Supermarket of the future. Now here!
Wireless express checkout, smart shelves that alert staff when an item is running low, shopping carts that guide consumers to the best prices etc. are all coming to a supermarket near you -- especially at the showcase store of the German retail chain Metro -- according to this Reuters story in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required):
Perhaps the key feature at Metro is smart tags, or RFID chips -- short for radio frequency identification -- that broadcast data for several feet, enabling receiver-equipped smart shelves or handheld scanners to track what's in the store. Thus, the store alerts staff to outdated products or when the milk is running low. More enticingly, RFID offers retailers the chance to make the time-consuming job of taking inventory by hand simply go away.
The new store, which opened to the public on Tuesday, is perhaps the most integrated example of how supermarkets are advancing in high-tech wizardry. U.S. giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and British chain Tesco PLC, along with consumer product companies such as Procter & Gamble Co. and Gillette Co., are also experimenting with RFID technology. Meanwhile, a number of supermarkets have self-checkout.