"In the past few decades there have been numerous incremental changes to grocery stores, like the crazed proliferation of snacks and frozen food, security cameras tracking anything that moves, and self-checkout robots flashing in panic because they can't detect your Twix bar in the bag. But by all appearances, shopping carts and baskets waded through that swirl of advancement mostly unaffected."
"Several stores are testing smart carts that are essentially self-checkouts on wheels, letting users scan items while bumping into another person because they're not watching where they're walking. The Caper by Instacart, for instance, automatically scans any item you toss in, includes built-in weight measuring for that far-too-ripe produce, and takes payment as well, likely threatening the job security of both actual cashiers and those anxious stationary self-checkouts (sounds like grounds for the first human-robot union to me)."
For decades grocery stores experienced incremental changes such as proliferation of snacks and frozen food, pervasive security cameras, and self-checkout machines, while shopping carts and baskets remained mostly unchanged. Traditional carts retain the same open-ceiling design from fifty years ago, and baskets look nearly identical. Companies are now developing smart carts that scan items automatically, measure weight for produce, and accept payment, effectively making mobile self-checkout devices. These smart carts promise convenience but risk displacing cashiers and creating new in-store problems like distracted shoppers bumping into others. Adoption has been slow as most stores remain satisfied with existing receptacles.
Read at Slate Magazine
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