'Paper' or 'plastic' is now 'computer' or 'cashier'

The Christian Science Monitor ^ | April 19, 2004 | Marie Ewald

[Aliska]

Morena Michelangelo shops for food in reverse. When she enters her local Stop & Shop supermarket in Quincy, Mass., she meticulously unfolds and lines up six brown bags along the bottom of her shopping cart. And even though she has plenty more groceries to buy, she rings up and bags her chips and soda.

Rather than a backward shopper, Ms. Michelangelo considers herself a progressive one. She uses new technology - a mobile computer and bar-code scanner - that she plucks from a rack and attaches to her shopping cart. It allows her to find, ring up, and bag her groceries as she navigates the aisles. For Michelangelo, the lines, clerks, and "Have a nice day," once intrinsic to grocery shopping, have gone the way of the family tab at the five-and-dime.

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"We come here just for the Shopping Buddy," her teenage daughter Melanie says, referring to the portable computer, which greets the Michelangelos by name after it reads their loyalty card. "We've kind of personified him. We call him Buddy."

To remain competitive, supermarkets are revving their technological engines. Eventually, say industry experts, shoppers won't need wallets or scanners.

[Aliska]

Brave new shopping. Kinda cool in a way, but I don't know if I would like it overall. Already I shop at places where I have to bag my own groceries. There's a picture at the link with a baby in a cart holding the scanner gizmo which looks like a cool, new toy that came from Toys 'R Us.

[N. Theknow]

after it reads their loyalty card

When did it change from "frequent shopper" to "loyalty" card?

Is there a special on tinfoil?

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Gee, can I sweep the parking lot for trash after I'm done shopping, too?

[Aliska]

Is there a special on tinfoil?

That will be coming from Malaysia after the aluminum factories are moved offshore.

[ruiner]

Sounds orwellian, doesn't it ;)

I prefer "Repeat Shopping Enforcement Facilitator"

[zarf]

3 years later the MSM discovers self checkout computers in grocery stores.

Guess the Scott Peterson news is slow.

[Aliska]

Gee, can I sweep the parking lot for trash after I'm done shopping, too?

There won't be any trash. Your loyalty card and shopping privileges will be yanked when the camera catches you throwing something away. Volunteers to clean up anything that blows in will get special discounts and be reissued a special platinum little brother card.

Eventually the big brother, little brother terminology will be phased out due to gender inclusive language disputes.

I'm just playing around with this and wondering what the future holds for citizens.

[Iron Matron]

I wont do it!

Why should I drive to the store, park 12 miles away because there is 1,000,000 handicapped spaces up front, pick out my groceries, check out my groceries, bag my groceries, haul my groceries out to the car, load them in the car, return the cart.

BS! WHen I'm buying at today's prices, I want some dam service dammit!

[pt17]

.......wondering what the future holds for citizens.

Hopefully one where people are so tired of this that they start frequenting the "mom and pop" stores where they can interact with real people.

[Shryke]

I think I know someone who will be happy with this news.

[Iron Matron]

Hopefully one where people are so tired of this that they start frequenting the "mom and pop" stores where they can interact with real people.

---

Until Wal-Mart completes 100% demise of "Mom & Pops", yes.