Ahold Delhaize is testing three stores with automatic checkout: after two pilot stores in the Netherlands, a completely contactless store is now also opening in Massachusetts. Customers can just take their groceries and walk out, the payment is done automatically.
Lunchbox
In Quincy, Massachusetts, the Dutch retailer is experimenting with cashless technology in its Retail Business Services office. A minuscule shop named Lunchbox offers employees a range of snacks, fresh food and drinks. According to GroceryDive, up to twelve people can simultaneously be in the store, and thousands of cash-less transactions will have already taken place by now.
The digital store was built as the result of renovations in the corporate cafeteria and, according to Ahold Delhaize, is more efficient than other solutions currently in use in the industry. The supermarket group also boasts that it only took six weeks to install Lunchbox inside the RBS office.
Container
At its head office in Zaandam (near Amsterdam), Ahold Delhaize has had its own version of Amazon Go since September. The checkout-free shop measures only 14 sqm and is equipped with cameras and sensors. Payment happens automatically through the app. However, the store is only accessible for Ahold Delhaize employees.
This week, a wider test started with the system being available for regular customers, in the pop-up shop at Schiphol Airport. The small shop of 14 sqm will remain open for two months and will allow visitors at the airport to take quick snacks, such as a sandwich or juice, from the shelves of the unmanned container shop.
