Woolworths Scan and Go launches for the first time in South Australia

A new feature first trialled in a Woolworths store three years ago is finally being rolled out in a bold new move. But there’s a catch.

Cash registers and even self-serve check-outs may soon become the less popular way to pay for food in a bold new move by supermarket giant Woolworths.

On Wednesday, Woolworths introduced its ‘Scan&Go’ feature in the first two stores in South Australia, at Walkerville and West Lakes.

The Scan&Go feature means that you can pay for your shopping via an app.

Customers can scan products on their smartphone as they shop, pay in the app, and scan a QR code in a dedicated Scan&Go lane to complete their shop.

However, it only works if you’re a Woolworths Rewards member with the app installed on your phone.

The novel technology was first trialled at a Sydney store, in Double Bay, in 2018.

Since then, 30 other stores have had the technology implemented for the feature to work.

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A new feature first trialled in a Woolworths store three years ago is being rolled out in SA.

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Each product’s barcode can be scanned in the app.

If you’re buying a fruit or vegetable, you place it on the scale in the store where a barcode will be automatically generated to scan.

Customers who don’t want to use Scan&Go can still use self-serves or manual check-outs as ways to pay.

Fruit and vegetables can still be paid for on the app.

Of the 31 stores with Scan&Go, 18 are based in Sydney, across the north, northwest, east and CBD primarily.

Queensland has five stores with the tech while Victoria has four.

Western Australia and the ACT have one store in their whole state and territory, respectively.

Tasmania and the Northern Territory have as yet not experienced the feature.

31 stores have the Scan&Go technology.

Ben Garvan, Woolworths Head of Digital In-Store, said the feature was very convenient for customers.

“At Woolworths, we’re always looking for new ways to make it easier to shop for your everyday needs,” he told news.com.au in a statement.

“We know many of our customers are short on time, and the speed and convenience of Scan&Go has been popular with many shoppers across Australia for this reason.

“In addition to the time saving, Scan&Go allows customers to closely track their spend as they shop, which is helpful for budgeting.”

Originally published as Woolworths Scan and Go launches for the first time in South Australia