Is the US that far behind the UK in retail grocery? A UK supermarket did scan-as-you-pack maybe 15 years ago. They've since been bought out and that option no

Is the US that far behind the UK in retail grocery? A UK supermarket did scan-as-you-pack maybe 15 years ago. They've since been bought out and that option no longer exists, but it's hardly revolutionary or something that's only just becoming possible thanks to Google Wallet. What seems bigger though is the next step possibility. SAYP allows you to save on headcount at the tills alone (and even then not by much as you still need some form of check-out procedure to manage the exit handover), which is hardly where the majority of the staff load comes. No; surely the bigger retailer benefit comes from moving away from these huge edge-of-town barns altogether? If I signed up with Tesco Clubcard, they'll already populate an online shopping basket with a regular shopping load that's typical of my purchasing habits, automatically, and deliver that to my door. (I mention Tesco because I know this from others, not that no rivals exist). Ocado operate as an online-only grocery business with picking and packing systems as sophisticated as any to ensure speedy delivery of intact groceries without packing cases of mineral water on top of soft fruit. What the author is describing is frankly a primitive system. Go the whole hog, be the grocery Amazon. Eliminate the need to have a retail barn that's kept attractive, temperature controlled and has a small army constantly stocking shelves. Eliminate the need for each town to have so many large presences per retailer with a constant feed of large trucks keeping them stocked and operate primarily out of regional distribution hubs. Then you'll see the real retailer cost savings.