A BARGAIN supermarket has made a major change to self-checkouts – and every UK will be affected.
The decision was made following a trial in the north of England, which proved a hit with customers.
Lottery tickets are currently only available at manned checkouts[/caption]
From next month, Aldi shoppers will be able to buy lottery tickets at self-checkout machines.
Whereas previously, these were only available at manned checkouts.
Using the touchscreens, customers will be able to purchase anything from Lotto Lucky Dip tickets to EuroMillions, Thunderball and Set For Life games.
Shoppers will also be able to scan their National Lottery Fast Pay cards at the machines to generate the relevant tickets.
Aldi staff member will then carry out age verification checks in order to finalise the transaction.
The supermarket giant began trialling the scheme back in 2021 – with the full-scale rollout set to be completed by spring this year.
Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi, said: “Customers will now be able to enter The National Lottery while doing their weekly Aldi shop.
“We hope to hand out some winning numbers to lucky customers across the country.”
Jenny Blogg, Retail Director at lottery operator Camelot, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to now be working with Aldi.
“Making The National Lottery available in its stores has been a priority for us as we continue to make playing The National Lottery as convenient and easy as possible for people, wherever and however they shop.
“We’re pleased that Aldi customers will now have a quick, easy and convenient way to purchase their favourite National Lottery games, while at the same time contributing to the £30 million that goes to National Lottery Good Causes each and every week.
“We certainly hope there’ll be plenty of lucky tickets bought in Aldi stores across the UK.”
It comes after Aldi announced its decision to scrap a popular scheme that saw customers enjoy cheaper prices.
The pilot scheme involved in-store dispensers, where shoppers could fill their own containers with ingredients.
The trial, run by the Refill Coalition, was launched in a Solihull branch in 2023 – before expanding to Leamington Spa in September last year.
“We are extremely proud of our collective work to design and launch these new reuse and refill systems, which form a key part of the solution to tackling the single-use plastics crisis,” the coalition said in a joint statement.
“The trial demonstrates the solutions’ operational efficiency, clear environmental benefit and scalability which are critical steps towards industry transformation.
“Additionally, the sales share and in-depth research provide evidence of the significant consumer appetite for availability of refill and reuse as part of their regular shop.
“We look forward to seeing other retailers and brands taking up these proven solutions, enabling an acceleration towards a reuse future”.
An Aldi staff member will carry out age verification to complete the transaction[/caption]
