Authors:
Richard Bryan
Abstract:
This disclosure proposes a method to reduce human contact in In Store shopping by having a store clerk process a filled shopping cart and allowing the customer to pay remotely. The customer shops for items like groceries, produce, meats, etc. by walking through a store and filling a cart. When done, rather than standing in line, the customer drops their cart into a queue to be processed and returns to his vehicle or outside waiting area for his items to be delivered. A Sales Associate picks up cart, processes items on a remote terminal in store, bags and delivers them to the waiting customer. Interaction with an app allows the customer to pay for the item without human contact.
Background:
This invention turns BOPIS (buy online pickup in store) upside down to solve two problems:
1) Less human contact in a post-COVID-19 world. This allows the customer to shop in store, as normal, but reduces the points of contact (standing in line, SA/Customer interaction).
2) Many customers worry about not getting the freshest dairy/produce or best cuts of meat when buying online and picking up in store. This allows the customer to shop for his own items while not having to wait in line to pay.
Description:
Shopping carts would have a scannable ID that would tie the cart to an app on the customer's device. Customer would scan the cart after he was done shopping and choose to pay remotely. This scan would also notify a Sales Associate that it was ready for processing. The user would then return to his vehicle and enter the pickup number of his parking spot or would be assigned an outside waiting area that was socially distanced or divided from other customers. The Sales Associate would process the cart through the in-store POS. The POS totals would be redirected to the customer app where he would pay via Card, eWallet, etc. The Sales Associate would be notified of payment and customer's location and would deliver the items.
TGCS Reference 2154
