Imagine this:
You're shopping at your local grocery store. You walk in, with your handy little shopping cart. You walk over to the info kiosk and grab a small handheld. You scan a barcode with the handheld from a card in your wallet, unlocking it for use, and you're off.
You begin shopping. As you pull items off the shelf, you scan them with the handheld and plop them into your cart. If you decide against the item, you delete it from the unit.
Suddenly the unit beeps, alerting you that if you buy the larger size box of the cereal you just put in your cart, you'll save $2. As you're deciding on whether or not you'll eat that much cereal, and you start scrolling through your itemization on the handheld to see how much you've spent, you get a message that your prescription is ready at the pharmacy for pick up.
Not sure where the pharmacy is located? No problem. The handheld has a map to direct you. But first you want to grab some specialty cheese, and you wonder if the store carries it. You type your search into the handheld, and it pops up the product information, pricing and location for you.
After you pick up the prescription, you head off to the check out. You opt for the speedy aisle. You place the handheld into a machine, swipe your credit card, and walk out the door.
Sounds pretty futuristic, huh? American grocery chain
Food Lion will be
testing this wifi-based system in five pilot stores in the Charlotte, N.C. area by the end of the year.