Report: Stop & Shop tests self-scanning

Quincy, Mass. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., a division of Ahold USA, is offering shoppers at several of its stores in Connecticut a mobile self-checkout option in the form of handheld scanners, according to a report in The Hartford Courant.

Upon entering the store, shoppers use their loyalty card to pick up the handheld device. The unit, Scan It!, from Quincy, Mass.-based Mode Media, keeps a running total of orders, allows customers to walk through the aisles, scanning and bagging items as they go. It also enables shoppers to delete items, alerts users to manufacturer discounts and offers users exclusive promotions that are electronically deducted during checkout, according to the Stop & Shop Web site.

“The solution guides Stop & Shop customers to exactly what they need and presents them with money-saving values at the moment of decision," Bob Anderson, director of customer relationship management at Stop & Shop said in a company statement.

The portable scanners can save consumers an average of 12 minutes per shopping trip, and also spurs additional shopping trips, the article said.

The self-service system can cost grocers $100,000, but chains are offsetting the cost through increased business. Handheld-wielding shoppers buy an average of 10% more during every visit and regular users are increasing the frequency of their visits by another 10%, the article said. At that rate, the system pays for itself in a year, according to Modiv chairman and CEO Paul Schaut.

Ahold USA currently has the handheld units available in 145 stores operating under its Stop & Shop and Giant Food banners.