THE INTELLIGENT GROCERY COUNTER 

In the days of AI, Artificial Intelligence, can the smart grocery counter be far behind?

When you shop regularly at any grocery store, the information you leave behind reveals quite a bit: your favorite foods, frequency and the time of day and week when you shop, marital, social and computer literacy status, address and whether you respond regularly to promotional programs or advertising. The grocery store of the future will also know when you are pregnant, when you have a baby, if it's a boy or girl, your income level, toilet and reading habits, when you're on an eating binge or how clean your home is. Fine for the store but it can be a boon for the shopper too. When the store computer knows you that well, you could consider it a "virtual person". In Japan that is the name given to such machines. Initially you may place a credit card in a holder on the grocery cart as you push it down the aisle. As you pass any shelf, a voice may call you by name and welcome you back to the store. This "virtual person" will know that you haven't been there for two weeks or may say "Back so soon? What did you forget?" If you reply "salt" it could say "I've told my colleague of your shortage and it will be ready for you on aisle six, shelf three. When you enter the designated aisle a voice will direct you to the salt shelf. "The salt's free for you today just for coming back to our store. By the way you now qualify for our ten percent discount every time you shop three weeks in a row on Monday or Tuesdays. Have a nice day." After all, virtual people communicate too. Advanced models won't need to see your card.

If you have no objection, one day the "virtual photographer" will take your photo and thereafter be able to recognize you on sight. Naturally, all store virtual people will have access to this data bank and will also recognize you even if they just started working that day. Individual "body language" can also be programmed in and they will be able, to a certain degree, to know your mood. Infra-red sensors on certain shelves will suggest items you may have forgotten: "Mrs. Jones, are you short of Windex yet? You haven't picked up any since July 14th, four months ago." And the VP (Virtual Person) may add "You've been testing out another store haven't you?" "Tell me why and I'll knock $10 off today's bill." VPs will have undreamed of authority to do almost anything to retain your business. One day Home Economics 2001 may be teaching your kids how to make the most out of information in the new "virtual world."

Naturally, the kids' names, birthdates, schools, hobbies and preferences will enter the stores "virtual memory". "It's Bobby's birthday next week, Mrs. Virtue, did you see the CD-ROM encyclopedia, free if you purchase $300 worth of groceries today." Husbands may also be surprised to discover how much they know. "Welcome back Mr. Ng., we haven't seen you since the 20th century. Been out of town?. Still smoking?"

Coupled with a voice print, fax identifier, and the new refrigerated 'malebox" (considered the latest robotic servant -- which went over big shortly after post offices closed -- psychologists say it was all part of the "virtual nostalgia" phenomenon), you can just dictate a shopping list to the stores Virtual Vice-President for Customer Satisfaction appearing on your television set and groceries will be delivered to your home or new driveway "malebox", according to your specific date and time instructions.

The above is not a dream. Such programs are being worked on as you read. The most profitable and most visited grocery store in the Nokendi section of Yokahama today is a partially robot-operated seven year-old grocery store. It is now considered out-dated.

Think you'll miss "aisle chatter" with neighbors in tomorow's grocery store? Worry not, "virtual people talk" may replace gossip prevalent in stores and beauty salons way back in the 1990s. Who knows more about who!

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