It's not quite as ground-breaking as what's being done by Amazon with its Amazon Go stores. Here, customers just pick up whatever they want and a combination of sensors and cameras makes sure they're billed automatically when they leave the store -- Sainsburys' tech requires a bit of work by the customer. However, the popularity of self-scan grocery shopping in the UK means the process won't be alien to users.

The initiative uses Sainsburys' existing SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology, which is currently live in eight of its stores across London. In these locations, though, customers still have the option of making their purchase at a checkout. By removing tills entirely, Sainsbury's is making a clear push to get this new way of doing things over the line, and certainly marks the beginning of the end for traditional modes of bricks-and-mortar shopping.