NEW shopping cart technology seen at several retailers nationwide isn’t sitting well for some customers.
The controversial upgrade includes carts with artificial intelligence for a simple and efficient experience.
Supermarkets like Price Chopper and McKeever’s Market & Eatery brought the carts to stores in Missouri this month.
The “Caper Carts,” defined by the companies behind the advancement — Caper AI and Instacart — offer shoppers several features to assist their grocery trips.
Instacart acquired Caper AI in 2021, and the pair developed the carts to have a touchscreen near the handle and cupholder area to assist in identifying and scanning items for shoppers as they navigate the store.
Sensors, computer vision software, and even a built-in scale was also added for customers to weigh produce.
Instacart confirmed the Caper Carts allow shoppers to seamlessly “scan items as they shop, manage their budget in real-time, and checkout seamlessly,” per a press release.
As they scan merchandise while navigating the store, customers can total everything on the cart to generate a singular barcode for all their items.
That barcode is then used to scan at checkout for what would seemingly be a swift exit process.
The single-barcode concept is similar to Walmart and Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go feature.
Tim Cosens, chief technology officer at McKeever’s, called the shopping cart upgrade a “significant towards modernizing how we serve our customers,” in a statement.
While the Caper Carts aren’t widespread yet, there’s already been some backlash from customers who’ve spotted them at their store.
A customer recently pleaded with Price Chopper to refrain from making them use a Caper Cart when they only preferred a handheld basket during a recent trip, but couldn’t find any.
“They’re getting rid of handheld baskets at price chopper??” the shopper questioned in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“Why is this ruining my day don’t make me use a cart.”
The Price Chopper fan demanded the chain “fix this.”
Smart carts are being increasingly tested and rolled out by retailers, but what are they?
“A smart shopping cart is a shopping cart with integrated technology such as a digital screen, cameras, and other sensors to help customers seamlessly pay and checkout directly on the cart, access personalized offers, and manage their shopping lists,” Caper states.
Smart carts use technology including RFID, sensors, and AI.
The benefits of such technology include:
Other customers at retailers who’ve also seen the Caper Carts, including ShopRite and Kroger, have issued their grievances as well.
A ShopRite fan blasted the chain’s decision to include the advanced carts at several New Jersey and Pennsylvania locations as “cheap replacements.”
“It scares me at times,” someone else remarked of the change in a thread on Facebook.
A few other well-known retailers are also following suit with cart changes.
In April, Amazon introduced its Dash Carts at six Whole Foods locations.
While not necessarily a technological upgrade, Walmart also changed its shopping carts over the past year, which frustrated a select group of fans.
