Wal-Mart Employees Test Mobile Checkout System in Arkansas

by Angela Nazworth | September 5, 2012 2:42 pm

Some Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT[1]) employees in Arkansas are testing a mobile checkout system called “Scan and Go” that could cutback on time spent in cashiers’ lines, The Wall Street Journal reports[2].

Here’s how it works:

1. Shoppers will be able to use their smartphones to scan items as they peruse the aisles.
2. Next, shoppers can pay for their items at the self-service kiosk without having to scan them again.

That’s it. Goodbye long lines.

Current Wal-Mart employees from one store are testing the system to see whether or not it’s user-friendly.

If the system works, it will save the chain a lot of money. Wal-Mart says it could save $12 million a year for every second it can cut from the checkout process in the U.S. alone.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the company spends $12 million a second on cashier wages, per The Wall Street Journal‘s original story. The Journal has since corrected its story, and we have followed suit.

Source URL: http://investorplace.com/2012/09/wal-mart-employees-test-mobile-checkout-system-in-arkansas/
Short URL: http://investorplace.com/?p=226935

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