Labor-Saving Technology: Self-Checkout Is for Everyone

 

When your competitors evolve and you don’t, trouble often follows. Consumers may say they prefer gradual change, but what truly captures their loyalty is discovery, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA-based Foodservice Solutions®.

Johnson explains, “Customer migration occurs when a company introduces a flavor, technology, or messaging that offers an interesting twist on the familiar—not something completely different. Are you looking a customer ahead?”

The Evolution of Self-Checkout

Consider this familiar story: Five years ago, Amazon Inc. disrupted the convenience channel with its Amazon Go stores featuring Just Walk Out technology. While the idea of skipping checkout lines was once met with skepticism, today, self-checkout and cashierless technologies are thriving across the retail and restaurant landscape.

By 2025, autonomous checkout is not only mainstream—it’s expected. A recent survey by PYMNTS Intelligence found that 67% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer stores offering self-checkout options, compared to just 38% of Baby Boomers, indicating a clear generational tilt toward digital-first experiences.

Three Recent Global Success Stories

Olímpica S.A. Supermarkets in Colombia partnered with Toshiba to implement AI-powered self-checkout systems. These systems not only reduced wait times but also introduced behavioral detection tools that enhance security—an important consideration in high-traffic retail environments.

MAPCO Convenience Stores launched checkout-free stores powered by Grabango, allowing customers to shop without barcode scanning. This innovation delivers frictionless transactions and enables staff to focus more on customer service than cashier duties.

BP’s Amoco Brand has expanded its use of Grabango’s autonomous technology at multiple locations. This move not only shortens checkout lines but also sends a clear message: convenience is non-negotiable.

Age-Based Adoption of Self-Checkout Technology

Different age groups are adopting self-service technology at their own pace:

·       Gen Z (born 1997–2012): Digital natives. They expect touchscreen interfaces, mobile payments, and personalization. At chains like Sweetgreen, Gen Z customers embrace app-based ordering and prefer customizing their meals digitally.

·       Millennials (born 1981–1996): The bridge between analog and digital. Millennials are heavy users of self-checkout at Target and Whole Foods, especially when combined with loyalty apps and digital coupons.

·       Gen X (born 1965–1980): Open to self-service, but want it to work smoothly. They appreciate the hybrid model—self-checkout lanes that offer staff assistance if needed. Retailers like Kroger have earned Gen X trust by offering “Scan, Bag, Go” systems alongside staffed checkouts.

·       Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964): More hesitant to adopt. Concerns often include usability, fraud, and lack of human interaction. However, stores like Publix are addressing this by staffing self-checkout zones with “guides” to offer support, blending technology with customer care.

Restaurant Chains Leading the Way

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) have become pioneers in customer-facing automation:

·       McDonald’s has rolled out touchscreen self-ordering kiosks at most locations globally. These kiosks don’t just reduce labor—they boost average check size by 30% due to upselling suggestions.

·       Taco Bell has integrated digital ordering kiosks with its mobile app. A real-world example? The Las Vegas Cantina location, where nearly 80% of orders come through self-service platforms.

·       Burger King has expanded its kiosk footprint and is testing voice-activated ordering in select cities, targeting younger, tech-savvy customers looking for fast, seamless service.

The Role of AI and Food Marketing

Self-checkout is no longer just about speed—it’s about precision, personalization, and safety. AI now plays a key role in:

·       Loss prevention: Systems can detect suspicious scanning patterns and alert staff.

·       Personalized offers: Retailers like 7-Eleven use AI to serve tailored promotions via their apps, based on individual buying habits.

·       Queue optimization: AI helps determine the optimal number of open checkout lanes, both staffed and self-service, improving traffic flow.

From a marketing perspective, AI-powered analytics now guide everything from menu design to limited-time offers. Chipotle, for instance, uses AI to identify top-selling combinations and suggest new bowl options that mirror those preferences.

At the same time, sustainability messaging is becoming critical. Brands that promote digital receipts, reusable packaging, and carbon-neutral checkouts find strong support among younger demographics. Social media plays a powerful role here. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and influencer reviews are now central to how younger consumers discover and interact with foodservice brands.

The Future of Checkout-Free Retail

The most successful implementations of self-service don’t eliminate humans—they reallocate them to higher-value roles, such as customer engagement, store experience, and product education.

Retailers and QSRs adopting this philosophy are building loyalty ecosystems around convenience. Whether through a mobile app that remembers your coffee order or a kiosk that learns your dietary preferences, the future belongs to those who combine tech-enabled efficiency with human empathy.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in outsourced business development, helping brands identify untapped opportunities in food retail, technology adoption, and menu innovation. As the global leader in the Grocerant niche, we continue to explore how labor-saving technologies can enrich—not replace—the human experience of food.

Drive Sales. Boost Profits. Stay a Step Ahead.

The Foodservice Solutions® team is dedicated to helping you grow your top-line sales and bottom-line profits.

Are you looking a customer ahead? We have the strategies to get you there.

🌎 Visit GrocerantGuru.com
📩 Contact us: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us

Is the Army & Air Force Exchange more Customer Relevant than your Brand?

 

No one ever thinks of the government running a business better than or with more customer relevance that private business.  According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® the Army & Air Force Exchange just might be doing just that.

So, over the next few months, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) plans to roll out 500 self-checkout units at its military department stores. The DIY stations will be available at AAFES exchanges, convenience stores and specialty locations all across the globe, according to Stars and Strips.

AAFES spokesman Chris Ward said in an email to Stars and Stripes, "Self-checkout allows more customers to be served, improves in-store productivity and increases the availability of associates on the sales floor to assist customers with purchase decisions,".

Check this out, Ward declined to reveal how much the project cost, except to say the expense associated with self-checkout equipment was minimal relative to the new efficiencies and that self-checkout would have "no impact on staffing." Employees who previously staffed checkout lanes will instead focus on answering customer questions or providing specialized service.

Yes, there is more, the move follows in the footsteps of the Defense Commissary Agency, which installed self-checkout lanes 14 years ago at its supermarkets on U.S. military bases. The update also aligns with AAFES's continued expansion over the last few years, including the opening of more than 90 new mini-market locations in 2021 and 2022.

The exchange at Yokota Air Base, home of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo, has already put four self-checkout machines into service as of Oct. 19. Store manager Andrew Defelice said store employees stand by to assist customers when their items fail to properly scan. Employees must also approve sales of alcohol and over-the-counter medicines that have age restrictions. Meanwhile, staff who once manned the registers will spend more time taking inventory or working on store displays.

However, not all customers are ready to embrace the self-service checkout. Air Force veteran Jerry Deyoe, a contractor visiting Yokota, said he'll still sometimes visit the cashiers.

"I'll wait in line to have some human interaction," he told the news outlet.

In case you did not know, since 1895, AAFES has helped soldiers, airmen, guardians and their families to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Dallas-based company is the 54th-largest retailer in the United States and currently operates 3,500 facilities consisting of department stores, convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, theaters and specialty stores on military installations in all 50 states, five U.S. territories and 33 countries.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869

Le Pain Quotidien Excels with Operational Efficiencies

 

The tried-and-true way to grow a business is at the intersection or edifying customer touchpoints with operational efficiencies according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Recently, Too Good To Go announced its nationwide partnership with Le Pain Quotidien, which means all 59 bakery-restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., California and more are now selling their extra, unsold tartines, soups and pastries to Too Good To Go app users. That my friends is a partnership that elevates brand awareness with value customers and the bottom-line all while driving new electricity into the brand according to Johnson.

The Too Good To Go app, is now available for iOS in the Apple store or Google Play for Android, connects consumers with surplus from restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and grocery stores at the end of each business day, ensuring delicious, unsold food doesn’t go to waste. There are over 6,000 stores across 13 major U.S. cities are already utilizing the platform. Are you ready to expand your brand at the intersection of consumer touchpoints and operational efficiencies?

So, some lucky users are even able to get a hold of a coveted Le Pain Quotidien Surprise Bag - the contents of which will change day to day - they can expect a delicious mix of bakery items, soups, salads and quiches, all for ⅓ the retail price. The Belgian eatery’s organically-driven menu was already curated with creating a greener planet in mind, so adding Too Good To Go was a natural next step to continue operating sustainably.

Le Pain Quotidien’s Director of Catering, Michael Stansfield, stated, “We’re thrilled to partner with Too Good To Go, an organization that’s been making social impact at a global scale alongside additional, international Le Pain Quotidien markets. Too Good To Go’s sustainable efforts are the kind we aim to align ourselves with regularly, so this is a natural step in the right direction for Le Pain Quotidien US. We’re eager to grow together.”

Lucie Basch, Co-founder, Too Good To Go, stated, “As a French native, I’m excited to see how beloved the cuisine from my home country is here in the states, and I’m even more excited that none of that delicious food will go to waste,”... “We want to empower everyone to help us save all of this extra food, and fight climate change along the way by savoring what they get in every Surprise Bag.” 

Regular readers of this blog know that there is an unfortunate abundance of food waste globally. In the U.S. alone, 40% of food is wasted each year. As a result, it’s necessary for multiple organizations to work together and minimize it - some companies redistribute surplus at the production and farm level, food banks save bulk quantities of non-perishable goods and Too Good To Go saves food at the retail level, literally right before it would tossed at the end of each business day.

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”  That said, what are you waiting for?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Zippin Checkout-free Technology backed by Maven Ventures

At the intersection of employee activation and retention is the cost of both.  Labor cost has proven not to be ‘transitory’ unless you can account for employees that have been replaced with the use of new technology, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Zippin the Checkout-free technology provider recently closed a $30 million Series B funding round with participation from new and existing investors including OurCrowd, Maven Ventures, Evolv Ventures and SAP. The new round brings Zippin’s total funding to more than $45 million.

With labor cost on the up-swing, employees harder and harder to come by, this new cash boost comes on the heels of significant progress the company has made in recent months, including signing numerous new accounts, launching multiple new public checkout-free stores, and further solidifying their leading technology within the future of retail.

Did you know that, Zippin currently powers checkout-free stores across four continents, in diverse retail formats such as convenience stores, grocery stores, sports stadiums, hotels and residential buildings. The funding round will enable Zippin to scale its checkout-free platform as well as power tens of thousands of stores by 2025. How are you lowering cost and driving customer relevance with a faster check out process?

So, Zippin’s customers include the world’s largest food service providers Aramark Corp. and Compass Group, Japan’s third-largest convenience store chain Lawson, and Brazil’s largest retailer Americanas, all of whom are expanding their checkout-free store footprints rapidly.

Here is what you need to know. Zippin’s multi-modal artificial intelligence (AI) technology is unique among its startup peers, and enables Zippin to deliver greater than 99.9% accuracy even in stores with high shopper density and a complex selection of products, including unbranded and small-sized items.

No need to remodel or build from new as Zippin’s solution works equally well in newly constructed stores and existing store retrofits. The Series B funding will help Zippin accelerate the pace of innovation in the areas of deployment and maintenance, where past initiatives like Zippin Cube have already cut time-to-deployment by a factor of five. Zippin’s goal is to retrofit stores within a single day with zero or minimal down time for retailers.

OurCrowd founder and CEO Jon Medved, stated, “Their technology advantage is one of the main reasons we chose Zippin,” … “We evaluated several companies in this space and found Zippin to be the clear leader with most stores in public settings.”

Medved continued, “Many of the Zippin-powered stores in sports venues can attract up to 500 shoppers in a single hour, putting the underlying AI to the ultimate test. “Zippin’s continued growth in such challenging environments is evidence of their superior technology, and also a competitive advantage, allowing their AI to train on some of the richest datasets provided by those challenging environments.”

Zippin co-founder and CEO Krishna Motukuri explained the company has seen increased demand and rapid adoption of checkout-free technology during the pandemic. “Shoppers want contactless experiences everywhere they go,” Motukuri said. “As retailers realize that frictionless checkout-free technology is also contactless by design, they see a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. With a checkout-free platform like Zippin, retailers can offer shoppers what they are looking for today, and future-proof their business, both at the same time.”

Success clues, Zippin was founded by industry veterans from Amazon and SRI with deep backgrounds in retail technology, AI and computer vision, Zippin has developed the next generation of checkout-free technology enabling retailers to quickly deploy frictionless shopping in their stores. Its patent-pending technology uses AI, deep learning and sensor fusion to power its consumer experience: banishing checkout lines and self-scanners for good, and allowing shoppers to zip in and out with their purchases.

Zippin’s platform also leverages product and shopper tracking through overhead cameras, as well as smart shelf sensors, for the highest level of accuracy even in crowded stores. Zippin has offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Toronto and India.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert, and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit GrocerantGuru.com, FoodserviceSolutions.US or call 1-253-759-7869 

Murphy USA and Walmart Partnership Drives New Electricity

Success does leave clues and if your brand needs new some new electricity one of the best ways to drive that electricity is to partner with another brand, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

That said here is a perfect example as Murphy USA Inc. will take part in Walmart's newly announced membership offering, Walmart+, where members can save up to five cents per gallon on fuel transactions at Walmart, Murphy USA and Murphy Express branded locations. So, here is how this will work.

The majority of Murphy USA's sites are located in close proximity to Walmart stores.

Walmart+ members will be able to access the fuel discount instantly at the fuel dispenser starting Sept. 15.

Membership in Walmart+ costs $98 a year or $12.95 a month. A 15-day trial period is included. Along with fuel discounts, which will soon be extended to Sam's Club gas stations, members can enjoy:

·         Unlimited free delivery with in-store prices, as fast as same-day delivery on more than 160,000 items.

·         Scan & Go through the Walmart mobile app, which allows shoppers to scan their items while they shop in-store then pay using Walmart Pay.

·         Existing customer offerings such as free curbside pickup, NextDay delivery and two-day delivery.

Walmart will continue to have delivery options with a per-delivery transaction fee.

Janey Whiteside, chief customer officer, Walmart stated, "We are a company committed to meeting our customers' needs," … "Customers know they can trust us and depend on us, and we've designed this program as the ultimate life hack for them. Walmart+ will bring together a comprehensive set of benefits where we see the greatest needs from our customers and where our scale can bring solutions at an unprecedented value."

Murphy USA's participation in the program represents a new milestone in a long and valuable partnership with Walmart to create new ways to provide value to their shared customers, the company said.

Murphy USA President and CEO Andrew Clyde stated "Today our customers come to Murphy USA for low prices, consistent value, and friendly service," said "Walmart+ is an opportunity to help meet the needs of an even larger population of value seeking Walmart customers through our enhanced low-price fuel offer."

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, online ordering, delivery, plant based foods, sampling, toy’s, cereal, developing brands,  grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Will an Autonomous Store Replace Grocery Stores, Restaurants, and C-Stores?

Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® At Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® team believes the migration from inside dining at restaurants, the 40 minute grocery shopping trip, and the quick stop at the C-store on the way home will within 7 years be replaced by branded autonomous retail stores selling meals and meal solutions.

After reading an article by Isabelle Gustfason about an Artificial intelligence (AI) technology company AiFi that had announced that it’s on track to deploy 330 new and retrofitted autonomous stores by the end of 2021, Johnson and his team began to speculate that a smaller footprint, fewer emplyees, and fresh food fast how could that not work in the ever expanding world of Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.

She wrote “Today, AiFi’s OASIS, the Orchestrated Autonomous Store Infrastructure and Services, is already powering 10 futuristic stores in a variety of sizes in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and San Antonio in the U.S., in Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Paris, and Poznan in Europe and in the city of Shanghai in Asia.

In addition to the publicly known partnerships with Albert Heijn, Carrefour, Żabka, and Loop Neighborhood, AiFi is also actively deploying autonomous stores with several prominent companies listed among the top 10 grocery retailers — both nationally and internationally.

The 330 AiFi OASIS-based autonomous stores range from 800-square-foot convenience stores and travel shops to 10,000-square-foot grocery stores. They are located primarily in the U.S. and Europe, with additional stores coming to Australia, Asia and South America.

“We are going to see explosive growth in autonomous stores. With the onset of COVID-19, the need is even more urgent for a contactless and autonomous retail store where you can shop and feel safe in a physical environment,” said Steve Gu, CEO and co-founder, AiFi. “The 10 deployed stores are operational or in advanced stages of testing. These stores have proven to be stable, accurate and popular among shoppers who love the lightning speed and fluid retail experience.”

For new stores being deployed, AiFi has developed three tiers of its OASIS Autonomous Store Platform: AiFi Enterprise, AiFi Business and AiFi Lite. The AiFi Enterprise allows for a customizable solution with a superior checkout-free experience including flexible payment methods, an advanced shopping journey design, and value-added operational tools for smart inventory management. All three tiers can provide a return on investment in less than one year, as well as fast and easy deployment.

“The whole world is moving towards being autonomous,” said Gu. “AiFi is proud to be working with the most renowned retail brands in the world to bring the best user experience to shoppers for the new era of autonomous shopping.” We ask are you looking a customer ahead?

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success.