Sainsbury’s is testing a virtual queueing system that would allow customers to wait in a car or café before entering a store instead of standing in the rain.
In a trial at five stores shoppers will secure their place in a virtual queue with an app. Those without smartphones can ask staff to add them.
The technology would help in autumn and winter, when the weather will make waiting outdoors in a socially distanced queue less appealing.
Sainsbury’s said that the system could also be useful if shops had to adapt to local lockdowns or the government’s coronavirus guidance changes.
The retailer, which also owns the Argos chain, is one of Britain’s largest. It made annual pre-tax profits of £255 million in the year to