No more waiting? Kroger looks to eliminate checkout lanes

As food delivery services and online shopping disrupt the grocery industry, Kroger is looking to offer an alternative to check-out lanes for busy customers.

The Cincinnati-headquartered grocery chain will roll out its "Scan, Bag, Go" service to 400 stores in 2018, according to Business Insider. Shoppers can avoid long checkout lines by scanning barcodes of items they want to buy using a handheld scanner or through Kroger's "Scan, Bag, Go" app on any smartphone.

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When customers are finished shopping, they can stop at a self-checkout to pay for their order. Soon, shoppers will be able to pay through the app instead. The concept isn’t new for Kroger. The company has been testing the technology since 2011. Kroger then launched it in an additional 15 stores in 2015, including stores in Middletown and Liberty Twp.

Kroger has invested in its digital shopping experience for customers, launching ClickList in its 1,000 store earlier this month in Milford. Kroger introduced its first ClickList store in November 2014 in Liberty Twp.

“This exciting milestone is a testament to the impact of our digital shopping platform as well as the consistent and rewarding experience delivered to our customers by our talented store associates,” said Yael Cosset, Kroger’s chief digital officer. “Next year, we plan to expand our seamless service to more markets, ultimately making this convenient shopping experience available to every one of the 60 million families who shop with us annually.”

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