Not long ago, Tesco viewed its larger stores as destination locations. The idea was to offer so many different services there would be no need for customers to shop anywhere else.

It provoked fears that the supermarkets would effectively eat the lunch of high street shops, such as butchers, fishmongers and the like.

How times have changed. Now it looks as though the idea of supermarket meat counters and delis will soon be nothing more than a quaint reminder of the past.

Today’s announcement that Tesco is closing its remaining 279 counters – having axed 300 of them in 2019 – is yet more evidence it is now much more a question of what the supermarkets will take out of their biggest stores, rather than what they will put in.

Sadly, the same is also true about staff. As well as the counter closures, today’s news sees 1,750 lead and team manager roles axed across Tesco’s largest superstores and Extra hypermarkets. Tesco has stressed the large number of vacancies it has for staff, but that will do little to ease the pain of those affected.

It’s the latest in a long-running series of staffing efficiencies – not just at Tesco, but across all the supermarkets as they try to maintain competitiveness with the discounters.

Last week, it was Asda’s turn as it announced the removal of more than 200 night shift manager roles. It’s part of an overhaul that will switch more than 4,000 night workers from overnight to morning and twilight shifts, as it follows the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s in ditching night shifts to save on staff premiums.

Even Morrisons, which has vowed to keep open its counters, has announced plans to cut costs. It’s stripping out manned checkouts as part of a £500m savings drive to safeguard its profits – something Tesco has been doing in earnest in its big stores since last year.

You might think Aldi, which is the major catalyst behind these changes at supermarkets, would be immune from these cost-cutting exercises. But it is looking to expand its use of automatic checkouts in order to drive greater efficiencies.

It all makes for grim reading both for supermarket staff, who face redundancy, reduced pay or changed hours. And it’s hardly a positive for customers, many of whom look for a range of services and face-to-face contact with staff, as well as price.

But will the removal of counters really stop shoppers going to Tesco during the worst cost of living crisis in living memory? Especially if they can continue to feel the benefit of Clubcard Prices as it battles the discounters?

You don’t have to be Ken Murphy or Jason Tarry to work that one out. 

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