![Supermarket of the future: no staff and no cash register Supermarket of the future: no staff and no cash register](https://www.plusonline.nl/sites/plusonline/files/styles/pol_carousel/public/pinnen_1.jpg?itok=vs4Y3S1y)
Scanning and paying are completely unnecessary in the portable store of the Albert Heijn in Zaandam. A fully digital AH to go will be tested here for the next two months under the guise of ‘super fast payment’.
With only 14 square meters, the AH to go is a real mini-market. The products that customers take with them are registered by cameras and smart shelves. The technological innovations in the store make shopping as easy as taking something out of the fridge.
That is how it works
Project leader Jasper Hoogers explains that the debit card only needs to be shown when entering the supermarket. “When the door opens, you can put your pass back in your pocket. In the store you pick up the things you want, for example a juice or a sandwich. Cameras see where you are in the store and which products you pick up. These will be added to your virtual shopping cart. Then you walk to the exit, there the payment takes place automatically and the door opens. Unless you bought for more than 25 euros, you still have to enter your PIN for security reasons. The shop does not sell cigarettes or alcohol. ‘
Face recognition
In the Netherlands there are strict rules when it comes to facial recognition. No faces are registered through the cameras in this futuristic store. Only shapes and arm movements are scanned. AH works together with the American start-up AiFi and ING to make this system possible.
Future plans
The concept is not intended for existing stores for the time being. The store is expected to be moved to a different location in the Netherlands later this year. Amazon opened a store last year with a similar concept.
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