According to a Reuters report, Wal-Mart is testing a new shopping system dubbed “Scan & Go”, which would allows shoppers to scan items with their iPhones, and pay at self-checkout.
The move is designed to speed up the checkout process, and is described as:
In the Walmart iPhone scanning test, shoppers can scan products with their phone and put them in bags while they shop, and then pay at a self-checkout counter.
The test does not allow users to pay on their phone. The app transfers the scanned items to the self-checkout kiosk and then shoppers complete the transaction using the normal self-checkout process.
All I can think of is just how badly wrong most self-checkouts seem to go. “Unexpected item in bagging area”; trying to scan an object that is unrecognized, searching for the right variety of tomato in the system; weird age checks for buying booze; and heaven help you if you want to try and scan a store card that’s kept on your iPhone.
At least this new system means you won’t have to stand there and wait while everyone tries 37 times to scan the same box of cereal without luck.
Now, if you could pay from your phone too? That’d be something. Load up your cart, scanning objects as you go, and then just waltz out the door with a cart full of groceries. No lines, no fuss. Done. Maybe one day…
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