Yahoo Finance Tesco trials 'scan-free' checkouts to save shoppers time
Imagine walking into Tesco (TSCO.L), picking your products and when you’re ready to pay you only approach the till and it immediately calculates your shopping and allows you to pay with no need to scan anything inside the bag. Might sound like a magic trick but it is what Tesco is trialling at one of its west London stores.
Customers at Tesco’s Fulham Reach Express GetGo store can now take items from shelves and “just walk up” to the checkout which will “magically present them with a list of the products they have picked up”.
The new tech means customers don’t have to scan items at self-service tills, allowing for a more “seamless and convenient” shopping experience.
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It works by all shelves being weighed, so all shoppers have to do is place an item into their basket or trolley and the system does the work for you.
Shoppers will be asked to check the list of store products presented to them at the till to see if it matches what they have, and then they can pay for the goods.
Unlike other GetGo stores, there is no need to download or use the Tesco Grocery App to take advantage of the scan-free checkouts.
There are currently four Tesco GetGo stores in the UK. There are three in London which include, the Chiswell Street branch, High Holborn, and Fulham Reach. There is also one branch at Aston University in Birmingham.
This is the first time this technology has been introduced into a public store. Before the launch, Tesco trialled the service at its Welwyn Garden City headquarters.
Tesco head of store customer experience Sarah Quiggin said: “We are constantly searching for the perfect formula to make the shopping trip as seamless and convenient as possible.
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“This trial of scan-free checkouts will add another option for customers in Fulham Reach to save time on scanning items and will reduce queuing in store.
“We will be watching closely to see how customers react to this potential new option of having a list of their shopping presented to them automatically.”
Other retailers, including Amazon and Aldi have made moves in similar directions in recent years.
Yahoo Finance UK has reached out to Tesco for comment.
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