This new high-tech supermarket trolley has the internet divided - take a look!
- Replies 27
By now, you know what the consensus of SDC members on self-checkouts is.
While some of you are open to using the new shopping innovations, it would also be safe to say that you aren’t big fans of people-less grocery transactions.
But what if we told you that there's a new supermarket trolley design that could take even self-checkout stalls away from the grocery shopping experience?
Well, a video showcasing Amazon’s new smart trolley tech is making rounds on social media, and people are seriously divided on it.
The video, captioned ‘The future of shopping has arrived’ and posted to the social media platform Twitter, shows a woman walking through an Amazon Fresh supermarket and scanning items for checkout by simply placing them in her trolley.
Item after item, the woman placed her groceries in the trolley, which had a screen where an updated amount would show with every addition.
The woman also tried just chucking some items in and not giving the smart trolley time to scan, but to no avail, because the item still got logged!
Of course, covering all bases, the woman also tried taking some items out to see if the smart trolley could be tricked, but nope, the trolley was able to update the price with the item subtracted.
Once the woman was done shopping, she then went to the Amazon Fresh store’s exit, where an attendant approached her while she tapped her trolley’s screen to confirm her final amount.
And that’s pretty much this woman’s shopping experience as payment is automatically completed upon the store’s exit!
The smart trolley, also known as Amazon’s Dash Carts, is a new version of an already-existing technology.
The improved Dash Carts have more space to fit groceries and are also ‘weather-resistant’ which means you could take it out to your car rain or shine.
Just recently, the Dash Carts got introduced to Whole Foods stores in the US.
Now, like any new tech, there was no shortage of people amazed with the neat feat of a totally streamlined grocery experience with a trolley-checkout hybrid — but overwhelmingly, reactions to the video indicated distrust and apprehension!
‘Less and less human interactions and people wonder why society is getting more and more depressed.’ one user responded.
Another added: ‘I work in retail… I hope this isn’t going to be a thing in stores, it takes away jobs in my opinion.’
Others went on to slam the Dash Carts as ‘useless tech’ which signalled the ‘beginning of unemployment’ for some.
Still, there was the occasional reaction in favour of the trolleys.
‘Finally.’ a user began, ‘We don't have people pumping gas anymore. It doesn't make any sense to have two to three people involved in (grocery shopping).’
‘This was badly needed in retail stores,’ another user said, ‘This voids queuing... Reduces waiting time and frustration.’
And, interestingly enough, a few other users raised suspicions that the smart trolleys were only the beginning of ‘big tech’ companies harvesting people’s data through simple activities like shopping.
Now, you might be asking: When will these Dash Carts come to Australia?
So far, according to Yahoo! Australia, no major supermarket has announced anything related to these smart trolleys.
Woolworths’ Scan&Go feature comes quite close since it also involves scanning products as you go with your phone, but not all trolleys in the grocery chain carry special holders where phones could be placed conveniently.
Meanwhile, one spokesperson from Coles did say they were always looking for ways to better Aussies’ grocery shopping experience.
‘We are rolling out a range of new options to help customers check out more quickly, including our popular belted self-checkouts and packing benches.’ they said.
‘Our new technology for the service area means we can have more checkouts open, providing customers with space, less congestion, reduced queuing and frees up team members to interact with our customers, providing guidance and assistance to the level they require.’
On the topic of innovations in grocery stores, Coles is also expanding its drone delivery service – something you might want to look at!
Meanwhile, you may also want to see what other members have to say about self-checkouts.
So, how did you find this video of Amazon’s Dash Cart? Is it something you'd like to try?
Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section below!
[Content warning: the video below has explicit music. Please be advised.]
Source: Twitter/@TansuYegen
While some of you are open to using the new shopping innovations, it would also be safe to say that you aren’t big fans of people-less grocery transactions.
But what if we told you that there's a new supermarket trolley design that could take even self-checkout stalls away from the grocery shopping experience?
Well, a video showcasing Amazon’s new smart trolley tech is making rounds on social media, and people are seriously divided on it.
The video, captioned ‘The future of shopping has arrived’ and posted to the social media platform Twitter, shows a woman walking through an Amazon Fresh supermarket and scanning items for checkout by simply placing them in her trolley.
Item after item, the woman placed her groceries in the trolley, which had a screen where an updated amount would show with every addition.
The woman also tried just chucking some items in and not giving the smart trolley time to scan, but to no avail, because the item still got logged!
Of course, covering all bases, the woman also tried taking some items out to see if the smart trolley could be tricked, but nope, the trolley was able to update the price with the item subtracted.
Once the woman was done shopping, she then went to the Amazon Fresh store’s exit, where an attendant approached her while she tapped her trolley’s screen to confirm her final amount.
And that’s pretty much this woman’s shopping experience as payment is automatically completed upon the store’s exit!
The smart trolley, also known as Amazon’s Dash Carts, is a new version of an already-existing technology.
The improved Dash Carts have more space to fit groceries and are also ‘weather-resistant’ which means you could take it out to your car rain or shine.
Just recently, the Dash Carts got introduced to Whole Foods stores in the US.
Now, like any new tech, there was no shortage of people amazed with the neat feat of a totally streamlined grocery experience with a trolley-checkout hybrid — but overwhelmingly, reactions to the video indicated distrust and apprehension!
‘Less and less human interactions and people wonder why society is getting more and more depressed.’ one user responded.
Another added: ‘I work in retail… I hope this isn’t going to be a thing in stores, it takes away jobs in my opinion.’
Others went on to slam the Dash Carts as ‘useless tech’ which signalled the ‘beginning of unemployment’ for some.
Still, there was the occasional reaction in favour of the trolleys.
‘Finally.’ a user began, ‘We don't have people pumping gas anymore. It doesn't make any sense to have two to three people involved in (grocery shopping).’
‘This was badly needed in retail stores,’ another user said, ‘This voids queuing... Reduces waiting time and frustration.’
And, interestingly enough, a few other users raised suspicions that the smart trolleys were only the beginning of ‘big tech’ companies harvesting people’s data through simple activities like shopping.
Now, you might be asking: When will these Dash Carts come to Australia?
So far, according to Yahoo! Australia, no major supermarket has announced anything related to these smart trolleys.
Woolworths’ Scan&Go feature comes quite close since it also involves scanning products as you go with your phone, but not all trolleys in the grocery chain carry special holders where phones could be placed conveniently.
Meanwhile, one spokesperson from Coles did say they were always looking for ways to better Aussies’ grocery shopping experience.
‘We are rolling out a range of new options to help customers check out more quickly, including our popular belted self-checkouts and packing benches.’ they said.
‘Our new technology for the service area means we can have more checkouts open, providing customers with space, less congestion, reduced queuing and frees up team members to interact with our customers, providing guidance and assistance to the level they require.’
Key Takeaways
- Amazon's new smart supermarket trolley technology has impressed many shoppers but divided opinion, with some people concerned about the potential for automation to put low-skilled workers out of jobs.
- Woolworths' Scan&Go technology is similar to Amazon's offering but requires shoppers to manually scan each product with the Woolworths app on their phones.
- It's not clear when smart trolleys will reach Australia, with no announcements from major supermarkets to date.
Meanwhile, you may also want to see what other members have to say about self-checkouts.
So, how did you find this video of Amazon’s Dash Cart? Is it something you'd like to try?
Share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments section below!
[Content warning: the video below has explicit music. Please be advised.]
Source: Twitter/@TansuYegen