FAL Is First Australian Grocery with Self-Checkout

Foodland Association Limited (FAL) has launched a revolution in grocery shopping with Australias first-ever trial of the NCR FastLane - self-checkout technology that lets shoppers "do it themselves."The NCR FastLane pilot will run for six months at FALs modern Action grocery store in Mirrabooka, Perth, which it is anticipated will reduce queues and allow shoppers to scan, bag and pay for their own merchandise, using various payment options, including cash, EFTPOS and credit card. If the trial of NCR FastLane is a success in Mirrabooka, FAL will consider integrating the self-checkout technology in other stores. FALs General Manager, Information Technology, Paul Trent said that the decision to trial NCR FastLane was taken "as a part of the companys drive to become more appealing to customers with more innovative, flexible and convenient service, with additional productivity and efficiency benefits to be derived. Studies show the timing for Australian consumers is right. According to a recent NCR-sponsored survey conducted by industry analyst firm IDC of consumers in five countries, including 1200 in Australia, 70 per cent said they would be likely to use self-checkout if it was available in their stores and supermarkets. NCR FastLane is easy to integrate and gives shoppers a range of checkout options and payment methods. It also frees up store assistants to work in other areas of the store, which again improves customer service. NCR FastLane can be configured to accommodate shoppers buying either a few items or a fully laden trolley.