Supermarket attaches cooler to front door

Trialed in Vienna and Graz

A German company thinks to have found the solution to be able to deliver groceries at home while the customer does not have to be there to receive the goods – and for once, it is not a high-tech solution, but quite the contrary.

The company is called Lockbox and its system is both simple and ingenious: a steel “door anchor” has to be placed under the front door when the customer leaves the house – without the need to hammer, drill or screw something. The courier can then attach a cooler to the anchor with a bike chain or padlock.

Next time the customer orders something, he attaches the empty box to the door anchor and the courier will then exchange the empty box for a new one. There are two differently sized boxes (large and small) which can be piled, enabling the delivery of multiple boxes without hindering passers-by.

Silly? Hardly, because Lockbox managed to convince Austria’s largest supermarket chain (Billa) to pilot the program in Vienna and Graz. If it is satisfied with this pilot, it will expand the system to the entire country. If Lockbox manages to reach this stage, its founder hopes Billa’s affiliate chains (which are also part of the German Rewe group) will follow suit. This might be worth keeping an eye on…