Supermarkets are using new technology to make shopping for grocery items fast and easy for shoppers. In many U.S. supermarkets there are self-service “checkout lines”. In these lines, there are no cashiers, and customers scan the grocery items they want to buy. To scan something, the customer moves it over a glass scraeen on the checkout counter. This scanner “reads” the item’s bar code. Then it gives the price and adds the item to the list. The customer does this with each grocery item and then pays with a credit card or cash. More and more customers are learning how to use self-service checkout lines. They like self-service because it is quick and simple.
Many customers are now using their cell phones to help them shop. They scan an item with their cell phones to help them shop. They scan an item with their cell phone and it shows how much the item costs. For food items, the phone can also give nutrition and calorie information for a serving size. This technology is helping customers make healthy food choices.
Some supermarkets are using special cameras to count customers. The cameras count how many people enter the store and how many people are waiting in line. Camera technology can tell if a store is busy or quiet. When a store is busy, the manager can open more checkout lines. This technology is in many supermarkets in The USA. In these stores, customers now only have to wait a few seconds for a cashier.
Technology specialists are always thinking about the future. Several companies are working on a new technology where an entire grocery cart goes through a special scanner. The scanner scans all the groceries in about a minute, and the customer doesn’t have to take anything out of the cart. These large scanners are not in supermarkets now because they are expensive. However, they are probably going to be in supermarkets of the future.
MINI TEST:
- In a self-service checkout line:
- The customer uses a scanner
- The customer uses a cell phone
- The cashier helps the customer
- The customer uses a cash register
2. Customers like self-service checkout because it’s..
- Fun
- Slow
- Fast
- Cheap
3. When you scan an item in the checkout line, you..
- Give the item to a cashier
- Move the item over a special screen
- Pay with a credit card
- Use a camera
4. In stores that have special camera technology.
- There are no cashiers
- Customers can take pictures of grocery items
- Customers don’t have to wait long lines
- Customers can count the number of shoppers.
5. Large scanners are not in The USA supermarkets...
- They cost a lot of money
- They’re very large
- They can’t scan grocery carts
- Customers have problem with them
6. This passage is about…
- How cell phones help shoppers
- How customers can make healthy choices
- How supermarkets are going to use technology
- How technology is making shopping easy and fast
By: Alonzo Ruiz