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Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: September 23rd, 2021, 2:10 pm
by BillyGr
storewanderer wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2021, 10:52 pm
mbz321 wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2021, 7:26 pm
And just another update, the carts have issues when you try to add 'by the pound' produce. I tried to buy a couple onions last night and the whole cart 'crashed'! The staff didn't really seem to have a clue how to fix it so they just didn't charge me for them. And I only bothered to try again as they again put out another $10 off $20 coupon (and not a unique code either, just a generic QR that anyone can use). And..they put a paper coupon in my bag for the following week (not as valuable though). Not sure if this is 'normal', or business has been lower than anticipated. I've still noticed a lot of out-of-stocks and very close-dated items in dairy.
With this model I think the produce needs to be sold by the piece, across the board. It is lousy for size variation produce but Trader Joe's makes 100% by the piece produce work and this format needs to figure it out too.
As does Target (not that they have too much produce in their stores, at least not the upgraded regular ones around here, but there is some). I suspect that was to avoid having to put scales at the checkouts.
Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: September 23rd, 2021, 8:45 pm
by mbz321
storewanderer wrote: ↑September 22nd, 2021, 10:52 pm
I can only imagine how this works at Whole Foods who sells so many things by the pound. Things other stores do not sell by the pound. Bakery cookies, bars of soap, etc. Plus all that prepared food. How can they tell if that is a cup of soup at unit price per cup or a cup of pasta from the by the pound bar? Also how can this thing tell an Organic produce from a non-Organic (must be really good at seeing the sticker?).
I don't know about Whole Foods, but these Amazon carts can't tell the difference between organic and non for 'loose' items. It's on the honor system to enter the correct PLU. Thinking about it now, I probably could have weighed the onions on the produce scale that prints a bar code, then passed that into the Dash cart, but there was no indication anywhere that had to be done, nor was that suggested to me.
Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: September 23rd, 2021, 11:42 pm
by storewanderer
mbz321 wrote: ↑September 23rd, 2021, 8:45 pm
I don't know about Whole Foods, but these Amazon carts can't tell the difference between organic and non for 'loose' items. It's on the honor system to enter the correct PLU. Thinking about it now, I probably could have weighed the onions on the produce scale that prints a bar code, then passed that into the Dash cart, but there was no indication anywhere that had to be done, nor was that suggested to me.
I have seen that at some stores that they offer a scale for you to weigh produce and get a sticker. Or for bulk foods I have seen that as well. I guess it would work... just seems like extra work.
On the Scan Bag Go at Kroger, to do produce, once you select your produce, you have to go to a designated scale in produce (no printer) and scan a bar code at the scale, then scan/enter PLU for the produce on the Scan Bag Go handheld device, then put it on the scale to get it to register in your transaction.
Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: September 24th, 2021, 9:45 am
by Brian Lutz
I know Top Foods (Haggen) stores had self service scales in the bulk department to weigh and print tags way back in the late Nineties, so this would be nothing new. Winco (and I believe also Fred Meyer pre-COVID, last time I checked bulk foods still hadn't been reinstated at the one here) still rely on having customers write the PLU on the twist tie. I assume the setup would be the same as a standard deli scale.
Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: February 24th, 2022, 1:24 pm
by Brian Lutz
https://www.businessinsider.com/whole-f ... ing-2022-2
The first of these cashierless Whole Foods stores has opened in Washington DC. It's a small store by typical Whole Foods standards (21,500 square feet) and does also offer a self checkout option as well for people who do not wish to use the Just Walk Out technology.
Re: Whole Foods No Cashiers
Posted: February 24th, 2022, 3:26 pm
by buckguy
This is a reopening of an existing store that had been closed for several years because of a vermin (which led to the closure) and a dispute with the landlord.
I'll be curious how it does because that area includes a lot of people who aren't tech savvy and even with staffed cash registers might not care for the set-up.