theft and self-service tills becoming an expensive risk.'