SUPERMARKET chain Morrisons has denied reports that it has turned off the beeps at its checkouts as a mark of respect to the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth passed away on September 8 at her private residence of Balmoral, in Aberdeenshire, leading to a wave of cancellations and postponements as people across the UK looked to pay tribute.
Sports events were called off and parliamentary business was suspended in the wake of the death of the monarch.
Amidst the tributes, rumours began to fly after a post on the website Reddit on Saturday.
Posting to the popular subreddit “r/BritishProblems”, which has around 700,000 members, one user wrote: “Being unable to tell when you have scanned something at the self service because Morrisons turned off the ‘beep’ noise to pay respects.”
On Monday, reports in UK media outlets began appearing claiming that the supermarket chain had turned off the beeps on its checkouts.
However, Morrisons told The National that these reports were untrue, with a spokesperson insisting that they have only been turned down.
The supermarket chain has turned off music and tannoy announcements out of respect for the monarch.
The spokesperson said: “Our checkout beeps are not off. They have just been turned down as our music and tannoy announcements have been switched off in stores.”
After news broke of Queen Elizabeth’s death, Morrisons wrote on Twitter: “We are deeply saddened by the news that Her Majesty The Queen has passed away and would like to send our sincere condolences to The Royal Family.
“Her Majesty The Queen lived a life of extraordinary public service and we share the nation’s gratitude at this very difficult time.”
Elsewhere, pub chain Wetherspoons has also been forced to deny rumours that it had stopped machines from dispensing condoms out of respect for the Queen.
A post on social media claimed to show a sign in one of the chain's bathrooms saying that "no sheathes will be dispensed" until Wednesday September 21.
However, a Wetherspoons spokesperson confirmed that the sign had not been genuine.
