New Tech At Area Retailers Offers Quicker Checkouts

Written by Hannah Wieman
Postal San Luis

rue Louis-area Whole Foods stores this month installed the company's Amazon One technology in a device that verifies a shopper's identity and payment by scanning their palm. Schnucks will introduce "smart" shopping carts in some of its stores this fall, allowing customers to completely bypass checkout lines.

Grocers are joining the trend of merging business and technology to accelerate purchases in pursuit of customer convenience. Stores say the changes could save customers seconds, if not minutes, from leaving the house.

But some fear the technology could allow retailers to cut jobs.

Smart devices are becoming increasingly popular in businesses as stores and restaurants embrace the latest technology. H&M is testing smart mirrors that allow shoppers to virtually try on clothes. Walmart Canada uses artificial intelligence to stock store shelves.

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Chase McMullan, Senior Director of Digital Experience, Schnuck Markets Inc. "The ability to skip the front-end will help customers shop more efficiently."

David Cook, president of Local 655 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents workers at stores like Schnucks, Dierbergs and Straubs, said he was concerned employers were looking to automate.

"Years ago when self-checkout was first introduced, we heard it wouldn't reduce labor, but anyone who shopped in a retail store knows that's not true," Cook said. "I have serious concerns about the impact this will have on people in this industry and especially the workers I represent."

Experts say convenience and efficiency are the keys to winning customers.

“Being able to get out faster is a given,” says Jason Long, owner of Eye on Retail, a retail consulting firm. "Everyone is trying to save time."

Aneta Calmez, a customer at Schnucks on Lindell Boulevard, said Wednesday she might try the smart cart if it saves her time.

"When I get to the store, I just want to grab my things and leave," she said.

Whole Foods announced last week that more than 500 US stores will offer Prime membership payments and benefits for Amazon One by the end of the year. Four stores in Missouri already have technology that scans a person's palm lines, bangs and veins to identify people who have registered their credit or debit cards with the company.

Amazon One can also be found at airport stores, sports and entertainment venues, and convenience stores. The company says the Amazon Web Services cloud, where Palm information is stored, is secure and that information will not be shared with third parties.

Panera Bread in St. Louis Bread's parent company brought Amazon One to stores in March. Users can log into their MyPanera Rewards account and pay for their order by placing their hand on the reader.

At this time, only Panera's Town and Country and Bridgeton locations are powered by Amazon One.

Schnucks will launch a small fleet of Instacart "Caper Carts" early this fall. Using built-in cameras, scales, and artificial intelligence, carts can track products as shoppers add them to their actual carts.

Three locations in St. Louis that have yet to be announced will each have 10 AI vans. Schnucks began partnering with Instacart for same-day delivery services in 2017. A family-owned company, Schnucks operates 115 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Schnucks will also test a "lite" version of Caper Carts, where customers manually scan items before placing them in the cart. Customers can place the provided bags in their carts so they can shop while shopping.

Shoppers will be able to pay with their cart from anywhere in the store, avoiding queues at checkouts. Schnucks rewards will also be available on Caper carts.

If the pilot in St. Louis is successful, the company plans to introduce Caper Carts in 2024.

Although these devices are not available at local supermarket chain Dierbergs Markets, spokesman Jamie Collins said the company wanted to improve the shopping experience and was "looking at some interesting technologies".

Commercial and Privacy Matters

Technological developments are not necessarily positive, say some buyers and experts, who have expressed concerns about safety and job losses.

On Wednesday, Charlene Young, who shopped at Whole Foods in the West End city centre, said she would no longer use Amazon One. She said she felt safer using her phone's digital wallet to pay, rather than her palm print.

"I really don't want to reveal my full identity to corporate America in this way," he said. As a busy mother of two, Yang said paying with her phone saves her a lot of time.

However, Long said he doesn't think people care much about cybersecurity when choosing to use the technology.

“Some consumers will trade access to their information for convenience,” Long said. “We all have our information there. I'm not sure they would care if people knew what to buy for lunch."

Regarding job losses, MacMullan of Schnucks said the introduction of Caper Carts will not eliminate jobs. Instead, it will allow employees in full-service areas to focus and provide more efficient service.

Long says the ship has sailed when it comes to job losses among salespeople.

“(Caper Carts) is this trend continuing? Yes, but there are always self-checkout attendants and employees checking your cart at Costco,” Long said.

The success of smart cars will depend on how well they work, says Evgeny Vorobichik, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.

"The biggest issue will be what happens when you make mistakes," he said. "You have to make mistakes, but are you going to push people? How are people going to catch up to them?"

Worobiczyk also said he thinks most people will use smart cars.

"I don't feel like people care much about artificial intelligence," he said. “People are enthusiastic about using new technologies. Look at Tesla. their cars are breaking down, but market demand hasn't slowed."

Ebony Barnes, who was shopping at Lindell Schnucks on Wednesday morning, said she didn't think the smart carts were a good idea and feared workers could lose their jobs.

"They don't want to pay people to work," Barnes said.

Hannah Wyman • 314-340-8330hannah_swyman on Twitter hwyman@post-dispatch.com

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