No need for FamilyMart cashier to open a new convenience store

A new convenience store will open in Tokyo that uses cameras and sensors to identify products picked up by customers and allows unmanned accounting.

Since the store can be operated by one employee, the company says that it will lead to significant labor savings.

FamilyMart, a major convenience store, opened on the first floor of a building near Tokyo Station on the 31st, and the inside of the store was opened to the press on the 30th.

Forty-eight cameras installed on the ceiling and sensors on the product shelves capture the movement of customers entering the store and identify who picked up which product.

Then, when the customer approaches the touch panel near the exit, a list of products and the price are displayed, and payment is made with cash or an IC card.

In addition, employees in the backyard check the age of customers with a camera on the touch panel and sell alcoholic beverages.

The company says that it will save labor because the cashier is no longer required and even one employee can operate the store.

In the convenience store industry, Seven-Eleven and Lawson are also conducting similar store demonstration experiments, and efforts are underway to resolve the labor shortage that has become an issue.

Tomohiro Kano, Executive Officer of FamilyMart, said, "Although labor shortages are becoming a norm, this system can halve the work. We will continue to make improvements and develop it as a new model."