KROGER bosses have boasted that customers who use the retailer’s new shopping device will have the easiest check out ever in-store.
The supermarket giant piloted the KroGo cart in the fall of 2020 and it has been rolled out across the country.
Kroger customers put their bags in the front of the cart before picking up and scanning items as they venture around the store.
In a promotional video, Kroger bosses have claimed that shoppers will have the “easiest checkout ever” if they use a KroGo buggy.
And, a supermarket spokesperson said at the time of the pilot: “KroGo offers customers a seamless shopping experience where they can scan items and pay, all on the cart.”
But, customers that use KroGo are unable to purchase some items.
Products include tobacco, hard liquor, and behind-the-counter pharmacy drugs, according to Kroger.
Store officials have warned that shoppers will need to show some form of ID if they want to buy age-restricted products such as alcohol.
Customers can only pay for items using their bank card and they will receive receipts via email or text.
The shopping device doesn’t support cash payments, officials warn.
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The shopping cart was designed by the AI company Caper and was trialed at a store in Cincinnati – where Kroger was founded back in 1883.
Lindon Gao, the CEO of Caper, said: “In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for autonomous checkout technology is driving grocers and retailers to innovate and adopt new technologies that keep shoppers safe and streamline checkout.”
Kroger is also reportedly rolling out new belted self-checkout lanes to 20 stores across Cincinnati.
Bosses hope that it will stop items that have not been scanned from ending up in the bagging area.
Retailers have also added sensors to their self-checkout stations.
Installing these sensors helps tighten security around the kiosks – but they also come with mounting customer frustration.
The sensors often result in an error, believing there to be an "unexpected item in the bagging area."
An employee may need to fix the issue, resulting in a delayed checkout experience.
The retailer has reportedly introduced a new way to stop customers from potentially shoplifting at the self-checkout.
In 2020, Kroger launched a new partnership with the Irish artificial intelligence company Everseen.
Bosses revealed plans to deploy technology that’s designed to reduce errors at the self-checkout, according to Business Wire.
Mike Lamb, the vice president of Asset Protection at The Kroger Co, said: “We are laser-focused on continuous improvements to customers’ experience across our stores.
“By leveraging Everseen’s Visual AI and machine learning technology, we’re not only able to remove friction for the customer, but we can also remove controllable costs from the business and redirect those resources to improving the customer experience even more.”
Kroger's rival Albertsons has revealed that its offering shoppers the opportunity to use self-checkout machines at some of its stores.
But, data from a 2021 survey conducted by Raydiant revealed that 67 percent of shoppers said a self-checkout machine had failed on them while they were using it, WTHR13 reports.
And, another 25 percent of those customers said they wouldn't use a self-checkout machine due to past poor experiences.
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