Grocery Store Deli Counter Convenience

[mully88]

One of my biggest complaints about going to the grocery store for my weekly purchase of food & necessities, is the total inconvenience of going to the deli counter to get cold cuts, cheese, etc, for sandwiches. Luckily, I usually go with my wife and she can contiue shopping while I sit there for what seems hours waiting to get service behind a sea of people! The solution: Simple offer shoppers the convenience of a small piece of paper in which to "write" their order on it. Leave the order with a "designated order-filler" and continue with shopping. After your shopping adventure is over, simply return to the deli counter to pick up your order and move on. This would save time, and greatly improve shoppers attitudes toward the deli counter inconveniences that everyone has to put up with.

[DirtpatchSmacky]

Or, how about grocery stores have pamphlets at the deli counter, that explain ways that a person can help to feed the millions upon millions of starving children in the world, people could read this while they wait in line a few minutes to buy thier 10 pounds of deli meat.

[tennisjunkie]

We have a store (locally owned/not a chain) that does exactly what you are suggesting. The have a printed list of products and a basket of pencils.

The customer takes a number and grabs a copy of the product list, He checks off what he wants on the list and writes in the desired weights or number of items. He also writes his order number on the top of the page and leaves the list in the deli "in-box".

Deli personnel package the order, write the order number on the bag and wait for you.
At the end of shopping, you just stop back by and match your number to your order.

It works pretty well.

[fullofideazmo]

this could also be handled with a touch screen, a display for the counter personnel like at fast food stores, and an overhead that lists completed orders ready for pickup. you'd also need to include customer paging ability in case they are out of something you ordered and need to find out if you want a substitute item. very busy pharmacies at some large chain grocery stores in this area have systems sort of like this already, but without the touch screen to input the order because of the need to hand over written subscriptions, etc. good idea, manually or digitially implemented!

[bookwormjackie]

this could also be handled with a touch screen, a display for the counter personnel like at fast food stores, and an overhead that lists completed orders ready for pickup. you'd also need to include customer paging ability in case they are out of something you ordered and need to find out if you want a substitute item. very busy pharmacies at some large chain grocery stores in this area have systems sort of like this already, but without the touch screen to input the order because of the need to hand over written subscriptions, etc. good idea, manually or digitially implemented!

I really like this idea too, esp if digitally implemented. I look forward to this!!!

[fullofideazmo]

Thank you very much for the positive feedback on my contribution to this thread
.
I trust you figured out I wrote 'subscriptions' when I meant 'prescriptions'. My brain does that.

Besides the laser scanner checkouts and pharmacy setups, I've also seen touch screens in the produce department where you can view preparation tips and recipes, then ask for a printout if you see one you like. With the touchscreen system for the deli I was thinking of, both the customer and the deli service personnel would need to view the order, with orders cued in the sequence received on the service personnel's side.

Maybe the software could automatically estimate the wait time and show the customer how many orders are ahead of theirs so they could plan what they can get done in the meantime. The system would probably need to print out a numbered claim ticket (which could include both the order number and the estimated pickup time) to keep people from picking up the wrong order. For large orders, the items could be bagged and sealed (stapled, tape whatever) with a receipt attached for the checker to work from while avoiding having to re-handle each item individually. Or, if the software were set up right, the checker could use the order number to call up and add the deli items without having to handle each one.

One of the chain grocery stores in this area used to so something like that with prescriptions from the pharmacy, but I think they stopped because too many people forgot and/or couldn't resist the temptation to leave without paying for pharmacy items some of which could be quite expensive and yet small and easy to miss or conceal.

Oh no,not another if!! The setup/software would probably also need to be set up allow for people requiring that sort of accommodation to be bumped ahead of other orders in the cue. Can't think of an example where that might be appropriate --- yes I can! Someone elderly or physically disabled and only gets around by using one of those paratranportation deals (call-a-bus or whatever) may have to be out of the store by a certain time for pickup or get stranded.

Now I'm scaring myself. I'm such a frustrated micro-managing neat freak!

I'm so glad to get all of that out of my brain!

Cheers!

[vinnypanico]

The touch screen idea has already been implemented at delis in my area.

[AceLogan]

How about grocery shopping done online. A "shopping assistant" would be used to find the whole shopping list put it into a cart and send it to the front of the store where all of the items would be picked up. The service would cost extra (like 5-10% of total) and have to be done with a credit card so that if the items aren't picked up a 20% re-stocking fee would be charged on the card (which of course would have to be agreed upon prior to purchase). The dairy products and everything else that needs refrigerated (or frozen) would be up front in a refrigerator (freezer) bagged with customers name on it.

[vinnypanico]

Same thing. It's already been done. They use a program called My Web Grocer to do it. They'll even deliver it for an additional fee.