As much as I love Trader Joe's (and finding out quirky things about it), I hate the unavoidable long lines—especially if I only need a few things. A new fleet of supermarkets is attempting to solve that woe with ATM-style kiosks that hawk fresh groceries instead of crisp twenty-dollar bills.
The automatic grocery store, called Oasis24Seven, is robot-powered, providing essentials like milk, bread, eggs, and fresh produce as fast and simply as an ATM or vending machine. Coming soon to Des Moines, Iowa, the futuristic system only accepts electronic payments and is outfitted with a touch screen that customers use to scroll through nearly 200 items on offer.
Wondering how a glorified vending machine could deliver you a five-pound bag of rice? The standalone mini store can dispense products as small as one ounce to as large as ten pounds using a conveyor belt and robotic arm. The project, run by Eat Greater Des Moines, is still in development and requires an additional $70,000 in funding, but locals will likely be vending very soon. The goal, according to project leader Aubrey Alvarez, is to make healthy food options more convenient and pegged at more affordable prices. "We really are trying to focus more on staple items … those things people can't find in a convenience store," Alvarez says.
If this is a hit in Iowa, could it grow and become the future of supermarkets across America? Tell us: Would you pick up groceries from a robot-run kiosk, or are you more of a buy-in-bulk shopper?
(h/t KCCI)
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