Lisa Nachbar wanted to get her Easter shopping done in a hurry. It was Saturday afternoon, and with the holiday fast approaching, the longtime Wiltonite was rushing up and down the aisles with 12-year-old daughter Sarah at Super Stop & Shop in Wilton.
But thanks to the new "Scan It" system that allows customers to scan, bag and pay for their groceries all at the same time by using a battery-operated hand-held device, Nachbar was in and out of the store in plenty of time to start cooking her Sunday feast.
"Scan It," which is used in hundreds of Stop & Shops' nationwide, was put in service at the Wilton store just a few weeks ago. It has been offered at the Norwalk Stop & Shop for more than a year.
"I love it, it makes shopping faster, easier and you can keep track of how much you're spending on the scanner as you go along," said Nachbar, who had bagged her large lamb roast, ham, fruit and vegetables as she approached the automatic checkout line. "It's so convenient because the worst part of shopping is standing in line at the checkout counter, waiting for everything to be bagged and paid for."
Pointing to the small user-friendly scanning device that shows customers what's on sale and offers special bargain prices specific to their needs, Sarah said she likes tagging along to the store a lot more now.
"It's fun and less boring," Sarah said. "When we get to the checkout, all we have to do is scan our card to pay, and we can walk right out and go home. No more waiting on a long line."
Wiltonite Marianne Wilson, 73, said she has been using Scan It at the Norwalk store for the past year and couldn't wait for it to come to Wilton. A private caterer, Wilson said she likes shopping for produce and being able to scan, divide and bag her own items. "I also want to get in and out of the store as fast as I can, and this definitely moves things along," said Wilson. "I can't imagine shopping now without using the scanner."
Wilton Store Manager Mike Ouellette said the system is catching on rapidly, especially before holiday such as Easter and before anticipated snowstorms. "I've been in this business more than 25 years, and Scan It is one of the most dramatic advances in technology I've seen in the industry," Ouellette said. "It's probably the biggest since the Universal Price Code (bar code) was started a couple of decades ago."
Ouellette showed how the new scanners there are 45 in the store can be placed in a special holder on each shopping cart. "It saves time, money and makes shopping more convenient," he said. "A few years from now you won't see a store without them."
Have you used the "Scan It" system, and if so, has it made grocery shopping more convenient? Please leave comments below.
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