For four months, a brand new tool has appeared on the shelves of Intermarché. A few days ago, our colleagues from TF1 went to Provins, in Seine-et-Marne, to see with their own eyes the interactive trolley in the testing phase. In this store, around forty boxes to attach to their shopping cart are available to customers. Their role? Avoid a long checkout at the end of shopping, make customers autonomous and allow them to calculate the amount of their purchases in real time. “There, I don’t have a lot of shopping, but when I have a lot, it’s important not to have to unload and reload. I can save half an hour”, entrusts Danielle to the TF1 teams.
However, not everyone is a fan of this novelty, unique in Europe. On social networks, many are already getting annoyed about this connected trolley, often without even having tested it. We disentangle the true from the false on certain a priori.
Save time at checkout andfight against theft
The primary goal of the connected cart is indeed to save time at the checkout and ensure more fluidity when leaving the store. The customer controls their budget in real time, can consult their kitty, and view the store’s offers and promotions applied directly to their basket total.explains Intermarché in a press release.
But on social networks, many are asking questions. “What’s the difference with the scanner, other than it’s 10 times bigger?” This new accessory to place on the trolley also helps fight against theft. In fact, the box to be attached to the shopping cart has two on-board cameras and a scanner. Thus, as soon as a product is placed in the cart, it is directly added to the shopping list and recorded on the receipt. Faster, therefore. But also simpler for the elderly or those less adept at technology who sometimes struggle to scan product barcodes themselves.
“Very practical for people who have difficulty remaining upright and still at the checkout”assures an Internet user on YouTube, in response to the Grande Conso report. We are thinking in particular of pregnant women, parents, people with disabilities and even the elderly. “It’s super nice! Especially when you want to manage your budget, no need to calculate it yourself. And especially faster at checkout, I love it!”
Towards a disappearance of cashiers?
“We are removing cashiers for work done by the customer”exclaims an Internet user on TikTok. “When you eliminate the work of people who feed their children with their salary, that’s not progress”launches another a little further. “Eventually, all the cashiers will disappear! They did the same thing on the highways.” For now, let everyone rest assured: Intermarché has not announced that it wants to eliminate anyone’s positions. Store staff will continue to be present with customers, at the checkout or directly on the shelves to help them get to grips with the new tool.
“And if a child is sitting in the shopping cart, does it still work?” Good question. “And when you remove an item from the cart, does that count too?” Something else, perhaps. “What if you put two chocolate bars at the same time, one on top of the other?” As you will have understood, there are many questions from potential customers. In its video, Grande Conso tries to answer as many of them as possible.
“I say no to all this madness”, “I am already boycotting self-checkouts as much as possible”, “It’s crazy to think that we are tirelessly running after saving time”, “It’s really a gadget, the human aspect is important”, “I prefer the smile of a cashier”… Comments of this style can be found by the dozen on social networks.
“So we receive a salary at the end? We do the job of a cashier, it seems to me that all work deserves a salary”annoys an Internet user on TikTok. “Customers will soon have to put on the shelves themselves, close and clean the store. Is that okay? Is it going well for large groups?”says another, just as angry. “Prices are increasing and we are the ones doing the work”, “and soon someone will eat the product and go to shit for you”, “What a world we live in”, “I’m tired of all these new technologies, the customer does everything”… Obviously, not everyone seems delighted with this new feature at Intermarché. But the little seed has been planted, and it still has plenty of time to germinate in the heads of those who wish it.
