In South Korea, a chain of grocery stores has put up interactive billboards that display their shelves with Qr codes printed on the image of the products. Once a shopper has the company's app on their phone, they just take a picture of the qr code of the items they would like to have shipped to their home. After the order is confirmed and payment clears, the central warehouse gathers the items together, packs them up, and readies them for shipping.
I would love this here! I wouldn't have to dodge the spill on isle three any longer. I may have to step over a sleeping homeless person to get my case of chocolate margarine*, but it's so worth it to not have to feel that weird that comes from under all of those florescent lights. Wasting time on price checks will be a historical memory. No need to tip the bagger, as he'll never see your face.
As much as I loathe the grocery shopping experience, I agree that there would be some things that I would miss. The grocery store is known as a meat market for way more than the selection of beef cuts they offer. I don't think it'd be the same at a billboard. Trading glances at an interactive billboard just wouldn't feel the same as the dance of courtship played out in local stores. First of all, the sexy walk of pushing the cart past is replaced by a bending, stooping, or squatting to take a pic. Those may be dance moves at a strip club, but I prefer the drawn out mystery of the isle waltz.
Spoiled goods and getting the wrong item would seem to be too much hassle for what it's worth. Nothing like salivating over a meal that's been planned to see that the meat and veggies has gone bad. Or reaching for the mustard, and grabbing mayo. The amount of rage felt when knowing you have to go to a store anyway and have to put off eating how it should be.
Overall, the convenience of this type of virtual market wins me over. The future seems faster and a little more yummy.
*choco-margarine shouldn't exist.
I've seen a similar thing in subway stations in Korea or maybe Japan, pretty cool idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a cool idea...
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen things like this, but I do know something that combines the two. Where I live there is a chain of supermarkets where you have hand held scanners, so you can scan as you go, then simply pay. It's the convenience and staring at guys all in one go.
ReplyDeletethe next step would be ordering food from home?
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a remarkably good idea. I mean, as long as there are no shipping problems. (That seems like that would be the rub.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is really cool.
ReplyDeletethat's really great news! i hate dealing with supermarkets!
ReplyDelete"+1" to your post! :)
great idea! I like this.
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand the technology behind that, but I know there are grocery stores that offer home delivery services. You go to their website and order what you'd like, pay with debit/credit card then it's delivered to your door within a couple of days.
ReplyDelete(I live in Victoria British Columbia, Canada)
I hate these new bar code looking things, QR codes they're called? I hate them -__-
ReplyDeleteI rather just go to the store and pick up everything myself.
ReplyDeleteHi thanks for the follow. Following you now.
ReplyDeleteI was in the store the other day and I forgot something so I paid for what I had and then I told the clerk that I would come back so she put my cart aside. I went back to get what I forgot and purchase it, but I ended up going into a different (shorter) line than I had originally gone in. When I finished purchasing the forgotten item, I told the bag boy to place my second purchase in my cart near the other cashier. Well, what do you know, the bag boy accused me of stealing.
Hmmm, it's kind of hard to steal a cart full of groceries, right next to a cashier, don't you think?
I hate the grocery store.
shopping isn't too bad since you don't have to wait to get it delivered.
ReplyDeleteYay for super convenience! This sounds promising
ReplyDeleteim the white rabbit
ReplyDeleteUgh I'm jealous >_<, this would save time in college. I had an idea similar to this though, not with phones but with a website. It's probably been done though -_-.
ReplyDeletegrocery shopping while high is fukin awesome, but u usually end up buying to much delicious stuff like doritos n shit ;)
ReplyDeleteI wish they had that here too
ReplyDeletedelivery sure sounds good on paper, but doesnt always work so well in real life- sometimes items are out of stock and so are subsituded, and sometimes the deliveries are mega late- our shopping was delivered today when it was due 3 days ago!
ReplyDeletelol next thing is microchips in our heads and hands then the anti christ! whoo!
ReplyDeletecomputerfixins.blogspot.com
they are well on thier way to having a cash-less society
ReplyDeleteCan someone explain to me what a Qr code is!? I see them everywhere and have yet to receive a good explanation of it is.
ReplyDeleteqr codes are awesome, I've been seeing them around more and more
ReplyDeleteHumans... Getting lazier and lazier every day. Heh.
ReplyDeleteFollowed, btw! :O
ReplyDeleteyou miss all the fun with the kart in the supermarket this way :/
ReplyDeletesounds cool
ReplyDeleteSo know there will be a bunch of people queuing for a billboard sign? haha.
ReplyDeleteOnline grocery shoppoing already exists that fulfills the same function, the thing they're going for here I think is impulse buying
ReplyDeleteSome things we've been doing too long without ever thinking of a better way to do them. Let's start thinking about them!
ReplyDeleteWow this grocery thing would really come in handy! We need that here in Los Angeles
ReplyDeleteI still don't have a smart phone so it's off to the grocery store for me!
ReplyDeleteSeems like things are getting more and more lazy thats for sure +Follower
ReplyDeleteI don't even have a cell phone
ReplyDeletebut hey I need to leave the house once and a while anyway
This would be time saving. But as you mentioned on your post there will be parts of the ''archaic'' grocery shopping that'll be missed. I mean you got to check/compare quality and price with your own hands.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog followed, looking more like this one.
Smartphones can do anything! :D
ReplyDeleteIt would save a lot of time, but I'm one of those annoying coupon ladies. I wonder how coupons would factor in to this?
ReplyDelete