IBM brings us Shopping Buddy smart carts

We can see the tagline now: "Ever want to live the Amazon.com shopping experience?" IBM has gone done created computerized shopping carts to allow for a more high-tech shopping experience, which, naturally, is exactly what we all need. More high tech everything. The Shopping Buddy, being tested in Stop & Shop grocery stores now, allows shoppers to e-mail a shopping list ahead of time and pull up that list upon arrival. The user is then presented with on-the-fly coupons, locations of items on the list, and suggestions for other products that may be of interest. You can even cruise the aisles with your shopping cart telling you where to find the low-carb mayo (or the Veganaise, as it were) as The Shopping Buddy will also allow you to customize your shopping experience around dietary needs. But what we're really hoping for is the addition of a chat client to talk up that hot housewife in the deli section. "Hey, nice provolone…ASL?" Just don't forget not to shop while hungry.

[David Jarrell @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

It's "a/s/l?", not "ASL?"....otherwise, well done. ^_________^ kekekeke

[LC_ @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

a wife.

[Maikeru @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

I'd say put these in Walmart. Why? Well the stores are large and packed to the gills (and not conducive to actually finding what you came to get in the first place), so a store map with a pseudo GPS system (based on triangulation of the strength of the signal from multiple emitters to the unit�like what some sailors would use before GPS) would be extra handy. Of course I suppose the fact that you can't find what you came into the store for may be yet another reason prices are so low (when you can't find what you need you sometimes end up browsing and buying more than you intended to buy).

[steve @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

We've had this in our local Stop&Shop for a long time. Its pretty cool. You can locate items in the store, order from the deli and at the end you don't need to rescan items, your total and items you bought, etc. are sent to the register wirelessly as you approach it. We don't have the email feature, though.

[Folkestone Gerald @ Dec 19th 2005 2:10AM]

I'm thinking of the likes of my mum, and my nan, who're already hypnotised by two for one offers and buy stuff they don't need... if the trolley is saying to them "hello, you know that washing powder you bought last week, you can get 25 packs for the price of 24 today!" they'll soon have spent everything.