Supermarket Smart Cart

Supermarket Smart Cart

We 'check out' latest supermarket 'smart' cart.

Phil Lempert (The Supermarket Guru) test-drives the Stop & Shop's
"Shopping Buddy", a grocery chain's attempt to eliminate the annoying
check-out line.

It's a fact : most supermarket shoppers love going to the supermarket
- finding new products, tasting free samples and finding bargains -
spending money.

But then it comes time to check out....

Having enjoyed the displays and the picking-out of items, they are then
faced with the task of taking their selections, putting them on a
conveyor and then putting them back in their cart.

And, usually, of having to wait in line for such a dubious privilege.

Yes, dealing with the supermarket check-out line - including the
horror of having kids screaming for the candy "conveniently" placed
there by profit-hungry conglomerates - is among the least popular
chores, according to many surveys. And while many supermarkets have
installed "self-checkout" lanes, only a third of consumers,
according to a ACNielsen Homescan (the global leader in market
research, information and analysis.) consumer panel of over 61,000
Americans, believe this kind of help-yourself method is no way near a
solution.

Plainly, supermarkets need to figure out better ways to check out. And
many of them are trying to come up with an answer.

One chain in particular, Stop & Shop, a chain based in the Boston area,
is seeking to change the whole way we shop for groceries - including
the dreaded check-out lane.

To find out more, I traveled to Braintree, Mass., to, um, check out
Stop & Shop's Shopping Buddy. I also looked at IBM's Everywhere
Display, a new in-store tool for marketing products to consumers.

The Shopping Buddy

Shopping Buddy can help you organize your shopping trip and save money!
The Shopping Buddy is a small tablet that you activate with your Stop &
Shop card. Once activated, the Shopping Buddy displays your personal
savings coupons and shopping history by aisle, based on your location.
It's easy to see the things that you normally buy that are on sale in
each aisle. You can also use Buddy to:

* Keep a running total of today's purchases
* Order deli without waiting in line
* Scan and bag your items as you shop for quick checkout

Shopping Buddy is only available in the Braintree, Quincy Southern
Artery, Kingston and Plymouth Massachusetts stores.

The IBM Everywhere Display

This transforms any surface into a virtual interactive touch screen
computer. Next to an item on the grocery store shelf the Everywhere
Display can give you information about the item including videos and
web based information. It can tell you if an item is in stock and if
not you can then and there place a special order for it. Of course,
promotional savings are attached to these displays as well.
So, when will every store in America be as easy and fun to shop?

The Shopping Buddy is available in 20 stores in New England now and we
will see another 150 installations in both Stop & Shop and its sister
chain Giant (Washington DC area) by the end of 2005.