Today was shaping up to be a blogless day...until I went to the grocery store. (On a side note: yes, I already went to the store this week, but I forgot to add the ingredients for the hopefully delicious "Vegetable Pie" which I am preparing for dinner, to my list. And to further the side note: I wrote up a new list for the pie, and left it on the table while I traveled to the store. One last side note: I actually managed to remember all the ingredients!)As I sauntered up to the shopping carts, I noticed a little holder that was added to the left side of each cart. What could this be for? Flowers? I looked questioningly at the lady next to me, but she seemed totally unaware of the change. I decide, like her, to ignore it and go about my business. But, as soon as I entered the store, the question was answered. They have scanners available before you begin shopping! How cool! You simply scan your "Giant" shoppers card, and one of the scanners along the wall lights up. You remove your scanner, and take some shopping bags (or your own re-usable bags) to begin shopping. As you shop, you scan each item, and put it right into your shopping bag. It tells you the price, and the total of your order, which is useful for those on a budget, and allows you to remove the item if you like. It also dings occasionally and tells you about various sales happening all over the store, which is useful to...well, not to me.
When you get to the checkout line, you can do a standard "self-checkout", only all you do is pay. No more scanning required!
One question though - what is to stop you from just putting items in your bag without scanning? I was tempted to try it, for the sake of science, but I chickened out. I would not want to be banned from such a cool shopping experience after day one.
