Checkers has launched its first smart shopping trolley in South Africa — and shoppers are divided over the move.
The Xpress Trolley, currently on trial at Checkers Hyper Brackenfell and Checkers Constantia in Cape Town, lets customers scan and bag items as they shop, track their spending on a touchscreen, and pay directly from the cart using their Sixty60-linked profile.
While many shoppers praised the trolley as “fun” and convenient, others expressed fears about its impact on jobs. A TikTok user asked:
“Does this mean all cashiers will lose their jobs? Yoh… now it’s getting scary…”
Online debates have since ranged from excitement about skipping queues to skepticism about whether South Africans can be trusted to scan every item.
Some also joked about “wheel alignment” and rising grocery costs to fund the technology.
Shoprite, Checkers’ parent company, insists the new trolleys pose no threat to jobs, stressing that cashiers remain essential and that the tech is designed to support faster, more accurate in-store shopping.
For now, only 20 smart trolleys are available, but if successful, the pilot could change how South Africans experience supermarket shopping.
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