Independent Edeka merchants Robert and Max Aschoff comprehensively modernised the checkout area of their store in Kassel in September while the store was still in operation. Eight new self-checkout stations from Itab, which combine self-scanning and smart cart checkout, form the centrepiece of their store in Frankfurter Straße. At the same time, the Aschoffs have also installed four new checkouts with an intuitive LED colour guidance system for attended operation – also from the Swedish specialist for shopfitting and checkout solutions. All Itab checkout stations are equipped with cash modules from Glory.
Edeka Aschoff is also installing an AI-supported age-verification solution at their self-checkout terminals to automate this previously labour-intensive task for the legally compliant sale of alcohol and tobacco products. All self-checkouts are to be equipped with the Age Checker solution from Itab by the end of next week. Max Aschoff explains to the Retail Optimiser: “The aim is to speed up routine processes, reduce the workload on our employees and strengthen personal service for customers.”
The age verification system, which Itab developed together with the British company Innovative Technology, uses an integrated camera to estimate the age of customers based on biometric features. The system analyses images entirely locally on the device without storing any personal data. Once analysed, Age Checker uses a simple signal to indicate whether a manual age check by staff is required. If a person is categorised as over 25 years old, the AI-based system automatically grants approval.
Hybrid checkout combines self-checkout and operator service
Edeka Aschoff realises the operation in the self-checkout area with just one employee without reducing the service for customers. One store employee is permanently present in the self-checkout zone to look after eight terminals, while the attended checkouts at certain times only open when required. This is particularly necessary due to the long opening hours of seven o’clock in the morning to midnight, especially during off-peak times. However, a staffed checkout will also be opened at any time upon active customer request.
The retail company remodelled one of the self-checkout stations: In this so-called hybrid version, the shelf is at employee height and allows either customers to scan themselves or a store employee to take over the scanning process and assist customers.
KBST Smart-Carts complement the self-checkout concept
Edeka merchants Robert and Max Aschoff have also optimised the extended self-checkout zone of their store specifically for the use of their intelligent shopping trolleys. As co-founders of the Kassel-based technology company KBST, the independent Edeka merchants are developing digital shopping trolleys with a scan-and-go function that their customers can use in the store. Shoppers can scan their entire purchase directly via the smart cart and check out at all new self-checkouts – previously they had to use two separate terminals for this.
The latest generation of intelligent shopping carts from KBST, the ScanCart, checks in real time whether customers have correctly scanned all items. The smart cart combines precise weighing technology with wide-angle camera data to recognise self-scanning errors in real time and alert customers via a video sequence. In this way, the solution actively supports theft prevention –The Retail Optimiser reported. KBST ‘s ScanBox 2.0 is NFC-certified for card payment so that customers can also check out directly at the intelligent shopping trolley in the self-checkout zone – this feature is due to go into customer testing in the coming months.
Wanzl responsible for shopfitting and liquor shelves
Wanzl planned the structural framework for the new checkout zone and the spirits shelf for Edeka merchants Robert and Max Aschoff and realised it together with local crafts businesses. The specialist for shopfitting and checkout architecture in retail has installed the spirits shelf at the back of the self-checkout zone – this also enables a better overview and monitoring of the product range by store employees.
Thanks to close coordination between the merchants, shopfitting team and technology partners, the conversion was completed in a very short time during ongoing operations. Edeka Aschoffs store did not have to close at any time.
Security systems minimise shrinkage
In their store, the Edeka merchants combine camera surveillance, checkweighers and exit gates to increase security in the self-checkout area. Despite the high customer frequency – Edeka Aschoff’s store is located in the immediate vicinity of the stadium and event locations – they have few problems with shrinkage. At the self-checkout terminals, checkweighers validate the correct weight of every scanned item. KBST’s Smart Carts are also equipped with precision scales and camera technology to recognise and help correct irregularities.
“Many of our customers use the technology enthusiastically – without having to compromise on personal contact with us and our employees,” says Max Aschoff, adding: “Our colleagues actively support our customers with the self-checkout process if required and explain how easy it is to use the new systems. Digitalisation should not create distance, it should enable proximity.”
Trolley control system monitors shopping baskets
Edeka Aschoff’s retailers are also using another technological innovation from the Swedish shopfitting specialists: Itab’s Trolley Control System checks the physical shopping trolleys at the attended checkouts. A camera attached to an arm automatically photographs each trolley from above as soon as it rolls past the checkout area. Aschoff ‘s staff immediately see the photo on a screen and can identify concealed or forgotten items before the payment process continues. For employees at the tills, the digital replacement for the classic checkout mirror speeds up the process, increases security and facilitates checks in stores with high ceilings – such as the store operated by Aschoff ‘s in Kassel.
Many Edeka Aschoff customers want to pay with cash – not only at the attended checkout, but also at the self-checkout terminals. The independent Edeka retailers secure cash in their stores with Glory’s cash handling systems. The Japanese cash management specialist supplied all the cash handling modules for the self-checkout terminals and the staffed checkouts at Edeka Aschoff. Glory’s modules automatically handle deposits and withdrawals and relieve store staff of direct cash contact. At the same time, the system ensures documented, secure processes throughout the entire operation and minimises the risk of discrepancies.
More than 50 per cent sales via self-checkouts in the first week
Edeka Aschoff have responded to changing customer needs and the ongoing shortage of skilled labour in the grocery retail sector by converting their checkout zone with a strong focus on self-checkout. Their store in Kassel – almost unrivalled – very successfully covers long opening hours from Monday to Saturday from seven o’clock in the morning until midnight.
Edeka Aschoff now operates four of the original eight staffed checkouts, while the number of self-checkout terminals with checkweighers has been doubled. Max Aschoff explains that their store achieved more than 50 per cent of its total turnover via the self-checkouts in the first few weeks after the conversion.
