- Aldi is reportedly testing checkout technology similar to Amazon's Just Walk Out at a store.
- The technology, from startup Grabango, has been used at a Chicago-area Aldi store since November.
Aldi is the latest retailer to add in-store technology that functions like Amazon's Just Walk Out checkout system.
The discount grocer reportedly installed a computer vision system from startup Grabango in a store in the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, near Aldi's US headquarters, according to Grocery Dive. The system has been operational at the supermarket since November, a Grabango representative at the store told Grocery Dive.
Like Amazon's Just Walk Out, Grabango's technology allows customers to download an app on their phone and add their credit card information. From there, they can shop around the store as cameras keep track of what they pick up.
Instead of ringing up items at a human-staffed checkout or self-checkout at the end of their trip, customers can then tap their phone at a kiosk to exit the store and have their account debited, according to Grocery Dive.
The system is even called "Aldi Go," according to signage at the store. Amazon first used its cashierless tech at one of its "Amazon Go" convenience stores in 2016. Amazon has since expanded Just Walk Out to two Whole Foods stores and some of its Amazon Fresh supermarkets.
The technology is also in use at airport stores and concession stands at sports venues operated by third parties, according to Amazon's website.
Spokespeople for Aldi and Grabango did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the store or the technology from Business Insider.
Dollar General has also experimented with tech that is similar to Just Walk Out, BI reported last summer. The dollar store chain added a system from startup AiFi to one of its stores in North Carolina.
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