Efficient Shopping with Giant

On December 30, 2008, in Efficiency, Shopping, by Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®
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I discovered a cool new thing at the local Giant supermarket in Waldorf, MD on Sunday. They are offerring a new way to shop more efficiently and it’s a little gadget called Scan It! It’s described as one of their new In Store Shopping Tools that can help you get in and out of the supermarket quickly. Scan It! is a hand-held scanning device that you activate when you first enter the store using your Giant Bonus Card or keytag.

Then, take the scanner with you as you peruse the supermarket aisles and do your shopping as usual. The really cool thing is that it gives you a running total on how much you’re spending and how much money you’re saving. You can bag your groceries while you shop with (those not so good for the environment) plastic bags provided on the Scan It! station, but Giant does offer an eco-friendly option as well. You can buy reusable shopping bags in the store for just $.99 each or an insulated bag for $1.99. Once you’re finished shopping, go through the checkout lane, scan your Bonus Card at the register, follow a few simple instructions, and return the scanner. That’s it. Your puchase is completed quickly and efficiently. No mess, no fuss.

I must say that I’m pretty impressed with this new technology, though I still think you should carry a list with you so that you are prepared to buy what you need and decrease your chances of overspending. I can see how it might be a little tricky to hold your list and the scanner and bag your stuff all at the same time, but with a some pratice or an extra set of hands, you should be able to get the hang of it.

Unfortunatley for me, I didn’t discover Giant’s new gadget until I was LEAVING the supermarket!! Anyone wanna try it out and let me know what you think?

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  • MzKitty

    Very interesting way to do shopping. I wonder how many of the other grocery or super shopping stores will be going to this technology. Rates up there with self-checkout.

    Kallicat from eHow.com

  • AHA

    I’ve been using the hand scanners at Giant and Bloom for the last month+ and it’s awesome! I hope that they replace the majority of self-checkout because when it’s time to pay, everything is already scanned so you can get out quick.

    I’m crossing my fingers hoping that Whole Foods picks up on this too and then we’ll be in the land of grocery shopping bliss :)

    Ultimate hope is that this type of technology becomes ubiquitous for all sorts of shopping experiences and eliminates the needs for checkout lines all together.

  • Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    MzKitty – It sounds like it’s just a few stores that are currently offering the Scan It! technology. I can’t wait to go back to my local Giant to test it out! Btw, I’ll be sure to check out your articles on eHow. =)

    AHA – I wish there were a Bloom (division of Food Lion, btw) close by. I hear it’s great and now that they have Scan It!, I’m sure it’s even better. Maybe Whole Foods will jump on the bandwagon, too, and all will be well with the world. =)

    Thanks to you both for leaving a comment!

  • MrFresh

    Deb,
    A most infromative article. Though I am a systems engineer and a self-proclaimed techy, I still use manned checkout lines. I’ll give it greater consideration to use the scanner lines now. Thanks!

  • Deb Lee, Certified Professional Organizer®

    MrFresh – Thanks for leaving a comment! I would love to hear back from you once you’ve tried this new technology. Come back and let me know what you think, ok? =)

  • janeorganizer

    My kids & I love the scanner. My husband isn't sure it's faster, but bagging as you go is the BOMB!

  • Kim Oser, CPO

    I used it for the first time last week at Bloom. It is pretty cool. The nice thing is it automatically displays the discounted (bonus card)price as you scan. I was pleasantly surprised at the prices vs. the panic I have when items are being run at the traditional check out where they scan your card at the end. The carts at Bloom have a designated scanner holder in the cart handle that all this time I thought it was supposed to be a funky purse holding contraption.

    When you get to the register, you scan your card and you can then scan coupons, pay and check out. I actually checked out (paid) at the self check out line.

    It was fun. I thought it was very effecient and liked that I packed my bags so eggs and strawberries were not bagged with cans of soup. I packed them according to where the items are stored in my home. It made unpacking really easy too.

    I would definitely use it again and am glad to hear they have them at Giant too. Now if Costco & Sam's Club would get on board, my life would be complete. Thanks for starting the discussion.

    Kim Oser, Certified Professional Organizer

  • kingkool68

    I just had my first experiment with the Scan It at my local Giant near Glenmont, MD. My fiance and I noticed the scanning station right as we walked in but it wasn't working. Determined as she was, my fiance roamed around the store and found another scanning station that actually let us pick up a scan gun.

    The experience was enjoyable. We really liked seeing the ongoing total. It helped us stay within our budget as well as saved us time.

    You can read more about my experience on my blog -> http://www.russellheimlich.com/blog/grocery-shopping-with-a-scan-gun-at-giant/

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