I can’t take the boys shopping with me anymore. Not because they want everything they see (well, they do, but they ain’t getting it!), not because they run riot up and down the aisles (well, they might do that as well) and not because they want the Thomas the Tank Engine or whatever he is called these days yogurts that cost 5 x more than the supermarket own brand ones (yes, they do that as well!). It’s the self-service checkout that they love. They love scanning the things, hearing the beep, and hearing me mutter words I never want them to repeat when you hear ‘Unexpected item in the bagging area’ for the 400th time). If only they could have their very own self-service checkout at home to play with, they’d be in heaven. Oh, wait…

Yep. They’re in heaven. They can scan things and press buttons until their heart’s content with the Casdon Self-Service Supermarket.

It does come in pieces, and whilst it’s easy enough to put together (I managed it, so it must be!), it’s fiddly and faffy. I definitely recommend doing it when the kids aren’t hanging around you like a pack of hungry hyenas. The actual supermarket was fine – just click a few pieces together, but the folding the boxes and putting stickers on takes a while.

Once you’ve put it all together, you can stock the shelves with food and grocery items that children will more than likely recognise – Andrex toilet roll, ‘tins’ of soup, frozen meals, teabags, boxes of cakes and lots of plastic fruit and vegetables. There’s also a little place to hang your basket whilst you scan your shopping.

It needs 3x AAA batteries to make the scanner works, which lights up and beeps just like a real one when an item is passed in front of it. There are some plastic coins included (and notes) which, you can put them in the slot and are dispensed when the coin button is pushed. There’s also a little chip and pin machine for the credit card ) which is included, making it feel like a really authentic supermarket experience for the kids.

All three boys are really enjoying playing with it, and I love that it is encouraging them to play imaginatively and I think it is a  lovely little (well, not so little actually, so make sure you have space!) toy. I do think there could be somewhere to store the money when it’s not in use, and I can’t see the cardboard food boxes lasting very long with three boisterous little boys playing with it (I’ve reinforced them with clear tape for now) , but apart from that, I think it’s great.

The Casdon Self-Service Supermarket checkout has an RRP of £40. You can get it from most good toy shops, or from Amazon.

*We were sent this product free of charge for the purpose of this review. All words and opinions are our own and have not been influenced in any way.