Supermarkets hit FastLane with DIY checkouts

By STEPHEN COOK

One of the country's biggest grocery retailers is about to test a new checkout system.

Progressive Enterprises, which claims a 45 per cent share of supermarket sales, will provide a glimpse into the retailing future when it installs self-scanning technology at one of its Auckland stores in the next six to nine months.

The new technology - dubbed FastLane - allows customers to check out their own shopping rather than waiting in queues to be served by checkout staff.

Depending on the success of the trial, the technology could soon be in "high-volume" supermarkets around the country.

The electronic era, which quietly crept into New Zealand supermarkets about a decade ago, has seen the replacement of clunky cash registers with manual scanning equipment.

The latest move is set to further improve the shopping experience by cutting the time spent in the checkout queue.

The technology, now being tested in a Perth supermarket, is being closely monitored by Progressive, which operates the Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown chains.

Progressive managing director Ted van Arkel said if the self-scanning technology was introduced in New Zealand, it would probably be restricted to high-volume supermarkets.

Customers at stores with the new scanners will be able to scan their own shopping, which will then be electronically weighed to ensure there is no disparity between the weight of what is scanned and what ends up in supermarket bags.

Customer then pay by eftpos or credit card.

The new technology follows Progressive's move into online shopping 18 months ago. Online business manager Andrew Dixon said growth in that area had "been beyond our expectations".

Foodstuffs, which operates New World and Pak 'N Save, is rumoured to be planning an online service, but nothing has yet been formalised.

It did not respond to inquiries about any plans for a self-checkout system.