No more 'unexpected item in the bagging area': Tesco ditches irritating line in checkout revamp

Tesco is to replace its "shouty" female self-service check-out voice with a "less talkative" male. The supermarket also announced it is to scrap the infamous "unexpected item in the bagging area" line after frequent complaints from customers.

The new voice is described as using "softer phrases" and being more customer-friendly. As well as removing "unexpected item in the bagging area", six other phrases including "please take your items" have been ditched.

The new voice has already been installed in a small number of stores including Hatfield, Peterborough, Edinburgh and Kensington. It will be introduced in all 12,000 self-service checkouts in Tesco's UK stores by the end of October.

James Dewen, self-service checkout operations manager at Tesco, said "Customers really like the convenience of our self-service checkouts, especially when they're just popping into store to pick up lunch or a few items after work. But for some, the voice leaves them a bit frustrated."

"It's listened to by millions of customers every week, so we've acted on customer and colleague feedback and worked hard to get the new voice right to improve the shopping trip."