# Self checkout at grocery store **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2022, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589 "2022-01-11T14:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/121 "2022-01-20T09:00:57Z")
Giant in the Mid-Atlantic region has the portable scanners (Not Giant Eagle, just Giant.) I don’t know your location. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/122 "2022-01-20T10:07:29Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > > [@suranyi](#): > > > > There are very, very few stores in America with handheld scanners for customer to carry around. The only one I know of is Amazon Fresh. > > Kroger, Meijer, and Stop & Shop all have it here. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Where’s “here”? Based on the geographic extent of Meijers: Midwest America between Ohio and the Mississippi, with a north-south extent between Kentucky and Wisconsin. Which is a fairly large patch of ground but it should narrow down the possibilities. The Meijers around here don’t have hand-held scanners they hand out to people, the tell you to download their app, which allows you to use your smart-phone as a scanner. Guess you’re just out of luck if you don’t have a smart phone. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/123 "2022-01-20T10:12:29Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Guess you’re just out of luck if you don’t have a smart phone. Those are the people who still pay with checks. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/124 "2022-01-20T12:11:19Z")
Remarkably… it’s a mixed bag. I have smartphone users paying with checks and non-smartphone users paying with plastic. About 1/3 of our transactions still use cash in whole or in part. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/125 "2022-01-20T14:13:29Z")
Interesting. I did not know that. We don’t have any of those stores around here (Northern California). ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/126 "2022-01-20T14:28:47Z")
I love using Sam’s Club Scan & Go. Using their app I can scan the items with my phone and then check out with my phone. I don’t have to get into a line for anything - except of course for the person that checks receipts and items as you leave. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/127 "2022-01-20T15:24:46Z")
I would expect that the scan and go systems work best in stores where you have to be a member, like Amazon, Sams, and Costco. There is going to be less worry about theft. If they catch someone stealing on cam, it won’t be too much trouble to figure out who they are since they have to be a member to shop. A regular grocery store would not have that ability. For the regular grocery stores that have a scanning wand, do you have to register your personal info to use it? Or can anyone walk in the door, grab a scanner, and start shopping? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/128 "2022-01-20T17:07:05Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > For the regular grocery stores that have a scanning wand, do you have to register your personal info to use it? Or can anyone walk in the door, grab a scanner, and start shopping? I’d assume you need to register and have a credit card on file so you can be charged. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/129 "2022-01-20T17:18:59Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I know a Brit who calls leeks scallions and scallions spring onions. Don’t worry, I’ve reported him to the Home Office. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/130 "2022-01-20T17:58:48Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I’ve reported him to the Home Office. Heh. If you knew him you’d understand how funny this is. He’d freak out if I told him about this until I explained it was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/131 "2022-01-20T19:30:39Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > > [@filmore](#): > > > > For the regular grocery stores that have a scanning wand, do you have to register your personal info to use it? Or can anyone walk in the door, grab a scanner, and start shopping? > > I’d assume you need to register and have a credit card on file so you can be charged. I think you just need to scan your club card to pick up the hand scanner at Stop & Shop, but no you don’t need any payment system on file. Why would you? Aren’t we taking about the handheld scanner that you scan each item as you shop, bag it in your cart, and then pay when you leave? You still pay at the register when you are done, you just scan the scanner and everything is already in there. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/132 "2022-01-20T21:47:16Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I think you just need to scan your club card to pick up the hand scanner at Stop & Shop, but no you don’t need any payment system on file. Why would you? Aren’t we taking about the handheld scanner that you scan each item as you shop, bag it in your cart, and then pay when you leave? You still pay at the register when you are done, you just scan the scanner and everything is already in there. You’re probably right for Stop & Shop. You still need to be registered, but you wouldn’t have to have a credit card on file. However, the question was asked in context of a scan and go system where you don’t even stop at a register. Stop & Shop likely doesn’t have a scan and go system. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/133 "2022-01-20T21:50:31Z")
Ah, I see. _That_ style checkout I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere other than Amazon’s stores and some places at an airport. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/134 "2022-01-20T21:55:34Z")
Googling, Stop & Shop have a SCAN IT! Mobile app for the iPhone so with that you may not need to stop at the register. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/135 "2022-01-20T22:09:15Z")
I believe SCAN IT! Mobile still requires you to go to a checkout and pay. It just transmits your “order” to the cash register. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/136 "2022-01-20T22:14:01Z")
The person describing the mobile checkout at Tesco had to stop at the register, so not that different. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/137 "2022-01-22T16:23:55Z")
I was just mentioning to someone that there are only a few stores where I don’t self-checkout, mostly smaller stores that don’t offer it. Including Aldi. Then I saw this article. Aldi’s is _quietly_ testing self-checkout in the United States and other countries, and piloting checkout-free (cell phone app) in London. > **[Opinion: For Aldi, Checkout-Free Makes More Sense Than Self-Checkout | ALDI...](https://www.aldireviewer.com/opinion-for-aldi-checkout-free-makes-more-sense-than-self-checkout/)** > > EDITOR’S NOTE: Like all posts on Aldi Reviewer, this piece is the opinion of the respective authors. While much attention has been paid to online shopping in recent years, either delivered to your home or picked up curbside, most customers... ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/138 "2022-01-22T18:01:02Z")
I use [shop, scan and checkout](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-scan-and-checkout/836852/75) exclusively. The Meijer app is on my phone, I use it to scan in items as I shop. It automatically brings up coupons that I can select or ignore. It’s on me not to scan items multiple times and to remember to scan clearance items at the register. I weigh produce, scan it and stick the label on it. Occasionally the app crashes but it usually reloads my cart. Sometimes I have to rescan everything in my cart thus having a label on the produce saves time and steps. I do not care for self checkout where one scans and bags at the register. So touchy! For a few items ok fine but not for a cart of stuff! ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/139 "2022-01-22T20:55:21Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > Including Aldi. The Aldi in Cary, North Carolina had self-checkout the last time I went there, a little over 2 years ago. However, it would not allow cash payements. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589/140 "2022-01-22T21:13:07Z")
Aldi checkers are the fastest I’ve ever seen. I can see traffic jams in my future if my local Aldi ever implements self checkout. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-checkout-at-grocery-store/957589.md?page=8)