Convenience stores are increasingly introducing a new system that allows customers to shop without having to contact the clerk in response to the spread of the new coronavirus infection.
Of these, FamilyMart will introduce new services at some stores in Tokyo jointly with railway companies from the 13th of this month, in addition to the existing self-registration.
From the information of 56 cameras in the store and the weight sensor mounted on the product shelves, the type and number of products picked up by the customer can be grasped in real time.
Then, when the customer takes the product to the designated place, the amount etc. is automatically displayed on the screen, and the mechanism of paying with cash or credit card eliminates the trouble of reading the barcode of the product.
The company plans to increase the number of stores that have introduced it in earnest from next year, and Executive Officer Tomohiro Kano said, "We can expect to solve the labor shortage by introducing unmanned payment."
These services are also introduced at convenience stores operated by JR East affiliates at some stations in Tokyo.
In addition, Lawson is developing a service in some stores such as Tokyo and Osaka where customers can read the barcode of the product using a smartphone application and make payments with electronic money without having to line up at the cash register. As a measure to reduce the chances of contact with people due to the disaster, the movement to introduce unmanned payment is likely to continue to spread.