It sounds exhausting, but according to Kroger, it's the way most of us do our shopping. At checkout, the cashierless U-Scan allows customers with fifteen items or less to scan their own purchases while a computerized voice talks them through the process. According to store manager Bob Berry, the new Kroger is a huge success with customers. The new layout takes some getting used to. The new Kroger also puts produce first, but follows it with toilet paper, light bulbs, and other nongrocery items.
Canned goods are way on the other side of the store, over by the dairy sections and frozen food.
One recent weekday afternoon, I passed a group of elderly women who'd corralled their carts to commiserate in the canned-vegetable aisle. I just don't know. I threw mine away. The new Kroger is not without a measure of whimsy. In the freezer section, paper penguins top the display cases.