This is what using an AI shopping cart looks like

The first supermarket, the Piggly Wiggly in Memphis, opened in 1916. It was the first time people could walk into a store and choose their items from a shelf instead of handing a list to an employee who would gather everything for them, usually without any choice of brand or style. Grocery shopping remains a daily or weekly ritual for most people, and it can be a real chore, especially if you’re shopping for a large family. My own shopping lists aren’t that long, but I still find myself juggling my phone and a piece of paper as I wander around the store, checking digital coupons and trying to do quick calculations. So when I read that one of the local grocery stores (a ShopRite) was rolling out smart carts powered by artificial intelligence (AI), I was intrigued.

I’m naturally dubious about many AI tools, but grocery shopping seems like one place where a little digital help could come in handy. So I set out to see if these fancy new carts would offer any real benefits or just lots of targeted advertising.

What are caper carts?

The carts in question are Caper Carts, which is owned by Instacart. They are quite large, look like tanks, and are quite heavy to push.

You must have an account with ShopRite to use these carts, as they use your phone number to track your purchases; You can choose to store a credit card or other payment method there for convenience, but it is not required. When you enter the store, the Caper Carts are right there in the entrance area. When you remove one, the screen lets you enter your phone number, then offers you a (thankfully brief) tutorial.

The welcome screen on the AI ​​cart.
Credit: Jeff Somers

The login screen
Credit: Jeff Somers

The carts have barcode readers mounted on both sides of the back of the cart, and the cart itself is a scale, which helps both ensure you’ve scanned everything in the cart and calculate the cost of bulk products. If you’ve ever used a self-checkout at a grocery store, it’s a bit similar: you present items in front of the scanners, then drop them into your cart. For products, you research what you’re buying, then drop it into the cart, where it’s weighed and added to the total. Along the way, the cart will search for potential coupons or deals that might interest you. Carts can import your shopping lists from the store app, if you want, and will also keep track of your loyalty points and rewards.

How to Use a Caper Cart

The first Caper Cart I selected didn’t work; nothing could be scanned no matter how I presented things to the scanners. It didn’t matter: I informed the people at the store, logged out of the cart and got another one. The second cart worked perfectly.

The Caper Cart screen while shopping
Credit: Jeff Somers

These carts are quite heavy, and the second cart I used had a loose wheel that caused it to rumble loudly when I navigated the aisles – you’re not going to race these carts and jump on them for a quick slide. When I placed an item in the cart without scanning it, the cart politely showed me a video of me placing the item (creepy) and asked if I wanted to admit to adding something to the cart. This did, however, give me the ability to declare a “personal object”, which is a solid feature.

A video appears if you try to put an unscanned item in the cart
Credit: Jeff Somers

I forgot to put my shopping bags in the cart because I’m often stupid. You’re supposed to pack as you go, which saves you time; I had to pack my bags after payment, which didn’t save me any time. On the other hand, I don’t always shop in bagging order, so bagging as I go can result in some of my items getting crushed under heavier groceries, or having to rearrange everything in the middle of the shopping experience. I like to put the bags in at the end, when I can make decisions about how to organize everything optimally.

If you change your mind about an item, simply remove it from the cart. The Caper system will notice and remove the item from your invoice.

When you’re done, simply tap “Order” and head to the checkout area.

Payment with a caper cart
Credit: Jeff Somers

This will be different depending on the specific store you’re in: Some stores don’t have registers for Caper carts, but this ShopRite did. There was only one lane for the Caper Carts and I had to wait behind someone while they checked it out themselves. Then I scanned a barcode on my screen with a gun and tapped my card to pay while a security guard appeared nearby, presumably to discourage people from running away.

Barcode for payment with a Caper Cart
Credit: Jeff Somers

Scan the register barcode on a Caper Cart
Credit: Jeff Somers

Overall, the AI ​​shopping cart experience was a slight improvement over typical grocery runs. Packing as you go is convenient and paying is a little easier because you scan just one barcode instead of two dozen. I didn’t get many personalized coupons or recipe suggestions since it was my first time using the system, but I can see how it could become very useful if the cart is able to find coupons or deals that I missed.

Some specific remarks:

• The cart can Accidentally scan a barcode if you approach a shelf, which can be confusing, although the cart will quickly remove it if the weight doesn’t change.

• As noted above, the carts are quite heavy. If you plan to buy a lot of products at once, this could become a real exercise.

• Adding products can be a little complicated: you need to locate the “price lookup” (PLU) code for the specific product you’re adding, then scan it or enter it on the screen before dropping it into the cart. Sometimes that means looking for those little stickers and typing a bunch of numbers into your cart over and over again.

• Seeing your total expenses add up in real time is useful, especially if you’re tracking costs. If an item costs more than expected, you see it immediately, and if the overall cost is higher than expected, you have time to adjust your selections. Before you go to checkout.

• Because you have to go through a checkout as usual (and there was only one lane designated for Caper Carts), during peak periods you might find yourself waiting a long time to exit the store, which kind of negates the convenience factor. Of course, as more people use these carts, ShopRite could add more dedicated Caper lanes.

Depending on how you shop, these AI shopping carts might be worth a try, but don’t expect a revolutionary experience.