Shopping Carts Go Wi-Fi

agentk writes "The Boston Globe reports today that area supermarket Stop & Shop is adding computers with Bluetooth barcode scanners, 802.11 networking and infrared positional sensors to shopping carts in one of its stores. 'The Shopping Buddy automatically displays which aisle you're in, what's on sale there, and what you bought the last time you strolled through.' Most Stop & Shop stores already have automated self-checkout lanes. Is this the future of shopping? What will the impact be on privacy, the cash economy, and the experience of shopping in general?"

Comments

Re:Call me a Luddite, but...

[zakezuke]

Personaly I think it's great! Among the many stores I frequent, there are supermarkets that are not well staffed in the week hours, esp around bar'o'clock (regional closing time for bars). Where it is common place for people to shoplift after making a good an honest effort to wait for the human. I my self like to be more honest about the subject, and this seems a very viable solution to that end.

Those automated coupon despencers, well ok, those are a pain in the tookus. While I feel it's a far better system then just a stack of coupons in prevention of mixed-paper waste, it is a touch of a power waste. A nice nifty little role would be far superior IMHO, serve the fuction and not need batteries.

I've used the automated checkout at Home Depot, with a stack of $20.00s without difficulty, though I typicaly only use the automated checkout for a few small items. Not so much because i'm a fan of the new fangled system, but simply because most people who shop there have carts filled with home improvement shinola, when all I need is a bit of sandpaper.

But hey, to each their own, i'd respect the fact that people like your self prefer dealing with a human. Not that would nessicarly resolve the issue of a klaxon sounding, but atleast you have someone to blame to look at funny if it does.