Aldi is facing a cash register revolution – will customers have to get used to it now?

Cash register systems for retail chains such as Rewe, Edeka, DM and Co. have evolved. rapidly in recent years. In more and more branches, customers can scan their goods themselves using self-checkout at the corresponding cash registers, saving a lot of time. Now there could be another revolution in cash registers. Aldi Süd is currently testing new technology that could permanently change the shopping experience. Will customers have to get used to it soon?

Aldi Süd: a new shopping experience at checkout?

In the USA, the discount chain is testing the use of technology for the first time where there is no longer a need to scan customers' goods at all. You don't even have to wait in line at the end of your shopping. The background is a pilot project with a startup in California called “Grabango”. With this system, goods no longer need to be scanned, as the ceiling-mounted cameras recognize the products completely automatically.

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Ceiling-mounted sensors monitor customers as they walk through the store and record the items they select. The testing has been conducted at an Aldi store in Aurora, near Chicago, since November 2023, Retail Optimiser reports.

Go shopping without cash?

All you need is a convenient application on your smartphone in which your personal banking data is stored. When a customer leaves the store, the purchase process only needs to be completed in the app and the purchases are automatically debited from the account. When purchasing age-restricted products, such as alcohol, an employee must confirm their age using a button in the app.

Some items like fresh meat still need to be scanned manually, and everything else is recognized automatically. At the moment, this is only being tested in one Aldi branch, but if the testing phase is successful, the checkout revolution could continue. Maybe we won't have to wait in line to go shopping anymore?