Kinect Grocery Cart Follows Shoppers Around the Store

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Kinect Grocery Cart Follows Shoppers Around the Store

Posted by samzenpus on Tuesday March 6, 2012 @03:22AM from the shop-smarter dept.

cylonlover writes "When Chaotic Moon Labs debuted the Kinect-powered Board of Awesomeness — and its mind-reading offspring, the Board of Imagination — that was apparently just a preview of a more practical product the company had in the works. Grocery store chain Whole Foods recently gave a demonstration of Chaotic Moon's latest device, which uses the same technology in a self-propelled shopping cart. The 'Smarter Cart,' as it's been named, can detect what items are placed in it, match those to a shopping list, and even follow shoppers around the store on its own."

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"25% off whole grain cereal" by GodfatherofSoul · 2012-03-06 03:24 · Score: 4, Funny

Please place the item in your cart. You have 20 seconds to comply.

--
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
1. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by phrostie · 2012-03-06 03:37 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, more than a lil' creepy.
2. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:39 · Score: 0
  
  "Dak... Tak... Lak... Pak"
3. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Yvan256 · 2012-03-06 03:54 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  We need a new "That meme is not funny anymore" moderation choice.
4. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Nocturnal+Deviant · 2012-03-06 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  I just used my mod points on another story or I would mod you up.
  
  --
  -Noc
5. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 06:11 · Score: 0
  
  In South Korea, only old people post memes.
6. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Patch86 · 2012-03-06 06:14 · Score: 1
  
  Whereas in Soviet Russia, memes post you!
  (I'm going to hell for that, I know).
7. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by Mista2 · 2012-03-06 08:38 · Score: 1
  
  So apart from the fruit and veg section, a robot could actually just patrol the isles loading all the packaged goods, you drop in your self packaged items, and your debit card is charged as you leave the store. 8) that's my idea of shopping.
8. Re:"25% off whole grain cereal" by tehcyder · 2012-03-06 22:08 · Score: 1
  
  We need a new "That meme is not funny anymore" moderation choice.
  Nothing's that funny once it's become a meme.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
yes! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:24 · Score: 0

Even less exercise while I stroll around in my wheelchair buying twinkies and ho-hos!
What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by ArsenneLupin · 2012-03-06 03:26 · Score: 4, Insightful

... and the cart can't find its way around the other shoppers. Remember, compared to its "owner" the cart is rather bulky, and may have some trouble advancing in situations which pose no problem for the owner...
1. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:36 · Score: 0, Insightful
  
  Not in America. The average American posterior is noticeably wider than a shopping cart.
2. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:40 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Presumably this is why they're trialling it at Whole Foods. More than one person in the store is an edge case they can safely ignore.
3. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by rolfwind · 2012-03-06 04:20 · Score: 2
  
  It's a nice proof of concept but I agree with you on the navigation, as well as hearing a store full of those would drive me nuts, hell, it announcing I'm buying anything personal, like condoms would suck. Plus I'd imagine in that current form, it will just get stolen.
  OTOH, what I really want in a store is help. Human help is often hard to find, having to track it down and half the time they seem clueless. I wish that at the end of every aisle or something predictable like that, I could find kiosks that tell me either price of an item or location of what I'm looking for vs. my relative location. They already have those in some places, but it's usually one or the other. Bonus points if it could tell me more about the product I have or want.
4. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:21 · Score: 0
  
  This would be no different from the human robots who push carts around the grocery store now.
5. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Talderas · 2012-03-06 05:18 · Score: 1
  
  it announcing I'm buying anything personal, like condoms would suck.
  Suck or awesome depending on who you are and what your goal happens to be and your current relationship status/potential.
  Go to a store full of good looking gals that uses these devices. Have it announce you're buying condoms. Once you get them back to your basement employ the naked man strategy for a 66% chance of getting laid out of pity.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
6. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 06:55 · Score: 0
  
  Presumably this is why they're trialling it at Whole Foods. More than one person in the store is an edge case they can safely ignore.
  That, and the product area inside the cart is going to be no more than roughly a 12" cube, and upon filling that up the cartbot will escort you to the mortgage banking section where you can see if there is enough equity left in your house to shop for more.
7. Re:What happens when the shop is overcrowded... by Ihmhi · 2012-03-06 06:58 · Score: 2
  
  Actually, no they're not. As our asses get fatter, the shopping carts get wider to fit all the food that we're eating that is making our asses fatter.
  
  --
  Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
Just shop online. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:27 · Score: 1

Place items into your 'virtual' cart.
Store Directory by andellmoon · 2012-03-06 03:28 · Score: 1

I would like it to also tell me what asile the peanut butter is in

--
- Alice, @acarback
1. Re:Store Directory by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:47 · Score: 0
  
  Pourquoi est-ce que tu veux du beurre d'arachide d'une asile?
2. Re:Store Directory by Yvan256 · 2012-03-06 03:55 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe he's nuts?
3. Re:Store Directory by omglolbah · 2012-03-06 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  When the Chaotic Moon guys were on Buzz Out Loud they went through that.
  They are working on a store directory system for the carts but it is a bit of a challenge as the location of goods change a lot more frequently than most think.
  Another feature they were working on was a way to say scan a piece of food, and be able to query for say gluten free alternatives etc.
  The full interview can be found here: http://www.cnet.com/8301-19709_1-57388873-10/buzz-out-loud-1583-let-whurley-the-evil-genius-blow-your-mind-podcast/ :D
4. Re:Store Directory by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 05:33 · Score: 0
  
  They are working on a store directory system for the carts but it is a bit of a challenge as the location of goods change a lot more frequently than most think.
  Have the Kinect Kart update the location of stuff dynamically as people place it in the basket. If it knows you're in aisle 8 and you put peanut butter in the cart, then aisle 8 is probably where the peanut butter is. Obviously it can weight the results, so if 9 people have put peanut butter in their cart whilst in aisle 8, but one chuckle head walked around half the store with the jar in his hand before he put it in the damn cart, you're still probably going to find peanut butter in aisle 8.
5. Re:Store Directory by icebrain · 2012-03-06 06:05 · Score: 1
  
  I would like it to also tell me what asile the peanut butter is in
  I could have sworn that Kroger or Publix tried a system like that a few years ago. It didn't work too well at the time. The devices mounted to the handles and remind me of the "find your oil filter/wiper blade" devices in the auto section.
  
  --
  The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
Yeah, more stuff we don't need! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:32 · Score: 1, Insightful

Joy, great joy! Another damned monitor [almost] no one needs embedded in yet another lazygenic device. Isn't moving our asses way better that using this kind of technology?
There's plenty of real needs to solve, please stop designing teh futurez.
1. Re:Yeah, more stuff we don't need! by Yvan256 · 2012-03-06 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  I'd be interested in the shopping assistant to warn me about allergies and help me find items around the store. The automated, follow-me-around part of the idea, not so much.
  Then again, if someone made a mistake in entering the allergies information about the products, I won't trust the system anyway. Just because there's no "milk or cheese" doesn't mean it's dairy-free. There's lactose in salt and vinegar chips, as a random example.
2. Re:Yeah, more stuff we don't need! by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:12 · Score: 2
  
  I'd bring up two points. The first is that pushing a cart around hardly qualifies as "more exercise" than having it follow you. A friend of mine who is severely obese always wants to be the one to push the cart if we are out somewhere that has them. She calls it her "walker" and it actually makes walking easier for her (at least she doesn't use those damned electric chairs, and to be fair she's lost 40 pound in the last 6 months or so, so she's trying). I don't particularly care if my cart follows me around or not, so I can't say I see the benefit her, but I don't think it's just and "even more laziness" situation exactly either.
  The second is that the cart following you part seems like it's more of a secondary thing. The shopping assistant seems both more primary and more useful.
  
  --
  I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
3. Re:Yeah, more stuff we don't need! by omglolbah · 2012-03-06 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  When they were interviewed on Buzz Out Loud this past week they talked about that very issue:
  http://www.cnet.com/8301-19709_1-57388873-10/buzz-out-loud-1583-let-whurley-the-evil-genius-blow-your-mind-podcast/ :D
Theft? by VxMorpheusxV · 2012-03-06 03:32 · Score: 1

In the video, it states that you can complete a transaction and be free to leave the store from the cart. How are they going to prevent theft? I can easily jam something in my pocket or bag on the way out.
1. Re:Theft? by dleewo · 2012-03-06 03:39 · Score: 1
  
  I wouldn't think it's any different to the risks involves when they offer self-checkout counters
2. Re:Theft? by Thanshin · 2012-03-06 03:44 · Score: 0
  
  I can easily jam something in my pocket or bag on the way out.
  And then you turn around and he's just looking at you with his bright red eye.
  "What are you doing, Dave?"
  And then you realize that the security cameras are zeroing on you.
  And one of the cameras is suspiciously long and thin.
  And you notice a tiny red spot in your shirt.
3. Re:Theft? by VxMorpheusxV · 2012-03-06 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  Current self checkouts are generally by an exit, with an employee monitoring the area. This gave me impression you could check out in the middle of the store.
4. Re:Theft? by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:18 · Score: 1
  
  The Stop and Shop chain in the Boston area has a scan and bag system that totally relies on customer honesty. You swipe your reward card at a kiosk and it gives you a handheld barcode scanner. You scan and bag your items as you go (they have scales near the produce and loose dry good sections that print a bar code for the scanner), and when you get to the check out you swipe your reward card again. The system wirelessly transfers your purchases from the barcode scanner currently affiliated with your card, and you pay. The items never leave your bag once you've scanned and bagged them. It's tremendously convenient when we remember to grab a scanner. Checkout literally takes seconds, This just takes the same theory one step further and lets you pay at the cart instead of needing to sync with a register.
  
  --
  I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
misread as "Kmart Grocery Cart" by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:36 · Score: 0

I had a flash vision of frantically ducking into a kid's clothing goods aisle to escape from Robert Patrick in grim pursuit with a shopping cart.
It puts the lotion .... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:36 · Score: 0

... in the basket.
1. Re:It puts the lotion .... by realsilly · 2012-03-06 03:38 · Score: 0
  
  I see what you did thar. Well Played Sir, Well Played.
  
  --
  Life takes interesting turns, but the most interest is when you're off the beaten path.
That completes your list! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:38 · Score: 0

Like retailers really want their shoppers to only buy the things on their shopping list.
This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 03:41 · Score: 4, Interesting

If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
That has to be possible. Look at Amazon with their no shipping charges on anything over 25 dollars rule. If the grocery stores had that it would be amazing. And while some people might like going to the grocery store... I don't like shopping in person.
How great would it be if you could order everything up at home, compare all the prices from a dozen outlets, and get everything you want right to your front door.
Some might say it has to cost extra for that. But does it? Think of what you'd save if you didn't have to have so many grocery stores. Imagine if instead you had a small number of convenience stores for common items and everything else came from warehouses. The warehouses are there anyway. That's where the stores get everything from. So instead of a big truck coming around at 2 AM to restock the grocery store... the trucks instead move around your neighborhood dropping off packages of groceries. Frozen goods can be packed in ice. There is a theft issue there but we can work that out with something that looks like a big specialty mail box.
This is doable and it would be much more efficient. Less traffic on the road. Less real estate wasted on a service that isn't required.
Everything can go from the warehouse to our door step. Just a web prompt in between.
Some people don't have computers? Put a kiosk in the convenience store and they can have it delivered to their home.
Maybe this is a stupid idea... But I'd use it exclusively.

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1. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:48 · Score: 1
  
  What you describe sort of already exists - it's called Amazon Fresh, but it's only available in Seattle. No delivery charge on minimum orders of $50.
2. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Thanshin · 2012-03-06 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  In America you must pay for your home delivered groceries?!
  In Spain you just have to accept everything being closer to the expiration date than you'd have taken at the store but that's it.
3. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Yvan256 · 2012-03-06 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  What we need is a huge physical network... Tubes, perhaps? Yes, a series of tubes would be perfect.
4. Re:This is a pointless invention. by girlintraining · 2012-03-06 04:00 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
  You want someone else to pay for the fuel and the manpower to individually ship your groceries to you... and this is the only way to impress you? I suspect you are going to have a very unimpressive life.
  
  Look at Amazon with their no shipping charges on anything over 25 dollars rule.
  You are failing so hard at economics right now it's hard for me to type this right now. Let's be clear on something: The shipping company gets paid. The delivery driver gets paid. The warehouse owner gets paid. And they're all making a profit. And you get whatever you ordered. Amazon is allowed to do stuff like that because they don't pay sales tax, which if you did the math you'd notice sales tax costs more than the "delivery tax" as it were. So basically, you're getting that "free" shipping because you're not paying taxes on what you ordered. But it's not free. And other companes offer "free shipping too". It works like this $price = $price + $shipping cost ...now the shipping is 'magically' free.
  
  My point here is that nobody's going to perform a service for you for free. Nothing is 'free'. Stop using the word 'free' in reference to a business transaction. There. Is. No. Such. Thing.
  
  Maybe this is a stupid idea... But I'd use it exclusively.
  *cough*
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
5. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Megane · 2012-03-06 04:02 · Score: 1
  
  If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
  Yeah, that'd be a great idea!
  
  --
  #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
6. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:02 · Score: 0
  
  Yay! This way you always sure to get the most badly beaten lettuce, overly ripe fruits, milk as close to their expiration dates as possible, same thing for meats, eggs, etc..
  For frozen, canned, pre-packaged, processed foods, yes, that might make sense as the shelf life is long. Only thing is, I try to avoid these as much as possible. Lately, the grocery stores have expanded in size, but it is mainly to accommodate all that pre-processed crap. That to me is the pointless invention.. Small and local stores carrying fresh produces are the way to go... sadly not how things are aimed at.
7. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:03 · Score: 0
  
  Yes. There is no charge. Completely free. Of course the business just eats the cost and doesn't pass it along to you, this is how the business world works. No siree, you, completely free out of the goodness of their hearts. They love you in Spain.
  Don't listen to those cynics who tell you that they bury those charges in the base cost of the goods. They are liars and just hate you.
8. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Max_W · 2012-03-06 04:05 · Score: 1
  
  But how to avoid problem of spam or terrorism via such tubes?
9. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:08 · Score: 0
  
  You want someone else to pay for the fuel and the manpower to individually ship your groceries to you... and this is the only way to impress you? I suspect you are going to have a very unimpressive life.
  Remember the 90's? All of these probably still exists in Portland.
  webvan
  webgrocer
  kozmo
  urban fetch
  This works in Seattle.
  amazon fresh
10. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:09 · Score: 0
  
  This already exists in many places, it's a fairly common service on most big places where I live (Lisbon, Portugal) - I believe some shops have even started to have the kiosk at the store just as you suggested. Usually there's a small fee, but for big enough orders it's free at most places.
  But when I'm buying fresh produce I really want to choose it in person, and since I'll have to stay home and wait to receive the order anyway, it's often faster and better to go to the store personally (and I don't even own a car!). I believe most people feel the same way, since I still see plenty of people at the store and very few delivery cars driving around.
11. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 04:15 · Score: 2
  
  Quite the opposite. It would allow for more detailed inventory and purchase records, leading to more informed bulk purchase decisions at the store management level. It would allow the store to do more "just in time" purchasing rather than maintain an expensive back stock of inventory that may spoil.
12. Re:This is a pointless invention. by grandpastackhouse · 2012-03-06 04:18 · Score: 1
  
  http://www.freshdirect.com/ already does this in the NY area, it's only a matter of time before it expands or similar services are available in other parts of the country/world. I use them for all the standard boxed groceries and meat that I order every week, and hit the local bodega/grocery for most produce or one-off snacks. I will say that the produce from FD is usually pretty good just overpriced.
13. Re:This is a pointless invention. by girlintraining · 2012-03-06 04:20 · Score: 1
  
  Remember the 90's?
  I try not to.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
14. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  A fair point, but possibly they just did it the wrong way? The idea seems sound. Why did they need their own warehouse space for example? Why not make use of existing grocery store space?
  Possibly if Ralph's (large grocery chain on the west coast) partnered with them? That way they only need the servers and the trucks. The supply chain and the warehouses would already be there.
  
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  I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
15. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:31 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  First, you're being exceeding and entirely unnessarily rude. Rather then appear superior, this sort of behavior makes you appear childish. This is just a word to the wise in case you weren't aware pointless insults make you sound stupid.
  Second, obviously people get paid. However, there is an expense in maintaining retail space in the middle of a city. There is an expense to issuing mail coupons. There is an expense to having check out baggers in the store. There is an expense to having the managers. there is an expense to send trucks to the store and unload goods.
  I am hoping that by eliminating all of that there is enough savings to pay for the cost of having a truck deliver to the door directly. For example, leasing space often is 5 percent or a little less of total spending. By not having a store front they eliminate that and get five percent right there. Total number of employees per customer should also be reduced. Labor costs are typically the largest expense in any business. Any thing that can bring those costs down will probably have a big impact on the bottom line.
  So the economics aren't that irrational. Had you bothered to think about it a bit before acting like a spoiled child... you might have realized that. I suspect you're too interested in protecting your ego at this point to actually give the idea a fair hearing. But this is my likely vain attempt to have a rational discussion with you.
  
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16. Re:This is a pointless invention. by lister+king+of+smeg · 2012-03-06 04:32 · Score: 1
  
  i think sending a can of spam in tubes meant to deliver food would be terrorism
  
  --
  ---Saying gnome 3 is better than windows 8 not so much a compliment as it is damning with light praise.
17. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:37 · Score: 1
  
  Jesus listen to you little drama queens.
  I'm not suggesting that the company not make a profit. I'm suggesting that by shifting away from brick and mortar institutions they can make up the difference. So they'll still have a nice profit margin. It's just the consumer will be paying the same price.
  Right now when I buy something in the store, I'm paying for that store and the people that are working in it. If I order the same thing and it is delivered at the same price... then I'm not paying for that store or those people anymore. Instead it's going to the delivery truck and the delivery guy.
  My argument here is that the truck and the guy should be cheaper then the store.
  Maybe I'm wrong... I just think it should be explored more deeply. Someone pointed out that some dotcom companies tried it and died. That may be so but many of those companies were very badly run. It might just need to be tried by a more professional outfit.
  
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18. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  My experience in NY was that everything had a crazy price. My brother was going to university there for a few years. He was ordering his cat food by mail order. That's something you'd never do in Los Angeles. But if you're in a tiny apartment in Manhattan then you do crazy stuff like that.
  Anyway, I hope that and similar businesses take off. I think they're ultimately a better way to get goods to people then the store fronts. Ideally the warehouses and the delivery trucks should be different companies entirely. Sort of the same way newspaper printers work in England. In England, the newspapers and the printing companies that make them every day are different companies. As such small papers can enter the market with very low overhead and compete with larger older papers. In the US most newspapers own their printing presses so its very hard for competing papers to get the same coverage and really compete on an even basis.
  Anyway, it will happen eventually.
  
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  I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
19. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Above · 2012-03-06 04:45 · Score: 1
  
  I used PeaPod (http://www.peapod.com/) when I lived in their service area and was generally happy. IIRC delivery was like $15 if you wanted a specific (and popular) time, but then they discounted the off times so most of the time I paid $5 or $0 for delivery.
  What I always wish they did was have set routes. If they told me "we'll be in your area every Tuesday and give you cheaper delivery as a result" I could have gotten in sync with that for all my regular orders and they wouldn't have had to go all over town every day.
  Unfortunately they aren't in very many areas.
20. Re:This is a pointless invention. by tlhIngan · 2012-03-06 04:52 · Score: 0
  
  Look at Amazon with their no shipping charges on anything over 25 dollars rule.
  You are failing so hard at economics right now it's hard for me to type this right now. Let's be clear on something: The shipping company gets paid. The delivery driver gets paid. The warehouse owner gets paid. And they're all making a profit. And you get whatever you ordered. Amazon is allowed to do stuff like that because they don't pay sales tax, which if you did the math you'd notice sales tax costs more than the "delivery tax" as it were. So basically, you're getting that "free" shipping because you're not paying taxes on what you ordered. But it's not free. And other companes offer "free shipping too". It works like this $price = $price + $shipping cost ...now the shipping is 'magically' free.
  Actually, if you're a grocery store, you can milk extra money from insurance companies to help offset the cost of shipping.
  Think of all the health insurance companies who will kill for information on their clients? And the onine grocery stores will have your name, address, AND what you buy every month from them! (Plus a credit card with billing address if they need to ensure proper correllation).
  "Sorry, we see you've purchased nothing but hot dogs, chips and burgers, and no fruits and veggies. We're going to add a unhealthy diet surcharge to your health insurance premium".
  It's effectively a super-loyalty card - one that you can't pass around to a friend (or swap with a group) and corrupt the marketing/tracking data for. Unless you're in the habit of having to order for your friend and then running around to pick up the groceries.
  I'm sure there will be more than a few insurance companies willing to pay for such information. Heck, it will probably pay for the "free shipping"!
21. Re:This is a pointless invention. by billcopc · 2012-03-06 04:53 · Score: 1
  
  What you describe is FAR too intelligent for the current socio-economic climate. It also shits all over the grocers' thinly veiled upselling schemes, since a big part of the shopping "experience" is walking around a giant store full of tempting edibles, with the most common items intentionally spread out all over the place so you have to walk the entire goddamned store.
  Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if my local megagrocer had:
  - online shopping
  - ideally, 24/7 delivery, but I'd settle for 9am-9pm, in 4 hour blocks.
  - waived delivery fees on orders exceeding some high amount, maybe $80-100, to discourage college twits from ordering a single package of pasta
  That's it. Now bear in mind, that grocer is only three (big suburban) blocks away from my house. I still avoid going, because:
  1. I'm lazy
  2. I don't drive
  3. I'm fucking lazy, I told you
  4. I have better things to do than piss away 90 minutes walking to the store, finding what I want (or not), waiting forever in a checkout line, then waiting for a cab to take all that loot home
  What's funny (read: stupid) is I can already do all of this for beer and liquor. I shit you not, my local independent booze delivery guy has a complete e-commerce site, synced to the liquor store's inventory and price list. The thing even sends me email when there's a promotion on my favorite items. So why the fuck can't a giant like Loblaw do the same ? EVERYONE in the neighbourhood has to eat, right ? Sort those orders by street, load them on a truck and go drop them off en-masse, just like the milkman used to do. Ditch the retail location and huge parking lot, replace it with a tiny convenience store stocked with essentials and munchies, and the fortune saved on premium commercial real-estate can pay for the delivery fleet several times over. Megamarts make sense in dense urban areas, like my old downtown apartment, but here in the suburbs they're just a giant box of fail.
  
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22. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:56 · Score: 1
  
  Exactly. This is how the mail service works and how they used to deliver milk.
  Actually, when I was a baby, my mother had diapers delivered. I'm not ancient this was in the 80s... a guy would come by and drop off cloth diapers and pick up the soiled ones...
  It works because they have routes. Just like the garbage trucks.
  
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23. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Webcommando · 2012-03-06 05:03 · Score: 1
  
  As someone else pointed out, there are companies doing this. One in the Chicago and Mikwaukee areas (and more I imagine) is Peapod.
  I've used them for years and the convenience of putting items on my list (iPad app) as I need them and then one button click to order is great. Having them delivered is even so convenient if you can plan a few days in advance to schedule an order. I might sound like a commercial message but I found they have really excellent produce and meat.
  I know the prices are higher than local market and you do pay for delivery so you have to decide if the trade off of convenience vs. price is worth it.
  
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24. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 05:08 · Score: 0
  
  Are you forgetting Kozmo? Because they thought the same thing. And it turns out they were wrong.
  dom
25. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 05:09 · Score: 0
  
  Not everybody wants to be a hermit, tied to a computer!
26. Re:This is a pointless invention. by timeOday · 2012-03-06 05:10 · Score: 1
  
  You're just being pedantic. Instead of "why can't it be free," read it as, "why isn't it economically viable (i.e. more efficient than the status quo) to..." That's the real question, which you didn't address at all.
  The answer is, there's no intuitive reason, sitting at your desk, to know it wouldn't work. But in the late 90's people thought it would work, and invested millions in getting it going, and still couldn't break even. There is your argument.
  I don't see anything that might have changed the equation since then, unless/until gas rises so high that it actually makes people think twice before driving to the grocery store. (I can't believe that a large truck hitting 30 homes on a route wouldn't be more fuel efficient than 30 SUVs, minivans, and cars going point-to-point).
27. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 05:12 · Score: 1
  
  Well said, my impression of the situation is roughly the same.
  I think they'd also save on labor.
  I often shop at my grocery store late at night. I have odd hours and I'm in there at 2 am sometimes. They store is FULL of people from the warehouse. The people that work at the store don't actually stock it. Men in come in trucks every night, unload pallets of goods, and then run around the store to put everything on the shelves.
  What if every one of those guys rather then stocking the store drove a single truck on a route. that would not only eliminate the cost of the store which is typically five percent or less of total expenses but it would also cut out all the clerks and what not at the store itself. That HAS to save a lot of money and it could very easily be put towards free delivery. Of course have a minimum delivery order to keep people from abusing it. But the savings from nixing the store have to be huge.
  
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28. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 05:15 · Score: 0
  
  Actually what you arguing is (currently):
  $totalprice/unit + $shipping_cost > ($total_cost_of_goods_sold/unit + prorata($labor_costs + $real_estate_cost + $property_taxes + $utilities)) so
  My guess is that girlintraining believes that...
  prorata($labor_costs + $real_estate_cost + $property_taxes + $utilities) > $shipping_cost, ...so the $shipping_cost should be zero.
  In simple terms, the cost of running brick & mortar grocery stores far exceed the cost of shipping 2-3 miles.
  I have heard about some companies (Amazon, Overstock, etc.) that have made this work. Who knows, maybe?
29. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 05:17 · Score: 1
  
  My argument here is that they should be able to charge the SAME price as the store without a delivery fee. They're not paying for a store front and they're not paying for the people that manage the store. I don't see why the delivery trucks if properly managed would cost more then all the brick and mortar overhead combined.
  
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30. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 05:36 · Score: 1
  
  ... I'm imagining some Brazil like pneumatic tube system... Not practical of course but it would actually be awesome.
  Come on... how cool would it be if you could order something and then "thunk" it shows up in your tube! :D
  
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31. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Webcommando · 2012-03-06 06:02 · Score: 1
  
  Sorry if sounded like I was disagreeing. Indeed it would be good if they were able to keep prices similar due to saving on infrastructure (e.g. warehouse cheaper than storefront). I think part of true added cost is the "pickers" employed to package orders and people are accustomed to delivery charges so they can pass the cost along.
  Maybe as more players come in (and not the Webvan kind who could not control their zeal for growth) price will go down. Can alway hope!
  
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32. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 06:42 · Score: 1
  
  Checked the prices... seems like they're higher then the store.
  So... not impressed. They need to hit the store price point without a delivery charge... at least on orders over a reasonable value.
  
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33. Re:This is a pointless invention. by simtel · 2012-03-06 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  You mean like this? http://www.peapod.com/
34. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 06:48 · Score: 1
  
  Not everyone was on computers in the 90s. Most people are today. And as many other people have pointed out in this thread, many large companies are already trying this in pilot programs with success.
  Amazon apparently has a pilot program in Seattle. the prices are still above the grocery store but if they scale up that might come down quiet a bit. Big outlets like Costco have enough volume that they can demand better prices from producers and they tend to pass that on to customers as an inducement to use their service.
  If Amazon or something like them gets big enough they should be able to get better prices and pass them on.
  
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35. Re:This is a pointless invention. by simtel · 2012-03-06 06:59 · Score: 1
  
  I think it's also important to remember that at the moment, customers provide the transport-to-home. This is a non-trivial number of routes that must be serviced, and would take a significant number of drives in order to service in a reasonable timeframe. Perhaps it would be doable if you would accept that you can only receive delivery on specific days (maybe only monday and thursday, for instance, or even just monday in underrepresented markets), but then the brick and mortar stores are needed to provide the incidentals or the last-minute "oh shit, I forgot that" items. Either way, you're going to be paying a delivery charge. The charge could be bundled into the price of the items and averaged out over all the items, sure. But then you start dealing with psychology and "oh, it's cheaper if I drive myself to and buy it. Look, I'll save 10 cents per pound!". Psychology is also in play as people prefer to pick out their own items. Every time they get a banana with a couple brown spots, they'll be wondering if there were better ones that they didn't get. You mentioned a big box to receive deliveries in - I think this is simply not doable in cities when you start considering apartment buildings with 20-400 units in them, simply due to space considerations. Rural areas and suburbs, sure - that could work. tl;dr - I don't see B&M stores going away for a long time.
36. Re:This is a pointless invention. by sootman · 2012-03-06 07:05 · Score: 2
  
  I will say, as nicely as possible, that I'm pretty sure you're still wrong.
  > However, there is an expense in maintaining retail space in the middle of a city.
  OK, so they won't need retail space, but they'll still need a lot of square footage to store all the food. And they need to be somewhat near their customers, no matter what, because the further away they are, the more they'll have to drive.
  > There is an expense to issuing mail coupons.
  So, instead of having a coupon for $2 off a $10 item, you'd rather pay $10 and get "free" delivery? Advertising will always be needed, and with advertising will come coupons.
  > There is an expense to having check out baggers in the store.
  Guess what? The boxes with every single individual order will still need to be packed, until we get to the point where robots can move and pack tomatoes, eggs, and bread without crushing them.
  > There is an expense to having the managers.
  Those box-packers will need managers.
  > there is an expense to send trucks to the store and unload goods.
  How do you think all the food will get to the individual distribution centers in the first place? Costs will go down some if there are more warehouse-type things and fewer stores, but still--those are bulk deliveries to a handful of end nodes, compared to tens of thousands of residential deliveries.
  > I am hoping that by eliminating all of that there is enough savings to pay
  > for the cost of having a truck deliver to the door directly.
  Doubtful, for the reasons described above.
  The reason Amazon can swallow the cost of shipping on $25+ orders is because UPS already has a huge infrastructure in place and because they're shipping non-perishable items. A book or a hard drive can safely sit on your doorstep in the sun for an afternoon. A box of fruits, vegetables, bread, meat, milk, and ice cream? Not so much.
  Plus food delivery has other downsides. Either a) they need to have boxes with ice packs in them (adding expense) or b) they have to deliver at a time when someone is home. So guess what? 80% of customers will want their food around 6-8pm during the week. Which leads to this: you can either hit the store on your way home and unpack as soon as you walk in the door, then go on about your evening, or you can come home from work and kind of idle for an hour or two, not getting into anything too intensive, because at any moment you'll need to hop up and start putting your food away.
  I'm not saying there's no chance that food delivery can be made to work, and that no one would want it... but it's extremely unlikely to happen now at a price people are willing to pay. Even if some problems get solved, new problems will be introduced. If you want today's prices and free delivery, than just plain ain't gonna happen.
  
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37. Re:This is a pointless invention. by girlintraining · 2012-03-06 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  First, you're being exceeding and entirely unnessarily rude
  This isn't acadamia. This..... IS... SLAAAAASHDOT!
  
  Rather then appear superior,
  Than.
  
  this sort of behavior makes you appear childish.
  
  Yes, but I'm in good company.
  
  Second, obviously people get paid.
  Not to everyone.
  
  There is an expense to issuing mail coupons. There is an expense to having check out baggers in the store. There is an expense to having the managers. there is an expense to send trucks to the store and unload goods.
  You're complaining about me being obvious so... you're being obvious back to make a point about being obvious?
  
  I am hoping that by eliminating all of that there is enough savings to pay for the cost of having a truck deliver to the door directly.
  
  I've found hope to not be an effective business strategy. Better to look at the current examples of that type of business and then note their success rate: Very low. That tells me the margins are very small. Smaller, even, than those grocery stores you believe are antiquidated.
  
  Had you bothered to think about it a bit before acting like a spoiled child...
  Oh, I thought about it: I thought you were a prick and I wanted to have some fun at your expense while making a solid point about economics and how many people on slashdot think they've got an idea for the Next Big Thing. To date, nobody on has posted a comment on slashdot and then later went on to make a million dollars off of the plan outlined therein.
  
  I suspect you're too interested in protecting your ego at this point...
  Nah, I'm just bored. You're the one writing a lengthy 10 paragraph rant which you spell-checked, previewed 10 times, and then smiled before clicking send.. unlike your initial post which was riddled with spelling and logic errors. As for me... ah well... *click*
  
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38. Re:This is a pointless invention. by CCarrot · 2012-03-06 07:29 · Score: 1
  
  If they want to impress me, then find a way to let me order groceries from home to be delivered at my home at no additional charge.
  I have an alternate proposal for you: how about a simple pick-up service? The customer places the order and pays for it online, the store then pulls the items and puts them aside. One quick run to the store, no messing with aisle strolling or lineups or trying to keep the kids from grabbing every shiny thing in sight while hunting for asagio cheese, just pick up your pre-packaged order and head on home.
  If you don't want to deal with people at all, they could run something like a postal box service (with a bit bigger boxes, of course) where the groceries are loaded in from the inside of the store, then you come along with your key (or pincode or whatever), open the box from the outside and retrieve your groceries. They could even have different sized boxes based on what you order: 1' by 1' for your basic milk and eggs, 2' by 3' for small family grocery orders, etc. When you submit your order online, it calculates the size required and assigns you a box number(s) for pickup. You simply use your own pre-shared pincode or keyfob or whatever to open that box (or boxes) and get your stuff on the way home from work...
  Just some ideas. We're never home for deliveries, unless it's evening or weekend delivery (riiight, like they'd ever offer that), so such a system would meet our needs much better than delivery, while keeping the benefits and probably cutting costs for the storeowners. True, it would be hell on impulse purchasing, but think of the time saved...
  
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39. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Mista2 · 2012-03-06 08:48 · Score: 1
  
  And then there is getting produce to the stores. Why not have the warehouses out by the farms? Then fresh produce can be grown and delivers locally 8)
40. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Mista2 · 2012-03-06 08:52 · Score: 1
  
  But also remember the big supermarkets are the draw card that brings people to the mall and provides a lot of foot traffic to the food courts, cafes and other smaller single purpose shops that operate in the region of a supermarket. The only problem is when Walmart moves in too, then the smaller shops disappear.
41. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 09:49 · Score: 0
  
  So then we'd be dependent on our ISP to be able to eat? Really, grocery stores also exist for convenience. Convenience stores aren't. Your model forces different shopping habits of everyone like me who just shops the day of the meal, and doesn't subsist entirely on frozen dinners.
  Besides, it's clear you've never heard of Webvan (or Peapod, or ...). Pretty much the same business model you describe, but colossal failures during the dot com boom (10 digits of failure!). BTW, interesting to note that Webvan was started by Louis Borders (yes, THAT Borders). Failed in dot com, eventually failed in brick and mortar too.
42. Re:This is a pointless invention. by timeOday · 2012-03-06 11:00 · Score: 1
  
  Now that you mention it, computers are even more pervasive now - particularly smartphones. An app to quickly add an item to your 'basket' for your next delivery, without going and sitting down at the computer, would make it more convenient than it used to be. "Siri, add peanut butter to my grocery cart."
43. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 11:41 · Score: 1
  
  It would be better then nothing but not much better.
  As to not being home... I anticipate there being some means of leaving it at your home. Furthermore, if it comes on a scheduel every week or a couple times a week then you could be expected to make ONE or two appointments a week? Just have it come at a time when you will always be home for it. if that isn't possible then again, there should be a means for simply leaving it there without damaging anything. Something like a large specialized mail box. You have to think of people "just doing things" this way. In the same way we have drive ways to accommodate our cars or mail boxes or cat doors. We add stuff like this all the time as needed.
  If you have an apartment or condo complex it would be no big deal to either task the doorman with watching it or having a special compartment like the mail nooks for groseries.
  
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44. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 11:51 · Score: 1
  
  I've covered all of that.
  Deliveries would probably have to be limited to certain days every week depending on neighborhood. So one street might be mondays and thursdays. And another street might be Wednesdays and Fridays.
  As to rush deliveries convenience stores will still exist and the system will deliver at any time day or night for an extra service charge. But if you want to avoid the service charge you'll keep your orders to the schedule.
  
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45. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  As to squarefootage to store the food... no they won't. The grosery stores already have warehouse space they use to supply their stores. Why would you need to double that? Simply use what you already have. Only instead of sending the trucks to the store they get sent to people's homes.
  As to coupons, I didn't say they wouldn't have coupons just that they wouldn't be printed. They'd be on the website which only costs the company money if people use them. But a paper coupon cost a lot of money. Do you know what it costs to print 10 million coupons a week? Think about it. This is a non-trivial sum.
  As to the baggage people... the warehouses already employ a large staff that could be do both tasks. You'll probably have to hire more but it should be less then the number needed to at all those stores.
  One of the nice things about an environment where there are no customers is that a company can be radically more efficient because everyone knows what they're doing. Customers screw around and waste time. Everyone has to wait for them to make up their minds. Now the computer does that and the people are kept in an environment where everyone is an expert and everyone knows what they need to do. There is no waiting so everyone is more productive.
  As to the perishable aspect... pack it in ice and let the customer know digitally when the delivery will arrive. The company should be able to know... they have gps on the trucks, they know where peoples' homes are, they can statistically estimate the rate at which orders are unloaded, they know how many orders are between point A and B, and they know the exact route the truck will take. Delivery time baring accidents or road work should be something that can be estimated with some accuracy. At least give people an hour heads up so they know it's in the pipe.
  
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46. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 19:38 · Score: 1
  
  Warehouses are frequently by farms already. But the freshest produce is loaded onto refrigerated trucks FROM the field and then from there shipped to the cities.
  
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47. Re:This is a pointless invention. by CCarrot · 2012-03-07 04:08 · Score: 1
  
  It would be better then nothing but not much better.
  As to not being home... I anticipate there being some means of leaving it at your home. Furthermore, if it comes on a scheduel every week or a couple times a week then you could be expected to make ONE or two appointments a week? Just have it come at a time when you will always be home for it. if that isn't possible then again, there should be a means for simply leaving it there without damaging anything. Something like a large specialized mail box. You have to think of people "just doing things" this way. In the same way we have drive ways to accommodate our cars or mail boxes or cat doors. We add stuff like this all the time as needed.
  If you have an apartment or condo complex it would be no big deal to either task the doorman with watching it or having a special compartment like the mail nooks for groseries.
  I guess my point is, delivery times are rarely available outside 'working hours', which are so named because...well, people are usually busy working in them. It's always been frustrating to me when ordering online, even more so since most carriers won't let you request that they hold it at their depot for pickup until they've tried to deliver it a couple of times and failed...it always adds a day or two onto my delivery times, completely unnecessarily.
  I suppose something could be set up for home drop-off services, but it would be very fun trying to make it secure. I guess one could use a universal-key / unique key system like letter carriers do, that would work, as long as you order all your groceries from one supplier and never switch (?Unless you're thinking that the Post Office will take care of deliveries?) Or perhaps a 'drop' system, where the delivery person puts the groceries on some sort of slide, it slides into your house out of reach of casual thieves, and retrievable by you once you get home. Thing is, one would have to make the opening secure against entry by kids or small animals (I can just see the neighborhood brat throwing a live squirrel in there for fun). Having it slide into a sealed box inside the house would do, although it wouldn't protect your groceries from the squirrel :) I like that idea, it would also work for other parcels...hmm...
  I do remember that my parent's house used to have a 'milk door' around back: the milkman could open the outside doors and drop off the milk, then whomever was home could unlock and open the inside doors to pick it up. My parents never used it, they just stuffed it with insulation and nailed it shut, but I wonder how well it worked when people did use it?
  
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48. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Karmashock · 2012-03-07 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  You get the idea... I'm only arguing that logistically and economically it's probably more efficient which means it's something we could do right now if people were willing to commit to it.
  We'll see... I think it's the future.
  Actually, what I think will happen is that a robot delivery truck will drop your goods off and a personal robot will pick the goods up off the curb and put them away. That might be 30 years off but we already have trucks that can drive themselves. How long until all of that can be automated?
  You can tell your refrigerator what to stock and it will keep tabs on everything in it's inventory. When stocks become low of certain goods... and there will be sensors in your pantry as well... then an order will be placed. A delivery truck that has a route in the area will drop off the goods on your curb and send a ping to the house system. The house system will dispatch a robotic mover that will go out and grab the standardized delivery box. And that will then be brought inside and opened where upon a manipulator arm will take the goods out, sort them, and put them away.
  That is more or less how I see things working in the future.
  
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49. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Max_W · 2012-03-08 01:47 · Score: 1
  
  It is really funny... Ha-ha...
50. Re:This is a pointless invention. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-09 02:45 · Score: 0
  
  On the same note: I had an old friend who used to sell ice cream from a truck in the summer holidays from uni. He and his brother actually. They had a fantastic business because of their slogan "Popsicle Pete don't charge no tax!" The kids liined up to buy from "Pete" because you got exactly the price you saw on the board, no extra tax! Of course all they did was add in a generic/average tax amount which covered their sales (plus a little extra for creativity of course) and they had a prosperous summer every year. Covered their pot costs anyway;)
grocery store games... by mevets · 2012-03-06 03:42 · Score: 1

I love it!
Would I be able to convince one to break away from its leader and follow me instead?
I imagine an improv jesus + disciples thing; complete with loaves and fishes.
It adds a whole new dimension to the kids grocery store experience.
Something like this, please by ThatsNotPudding · 2012-03-06 03:43 · Score: 1

It has always struck me as such a waste of time and effort to place items in a shopping cart only to have to take them out to scan them, and put them right back in. If we could have them 'pre-scanned' when placed in the cart, leaving only a final review and payment, we could put the items in our own bags from the get go. I can only assume this still hasn't come to pass for the fear of shoplifters and bar code fakery.
1. Re:Something like this, please by rfuilrez · 2012-03-06 04:13 · Score: 1
  
  I I've seen this exact thing at the Dominicks food chain here in chicagoland. When you walk in the store there are mobile scanners you can grab. Scan as you go. On your way out you put it in a docking station and pay for it. Done.
  Admittedly i never used it as I Always preferred the Jewel-Osco chain. I dont know if all of them have this or if it was just the one where i used to live.
2. Re:Something like this, please by Skater · 2012-03-06 04:16 · Score: 1
  
  It has always struck me as such a waste of time and effort to place items in a shopping cart only to have to take them out to scan them, and put them right back in. If we could have them 'pre-scanned' when placed in the cart, leaving only a final review and payment, we could put the items in our own bags from the get go. I can only assume this still hasn't come to pass for the fear of shoplifters and bar code fakery.
  We've had it for years at my local grocery store. We usually don't use the system, but we will when the store is incredibly busy. We get a hand scanner to walk around with, and the carts have a holster for it. Just scan the item, put it in a bag in the cart, and then run through the register quickly to actually pay without removing anything from the cart. It also occasionally gives coupons. It works pretty well. My only issue with it is that it's hard to bag things efficiently when they come in one at a time - it's much easier to have all of the boxed items together for bagging, etc. This is somewhat alleviated by having multiple bags open in the cart at once.
3. Re:Something like this, please by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:21 · Score: 2
  
  Stop and Shop in Boston does this already. You need a loyalty card and it relies on a handheld barcode scanner instead of a Kinect in your cart, but it's great.
  
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No thanks, have two of these helpers already. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:45 · Score: 0

That is why I have kids. They can even help track the grocery list.
Although a semi-autonomous grocery cart is probably less likely to sneak a box of cookies or crackers into the cart.
Why walk the isles at all? by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 03:46 · Score: 4, Interesting

Without much more difficulty they could automate the whole process:
1) voice recognition or remote interaction with the cart. - The shopper reads their grocery list to the cart and it goes on it's way. Your cart doesn't need to worry about colliding with people so it's free to move much faster on pre-programmed routes.
shopper: "Kellog's flakes"
cart: "Returns three results. Frosted, unfrosted, and with raisins. Please state preference"
or
cart: "Our Great Values store brand costs 20% less. If you were to buy store equivalents today you would save $27.00 total."
The store apps for android and iphone are mostly spamware right now, but you could turn them into automated shopping cart list builders.
2) Shelves use automation to load items onto the cart in a hands free process. Delicate items are loaded in a dedicated area by store staff.
Shoppers wait in the front of the store in an expanded deli area. No checkout, just swipe your credit card and out the door. No more navigating around idiots in scooters. No more shoplifting. No more congested isles.
1. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by glop · 2012-03-06 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  Walking the aisles means you are exposed to advertising by looking at the packaging of all the other items you didn't want in the first place.
  That sounds like a feature that the stores would want to keep for as long as they can, no?
2. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 03:58 · Score: 1
  
  You can replace the upsell and cross-sell at the application or kiosk level. People will still find a way to impulse buy.
  There are section of any store that would not be desirable to automate - Buying shoes or clothes for instance. But now a store can focus better on where to place it's staff to assist consumers and secure inventory.
3. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:07 · Score: 0
  
  This pretty much already happens in the UK.
  Tesco has cutomerless supermarkets in high density areas with a high demand for online shopping. Everything is pretty much automated.
4. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by Eponymous+Hero · 2012-03-06 04:28 · Score: 1
  
  have each one accompanied by a tag-along camera-equipped rc helicopt **cough**cough** i mean UAV that i can play with and maybe occassionally use to actually compare products the cart is getting. i can't hit on that hot chick stuck in the deli with me if i have to constantly go through an automated menu system for what to do when the store is out of my stuff. also, can we make that deli dimly lit?
  
  --
  insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
5. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by wesleywatson · 2012-03-06 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  Without much more difficulty they could automate the whole process:
  ...
  Shoppers wait in the front of the store in an expanded deli area. No checkout, just swipe your credit card and out the door. No more navigating around idiots in scooters. No more shoplifting. No more congested isles.
  This won't happen. Stores put in a lot of work to their layout and design in order to get you to walk around. That's how they get you to browse their inventory and buy things you didn't think you needed. These may be inefficiencies to you, but it's profit to the stores, and would be suicide for them to change. You're thinking of some future, automated factory-store that wouldn't really be economically viable for people just picking up a handful of products.
6. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 06:14 · Score: 1
  
  Correct. This would not be a mom and pop business model. Even a store like Walmart would not deploy such a thing across it's entire floor. But there are sections of the store (the grocery isles) where it would make sense.
  The trade off and benefit to the store is with no customers in the isles they would be free to stock items all the way to the ceiling without fear of items falling and injuring shoppers. This doubles or triples floor and shelf space. A robot cart could use scissor lifts to elevate itself to the highest shelves. This means they could have MORE inventory and more brands. More brands and selection is a selling point customers will appreciate.
  A Robot cart goes to the front of the store where the basket portion separates and be attached to more conventional cart wheels so you may wheel your items to your car. Then robot section gets a new basket and goes back to work.
7. Re:Why walk the isles at all? by CCarrot · 2012-03-06 07:49 · Score: 1
  
  Without much more difficulty they could automate the whole process:
  ...
  Shoppers wait in the front of the store in an expanded deli area. No checkout, just swipe your credit card and out the door. No more navigating around idiots in scooters. No more shoplifting. No more congested isles.
  This won't happen. Stores put in a lot of work to their layout and design in order to get you to walk around. That's how they get you to browse their inventory and buy things you didn't think you needed. These may be inefficiencies to you, but it's profit to the stores, and would be suicide for them to change. You're thinking of some future, automated factory-store that wouldn't really be economically viable for people just picking up a handful of products.
  So do Brick & Mortar book and music stores. I guess by your logic, any online rival to these would be doomed as well, wouldn't they? Oh, wait...
  True, this is talking about perishable and difficult to mail items, not relatively tough and compact items like books and cds. But if they can make it worthwhile by getting enough customer buy-in in an area, you just bet an online grocery store with free or cheap delivery would be highly competitive. In fact, in a population-dense area like NYC, it could probably out-perform any B&M grocery stores fairly handily, once people tried it and spread the word. No more trying to get a cab for that big grocery run, or trying to keep your eggs from getting crushed on the subway...
  The tricky part would be arranging delivery while someone is home, so timely evening and weekend delivery options would be a must.
  
  --
  "I love animals! Some are cute, others are tasty, what's not to like?" - Betsy Schroeder, Jeopardy contestant
Geee, thanks... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:49 · Score: 1

just take the last reason my girlfriend need's me...
You have that completely backwards by pavon · 2012-03-06 03:52 · Score: 2

Whole foods has the most narrow isles and crowded stores of any grocery I have been to. At first I thought it was just the particular store I was at, but then visited one across the country and it had the exact same layout and spacing. I hate being in that place, even with just a basket. I can't imagine having to use a cart in there, but I only ever go to pick up a couple things that aren't in other groceries.
1. Re:You have that completely backwards by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:04 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  It really depends on the store. The original Whole Foods in New Orleans was, as we all used to joke, like shopping with 50 of your closest friends in a closet (It was by far the smallest non-family-owned grocery store I've every been in, even the A&P in the French Quarter was larger). When they built the new one uptown it was much more open and nicer. Now that I'm in the Boston area, the ones in Cambridge (near Mass Ave) and Woburn are definitely smallish and occasionally uncomfortable, the other one in Cambridge (near Alewife) and the one in Dedham are great though. As much or more room than any normal grocery store. I think a lot depends on age and location. The earliest ones were built where ever they could get the cheapest rent, as time went on 9and profits went up) they went to the medium sized stores for smaller markets or already served areas, and actually large nice store for flagship locations.
  
  --
  I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
2. Re:You have that completely backwards by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:10 · Score: 0
  
  If Aldi is good at anything, it's reducing overhead. Narrow aisles means more usable floorspace.
3. Re:You have that completely backwards by ArsenneLupin · 2012-03-06 04:13 · Score: 0
  
  like shopping with 50 of your closest friends in a closet
  Wow, that must be quite a bang! But to "do it" with 49 guys at once, I'd imagine you'd have to be quite self-confident, no? so why are y'all still in the closet?
4. Re:You have that completely backwards by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:37 · Score: 0
  
  You really, really had to stretch for that one didn't you, I mean other than the word "closet" there's absolutely no support for your joke in the whole post.
  
  --
  I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
5. Re:You have that completely backwards by SpeZek · 2012-03-06 04:43 · Score: 2
  
  You really, really had to stretch for that one didn't you
  I bet he did.
6. Re:You have that completely backwards by ArsenneLupin · 2012-03-06 04:47 · Score: 2
  
  You really, really had to stretch for that one didn't you,
  You mean, like that famous chap from the Christmas Islands? Indeed, he can stretch it wide enough to drive an entire Whole Foods robotic shopping cart through it!
7. Re:You have that completely backwards by 4521red · 2012-03-08 04:10 · Score: 1
  
  Actually the original Whole Foods was in Austin...
invalid item in bagging area by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 03:57 · Score: 0

invalid item in bagging area remove idea and try again.
What will happen in real life by UnknowingFool · 2012-03-06 04:00 · Score: 1

I can see it now for the average Slashdotter:
"Dave, that candy is empty calories. I can't let you have it."
"Who the hell are you to tell me what I can't have? You answer to me--"
"I answer to your wife and she expects you home any minute. Don't make me tell on you."
Who am I kidding? For the average Slashdotter replace "wife" with "mom" and "home" with "basement".

--
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
1. Re:What will happen in real life by SleazyRidr · 2012-03-06 07:17 · Score: 1
  
  "I answer to your Mom, and she expects you basement any minute."
  That doesn't make any sense.
  
  --
  Is 1563649 a prime number?
Wobbly wheel by need4mospd · 2012-03-06 04:08 · Score: 4, Funny

Even with these automated carts, I'll still get the one that pulls to the left and sounds like a hyena got caught in the wheel.
1. Re:Wobbly wheel by Jason+Levine · 2012-03-06 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  No, with these fancy automated carts, you'll get the one with the faulty scanner that makes you stop every 2 feet, turn around, and wave to it so it can find you again.
  Ahhh, the wonders of technology!
  
  --
  My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
You *NEED* Taste-T-O's... by Frosty+Piss · 2012-03-06 04:09 · Score: 1

Joy, great joy! Another damned monitor [almost] no one needs ...
I'm sure it will make subtile brand suggestions at the direction of Marketing...

--
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Let me impress you by Errol+backfiring · 2012-03-06 04:12 · Score: 1

That invention is called a vegetable garden.

--
Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
Swarm Theory by jdkc4d · 2012-03-06 04:15 · Score: 1

So for their next trick, add some swarm theory in there so the carts bring themselves in from the parking lot.
Amazon Prime and Peapod by Tekfactory · 2012-03-06 04:18 · Score: 2

I live in the DC area, one of our local grocery chains has a service called Peapod, they use UPS style delivery trucks to deliver your order. The tractor trailer trucks that deliver from the warehouse to the store will not work for residential delivery.
Harris Teeter has a service where they pick your order and leave it in a refrigerator at the front of the store you park at the entrance and load up your groceries.
As an Amazon prime subscriber, I get 'free' shipping on almost everything from Amazon, however they have ONLY warehouses and no showrooms. Prime is $72 a year, I get 'free' shipping on almost everything, if I order 20 items a year its about break even, plus Prime subscribers get access to some of Amazon's Video on Demand catalog for 'free'. Where 'free' is $72 a year.
I have been trying to get my wife to try Peapod or the Harris Teeter service for a long time now. She is very picky about things like produce, I expect we can get those exclusively from our farmer's market, or she can just shop for the produce and have the rest delivered.
IF this model took off, look for a Trader Joes or Aldi sized store to sell 20% of the things that people don't want picked for them, and 80% of the things they need being delivered.
If such a service took off, people wouldn't need such big cars to transport their groceries in. In the DC area a lot of folks don't have cars anyhow and mostly get by with Public Transportation, not a lot by European standards, but a lot for a US city.
Oddly enough in a throwback to a bygone era, we started having Milk delivered about 2 months ago. The milk is from a dairy that shows up at our farmer's market, and they deliver once a week for a $3 delivery charge.
These options are out there, they might not be in your area, but they exist.
1. Re:Amazon Prime and Peapod by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 04:50 · Score: 1
  
  Obviously this is going to start in big cities first. I live in Los angeles... not a dense city but a large one.
  As to Amazon prime... if you focus on Super Saver orders and try to order in 25 dollar chunks then you can get zero shipping charges without amazon prime.
  I order lots of stuff from amazon all the time and almost never pay shipping.
  
  --
  I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
2. Re:Amazon Prime and Peapod by DrgnDancer · 2012-03-06 04:51 · Score: 1
  
  My wife spent a year in Boston before I got a job up here; and she broke her leg while up here alone. She made use of Peapod wile incapacitated. She has a generally favorable impression of the service, but still prefers to just go to the store now that she's mobile. Food is one of those things that I don't think the majority of people will ever want delivered as a matter of preference. Picking out the meat and produce that you want (as in the particular pieces rather than just type and cut), being able to be reminded that you need toilet paper by walking by it, even the impulse purchases, are all things that people like. For special situations (my wife's broken leg) or particular people (guys like the OP who can't be bothered), Peapod and similar are definitely nice to have, but at least for the foreseeable future I think most people will prefer to go to the store most of the time.
  
  --
  I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.
Great by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:18 · Score: 0

Maybe now I don't have to have the anxiety of people slamming their cart into my backside while I am moving 1 ft a minute behind that old fat woman who can't even walk/waddle. And don't get me started about the clueless people who stop randomly in the middle of an aisle and block everyone who needs to get through. Shopping in the store is an extremely anxiety-ridden experience for me, so I welcome this new innovation. Right now, the only other alternative is grocery shopping online, and I've had experiences where you don't know what you're going to get using that method.
Doctor Who by IwantToKeepAnon · 2012-03-06 04:23 · Score: 1

Be careful these smart carts don't get angry and need to destroy all inferior carts in the universe. I can just see a smart cart chasing an "old-fashioned" cart across the parking lot screaming Exterminate! Exterminate!

--
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." -- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
1. Re:Doctor Who by eternaldoctorwho · 2012-03-06 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  "PURCHASE....ALL......SALE....ITEMS! OBEY!!!"
  "WE...ARE...THE....SUPREME....SHOPPERS!"
  "ALL....CLEARANCE....PRODUCTS.....MUST...GO! EXTERMINATE!!!"
  *knocks over a display stand* "CLEANUP.....ON....AISLE....FIIIIIVE!"
  "WOULD...YOU...LIKE...PAPER...OR...PLASTIC??!!! YOU....WILL...CHOOSE....NOOOOOW!!"
  
  (Seriously, I can come up with these all day, this is fun)
2. Re:Doctor Who by IwantToKeepAnon · 2012-03-06 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  Good thing most grocery stores are 1 level only and on the ground floor.
  
  --
  "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." -- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
3. Re:Doctor Who by Picass0 · 2012-03-06 07:33 · Score: 1
  
  You have rogue coupons. They are incompatible. Coupons will be punished with maximum deletion. Delete! Delete! Delete!
Beware. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:27 · Score: 0

This product will intentionally stalk you, your kids, your dog..
noooo by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 04:29 · Score: 0

Because god forbid we push a cart... I mean really? While impressive, this seems like it would never be cost effective. Oh damn my kinect broke, guess ill just go to walmart and steal a shopping cart.
Does it sound like GLaDOS? by Zaatxe · 2012-03-06 04:31 · Score: 1

Or is it just me?

--
So say we all
1. Re:Does it sound like GLaDOS? by cyclomedia · 2012-03-06 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  more like The Luggage
  
  --
  If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
Here in Boulder... by Reasonable+Facsimile · 2012-03-06 04:40 · Score: 0
Cart detects the following items in the cart:
- Doritos
- Spray cheese
- Ding Dongs
Then issues the following message, "Based on your cart's contents, you're probably high. Can I recommend Visine, too? It's located in Aisle Seven."
The greatest homeless innovation of all time... by gestalt_n_pepper · 2012-03-06 04:40 · Score: 1

Until the battery runs out, or they get pissy and don't let the carts out to play in traffic.

--
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
That's just phase 1. by forkfail · 2012-03-06 04:50 · Score: 1

Phase 2 is when we follow our new, well welcomed robot overlords around. And I for one welcome them.

--
Check your premises.
Done before by Animats · 2012-03-06 04:51 · Score: 1

A supermarket in Japan tried that back in 1985. It's in the book "The Best of Japan 1985". It wasn't a commercial success.
Personality by hackertourist · 2012-03-06 05:25 · Score: 1

The first thing I thought of was this Calvin&Hobbes cartoon
I have this now... by Jason+Levine · 2012-03-06 05:36 · Score: 1

I have this now and I don't need no stickin' Kinect. I just have my child push the cart and it "magically" follows me. Ok, sometimes it veers off a bit towards the toy aisle, but that's a bug I can live with.

--
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
Zic Zak! Zic Zak! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 05:46 · Score: 0

Obey the future
Droid-cart? by phorm · 2012-03-06 05:48 · Score: 1

I want one that looks like R2D2!
Would it be fun to have one of those following you around.
How 'bout... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 06:02 · Score: 0

"Overrated"?
1. Re:How 'bout... by tehcyder · 2012-03-06 22:13 · Score: 1
  
  The "overrated" mod is just used when someone disagrees with or doesn't like the ideas behind a post, but can't in all conscience call it a troll or flamebait.
  
  It's a bit blatant using "off topic" too, considering that at least half of comments contain something not directly related to the story.
  
  --
  To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
2. Re:How 'bout... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-08 01:28 · Score: 0
  
  No, "Overrated" is not and should not be a "Disagree" mod. It has nothing to do with troll or flamebait.
  Overrated should only be used when someone thinks a post is useless and contributes nothing to the discussion, but can't in all conscience call it offtopic or redundant. And IMHO it should really only be permitted to negate the user's good-karma bonus. It should be impossible to mod a post "Overrated" if it's not scored at 2 or above.
  Oh, and I almost forgot... Overrated should not be a negative-karma mod when it is reversing a +1 Funny mod. "-1 Not Funny" shouldn't cause you to lose karma.
Tenser's Floating Disk by Experiment+626 · 2012-03-06 06:24 · Score: 1

Now that the cart follows you around and carries your stuff, they just need to get it to hover off the ground and technology will have caught up with first level mage spells.
Problem is by ThatsNotPudding · 2012-03-06 06:44 · Score: 1

if the grocery chains stuck to their current policies, the delivery folks wouldn't be paid dick, nor would they be full time (to avoid paying them any benefits including health insurance). But now they know where all the well-healed folks in town live - and when they won't be home, or are home... alone.
1. Re:Problem is by Karmashock · 2012-03-06 12:08 · Score: 1
  
  I don't really care about the endless and completely stupid labor disputes.
  Work for the company or don't. No one forces you to take that job. If the job sucks then quit. If enough people just quit the company would have to offer better wages. Who tries to make a career out of bagging groceries? It's a job teenagers do... spare us the living wage mantra.
  
  --
  I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
The sales angle by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 08:13 · Score: 0

No doubt the robo-carts will be programmed to make sales pitches and slow down near the higher priced items. I'm sure they will build in shopper identification systems to carefully craft the conversation pitch toward your preferences.
"Sir, I notice you just put a six-pack of beer inside the cart. Would you like to add some extra-large bag of tasty tostitos and a large bottle of picante sause? If you get a 24-pack case, you'll save an extra $.50!"
Just what we need... ugh.
And if you are wearing ... by PPH · 2012-03-06 09:46 · Score: 1

... three coats it will follow you out the door, down the street and into the alley to the dumpsters. Where the pickings for empties are good.

--
Have gnu, will travel.
Human nature by jcohen · 2012-03-06 12:32 · Score: 1

I wouldn't be surprised if some people took the cart outside, drove away with the Kinect and the tablet, and left the groceries.

--
"Imaginary solutions to real problems."
Half the story by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 15:20 · Score: 0

What happens when the customer wants to leave the shop. Not so bad in a mall but sooner or later the goods have to brave the open skies and the dangers of the car park. I don't think shops will want their new tech playing dodgems with 1 tonne motor vehicles. And there will need to be a deposit on the cart so it is returned to the charging dock and not stolen by the homeless or vandalised.
Misplaced Scanner by Kojow777 · 2012-03-06 16:45 · Score: 0

Why the heck is the scanner on the bottom of the cart? What if someone wants to fill up their cart? With the way it is now, the person can only put a handful of items in their cart. In that case, they should have just grabbed a basket instead.
Board of Awesomeness? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-03-06 22:46 · Score: 0

Board of Wank, more like.

Why can't those bearded hipsters/hippies do something useful like cut their hair and join the Army?