Gone are the days when you have to write down essentials like eggs, milk and butter from the grocery store.
Artificial intelligence got the list – and more – involved in supermarkets.
From smart carts that take the mental work out of budgets to technology that enables people to buy food with their faces, AI is cleaning up the aisles — and in some marts, literally.
And in stores, this new tech is helping city dwellers save money with a few taps of the screen.
Grocery stores in the tri-state area began rolling out Instacart Caper Carts — powered by science-powered grocery wagons and developed by New York-based software developers — earlier this year, and while it's largely the tech A novelty for savvy buyers, there have been built-ins. -Features to help you save on weekly grocery hauls and stay on budget.
The Post gave Gadget a chance to visit ShopRite of Hoboken in the backwaters of Manhattan and discovered it by choosing an AI-powered cart — only slightly larger and harder to maneuver — over a standard cart, for $10 from the get-go. There is a discount. .
Save the dough
The cart's computerized contraption has automatic discount features that shaved $10 off my $53 bill — a much-appreciated savings amid the ongoing inflationary crisis.
There is also a “spin the wheel” feature on the chariot's digital screen display that gives market-goers a fun “Wheel of Fortune” experience, giving patrons $2, $5 and $10 off their bill. There is a chance to win. luck of the spin
Longtime ShopRite shoppers can enter their “Price Plus” membership numbers into the on-cart computer to upload digital coupons, discover weekly discounts and receive recommended deals.
Rachel Burns, 22, of Poughkeepsie and her boyfriend saved more than $13 on their $116 total thanks to discounts offered by the latest Wheeler.
“The AI cart is much better than traditional vehicles,” he told the Post. “We always scroll through all the coupons we wouldn't have known if they weren't in the cart.”
“It's definitely a money saver.”
Amanda Gibbs, an Ohio real estate agent, said the contraption kept her up to date on “coupons, store specials and how much I'm spending” while giving it a test drive at a Kroger in Cincinnati. The blonde enjoyed $29.49 in savings thanks to the money-savvy cart.
And shoppers are snapping up money-saving hacks hidden in high-tech trolleys — deployed locally at Fairway Market in Kips Bay, as well as some ShopRites in New Jersey and Staten Island.
“I have lines of customers waiting for one of the vehicles to become available before they can start shopping,” ShopRite store manager Tony Castelli told The Post. “They're so easy.”
Grocery Games
Theresa Larson, director of e-commerce at ShopRite of Hoboken, says Keeper Carts have made grocery shopping less laborious and more playful.
“AI makes grocery shopping fun,” she tells the Post. “It makes the experience a gamble.”
Equipped with an LED touch screen, sensors and cameras, this cart identifies, scans, weighs and calculates the value of everything placed inside its vehicle.
The base of the wagon doubles as a scale that can hold about 50 pounds.
Cart mechanics also keep track of shoppers' grocery lists, enabling people to quickly grab items off the shelf, take advantage of in-store rewards — and stay on budget.
However, while strolling the aisles, I also discovered that the Keeper wasn't the only boot on the block at ShopRite of Hoboken.
“Tally,” a fully autonomous inventory robot, also roams the food mart, canning shelves for lost, misplaced and mispriced products. The android, which has a pair of blinking eyes, structurally resembles the band of cleaning bots assigned to janitorial duty at grocery shops during the pandemic.
Convenience is key.
Besides feeling like something out of “The Jetsons,” the high-tech trolleys can also serve as their own self-checkout. Instead of unloading products onto a conveyor belt, cashiers scan the entire display screen of the KeeperCart user.
Shoppers can pay either at the register or electronically with a cart, although not all Keeper Carts are e-Pay compatible yet.
While transactions with KeeperCart are generally hassle-free, it's not as easy as PopID's new biometric payment technology. A software development company is introducing AI that allows people to pay for goods through facial recognition.
This palm payment technology is very similar to Amazon One, which enables Whole Foods customers in NYC and beyond to pay with their bare hands.
AI is likely to continue to grow as a supermarket employee in the future, says Ahmed Bushra, co-founder of Keeper.
“Convenience, saving money and not waiting in long lines are all benefits of technology,” Beshri, 30, of Long Island City, told The Post. “It really improves the ecosystem of the store.”
Innovation in aisle 7
And as AI revolutionizes once exclusively human experiences, like dating and dying, grocery programming is merging across the country.
Recent research led by the Food Industry Association revealed that supermarket executives plan to increase their AI spending by 400 percent by 2025. The increase in bots is expected to generate $113 billion in operational efficiency and new revenue opportunities for grocers.
The results also revealed that 73% of mart magnates expect to add AI capabilities to nearly all store equipment in the coming year – virtually eliminating customer complaints, questions and confusion.
Sam's Club Chief Product Officer Todd Garner says the chain is using AI to solve one of the biggest pain points for its members-only customers: waiting in lines to confirm receipts at checkout.
“After a member completes a payment at the register or via scan-and-go,” Garner said, “a combination of computer vision and digital technologies captures images of their cart and verifies payment for each item.”
Since the automated machinery debuted at 120 Sam's Clubs across the U.S. in January, Garner says checkout times have improved 23 percent — because, after all, time is money.
AI is set to debut in all 600 clubs by the end of the year.
He added, “Innovation not only facilitates member exit but also permits. [store associates] To support members, ensuring they have a pleasant shopping experience.
However, food retailers aren't limiting mechanics to what makes the market a breeze. They are also relying on robotics for flagships.
“We use predictive analytics AI to monitor all the data that is scanned at our registers,” Eric White, director of communications at Redner Markets, tells The Post.
Anti-theft software recently helped a Pennsylvania-based grocery chain track down a shoplifter who allegedly switched $5,000 worth of merchandise.
“If we can catch the dishonest people and stop the losses. [through AI]”It keeps our prices low for our valued and honest guests,” White said.