Have you Tried a Smart Cart Yet?

[NJCher]

I tried one tonight at ShopRite. I was only planning on a few necessary purchases, like toothpaste, a particular cheese I needed for a recipe, and some ravioli I thought was on sale. I'm guessing my purchases would have run about $8-9.

Instead, by using this Smart Cart, the total came to almost $40.

That's because it has a variety of incentives, such as the one time $5 Caper Credit that you get just for trying the cart for the first time.

This cart has an interface about the size of the smaller iPad. It keeps a running total of what you purchase. In addition, if you buy sale items, it takes off the amount on your total so you see the savings immediately.



It knows what "neighborhood" you are in and it shoots you coupon savings on items close by. I found a few good prices on some items I know I'll use, so I bought them in multiples.

Up goes the total! OTOH, I might as well have this stuff in stock at my home. It sure has paid out for me over this stormy, snowy weather we've had in the last few days.

Hardly any other shoppers were using the cart. There were about 20 carts and they were located quite a way from the store. Had I not walked from that particular parking area, I wouldn't have seen them.

I saw one woman with the cart and she acted like she knew what she was doing. I told her it was my first time and asked her if she liked using the cart. She was enthusiastic about it, saying how she liked not having to unload everything at the counter and then load it all back up again to her grocery bag. She liked the time savings of how the cart scans in your purchase as you put it in your grocery bag, so you don't have to go through the same thing with the clerk at the register.

When I saw her a couple other times around the store, she came up to me and offered me additional tips. That was nice, and her tips were helpful.

Yeah, this is AI and it's also measuring my shopping behavior, which they will use to sell me more stuff over the rest of my shopping trips at their store.

Still, I thought it was kind of fun and I would use the Caper Cart again.

[democrank]

1. This Smart Cart idea sounds interesting.

Thanks for posting about your experience. Although I’m technology-challenged to put it mildly, I’d be willing to give the system a try if it’s ever introduced in my rural area.

I always learn something from you, so thanks.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

2. Ugh!

I shop at TJ’s and Publix, the latter of which taunts us endlessly with BOGO offers (buy one, get one free). We’re forever coming home with a ton of crap we never would have bought otherwise. Hm… I *do* like these pita chips… I *do* need rolled oats… lunch salads… pizzas… oooh! Ripple (vegan milk I only buy on sale)! and on and on. Doesn’t help to have my son along, too, because he’ll eat everything. We’ll go in there with a carefully constructed shopping list of eight items and come out with a receipt for $128 or worse. *sigh*

Random sales are bad enough. Having them track me and aim deals directly to me? Ew. That’s not how to tighten the beltstraps.

[Nittersing]

3. My sister's store has something like this and she loves it!! (Long Island)

I'm not sure of the details, like how do you handle stuff that needs to be weighed?

But I love the idea of packing my bags as I shop and then just walking out!