News

Jewel store checks out automated shopping

May 6, 2003

MELROSE PARK, Ill. -- Jewel Food Stores Inc. is testing an automated shopping, payment and checkout service with Symbol Technologies Inc. at a Jewel supermarket in Barrington, Ill., a Chicago suburb.

According to a report in Cardline, Symbol's Customer Access Technology allows consumers to swipe their Jewel loyalty card in a kiosk at the store's entrance. The customer is then directed to pick up a hand-held scanner that reads prices and product information as he or she shops.

A screen on the scanner provides a running total of prices and products picked, displays discount coupons, recipe and meal ideas, and informs the customer when a pre-ordered product, like a prescription, is ready.

The customer bags his or her own groceries. At the self-checkout counter, designed by NCR Corp., the consumer again scans the loyalty card to complete the sale. At the self- checkout, the consumer can use either a credit or debit card to pay, the report said.

Symbol's CAT program has been running in 500 stores of 32 retailers in 15 countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden and Italy, according to the report. The consumer adoption rate is about 20 percent, said Steve Mathers, vice president of marketing for Symbol.

In some European stores, consumers scan their credit or debit cards at the entrance kiosk, eliminating the payment process at checkout.

A Jewel spokesperson said the store is working with Symbol on a number of projects, but wouldn't discuss the Barrington test. Jewel, which is owned by Albertsons Inc., operates 275 food and drug stores in the Midwest.