As I walked out of Tesco’s high-tech new store, I had to look over my shoulder. I felt like a shoplifter.
But there were no alarms, and no tap on the shoulder. Somehow the apparatus installed in the flagship checkout-free GetGo supermarket had registered my five purchases.
I checked my itemised receipt, and everything was correct.
In and out in a couple of minutes with no need to queue.
All I needed to do on entering was scan the QR code on my phone on an airport-style reader.
After that, the automatic gates opened. They opened again automatically once I had completed my shopping.
What do you make of checkout-free shopping? Have your say in the comment section
This is perhaps a glimpse of the automated future, with only a few attendants needed in case the smartphone app doesn’t work.
For now, doing the shopping without any human interaction is a novel experience, but it is soon to become the norm.
Although there was a crowd of people wanting to try out the new tech at the shop on High Holborn, central London, today, the speeded-up process is likely to mean a quicker experience at busy times of day.
Laura Gray, 33, who works nearby at the Bar Council, said: “It seemed very unusual, but once I had downloaded the app it was okay.
"If you are racing in the morning to get breakfast before going into work it will really make a difference.
"If you are worried about a queue it will definitely save time.”
Christian Dobbie, 20, a computer science student at King’s College, visited the store on opening day because he wanted to try out the technology.
“This feels just like a normal Tesco,” he said. “It was very much like an actual shop, except for the fact that you didn’t have to go to the till at the end.
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"I’ve also been to the Amazon store, and this was more polished.
“I think this will work everywhere, and will be rolled out across the country.”
