Save time when shopping – modern tricks that will make everyday shopping faster and more pleasant

The clock reads 18:37, you are the tenth person in the line of the supermarket, which is fortified like a wall with overflowing food baskets and carts, looking to the right and left, you realize that there is no faster option than simply standing in line.

You will come home after a difficult, possibly long working day, at the end of which your free time will be further reduced by routine, urgent household chores.

Presumably, most of us have been in this or a very similar situation, reluctantly accepting it as a normal, incorrigible daily flow.

However, it is strange to realize that in an age when the concept of online shopping has long been nothing new, when it comes to food, we continue to practice the same daily shopping habits that people practiced when digital solutions were not yet on the horizon.

Yes – alternative, convenient and economical solutions for food procurement in modern supermarkets have long been available, and anyone who values ​​their time would benefit from learning more about them.

There are more ways to shop conveniently than ever

The supermarket chain “Rimi” has introduced a very wide range of alternative tools, the benefits of which can radically change the shopping experience.

The most visible and widely used of the alternatives is likely to be self-service checkouts. Younger buyers were the first to learn them, but now all kinds of people can be seen at the robot cash registers on a daily basis.

The operating principle of these cash registers is also very simple – the buyer comes with a basket and, using the scanner embedded in the surface, scans the bar codes of the products selected for purchase.

If necessary, the wide touch screen can be used to enter weighing products, fruits, vegetables, confectionery, etc.

The process may seem more difficult at first, but after some time, even the most experienced sellers will appreciate your ability to scan goods quickly and efficiently!

One of them will also always be nearby to help in a difficult moment, when an item does not want to be scanned or a message appears on the machine that it is necessary to wait for a consultant.

Most importantly, these cash registers save space and – due to their number – also time in stores. Presumably, everyone has noticed that the queue to the self-service checkout area flows more smoothly than the queue at the regular checkout.

A less noticeable and used thing – so-called self-service scanners. The main benefit is a completely autonomous shopping process and shorter time at the self-service checkout, as they allow you to easily scan the products as soon as they are added to the cart.

In addition, there is an opportunity to experience something truly unusual in store conditions! That is, to scan the goods and immediately put them in your shopping bag, without the need to carry everything again at the checkout. It is also convenient for large purchases – there is no need to unload all the shopping carts.

Additional practical bonuses: during shopping, you can see the current shopping cart amount in the scanner.

“There are usually fewer customers at the scanner checkouts, and even if you have come to the checkout area with the “classic” shopping method, you can take a scanner at the checkouts and quickly scan all your goods so you don’t have to wait in line at other checkouts,” advises the “Rimi” representative Inga Bite.

E-shop – save time and shop remotely

Those who prefer the most remote and automated approach will benefit “Rimi” e-shop. The idea here is quite simple, but useful and attractive to anyone who values ​​their time and energy – you can simply order the goods while waiting for delivery to your home, or you can independently receive a specially selected shopping basket for you in the “Rimi” store.

The use of the e-shop is also on the rise. “What we see is that there are different usage needs on different days. On weekends, the “Rimi Drive” option of receiving goods is used more often; on weekdays – home deliveries of the e-shop. We have various initiatives for these types of receipt – there are codes, special discounts and special offers that users also appreciate and use,” explains Inga Bite.

E-store visitor profile – 25-45 years old, those who follow promotions, best offers, mostly women. Since spring, the number of visitors to the Rimi e-store has increased by 30%.

Everything can also be done in the Rimi app

We have also thought about those who do not want to look for these self-service scanners in the store and prefer to work with a smartphone.

It turns out that nowadays it is smart enough to communicate and get along with an equally smart supermarket.

Scanning with a phone is actually an identical solution for self-service scanners, only the smartphone that is installed is used to scan the goods accordingly Rimi app.

Additional convenience – when scanning with your phone, you can simultaneously use the Digital Shopping List available in the “Rimi” app. In addition, the app contains information on all current promotional offers and also functions as an electronic My Rimi card.

Scanning goods with smartphones is still a relatively little-used method. It is mainly used by younger buyers, according to Rimi’s observations.

It is interesting that Estonians are the most active users of the “Scan with phone” function. Latvia is in second place and Lithuanian “Rimi” customers are in third place.

In general, “Rimi” observes that the share of self-service is increasing every year.

The latest data show that in “Rimi” stores in Latvia, 40% of buyers use one of the self-service options, and the number of “Scan with phone” users has been growing especially in recent months.

However, there are still some buyers who prefer direct communication with the cashier and service at a traditional checkout.

For comparison, for example, in Estonia, 15% of customers use Scan with the phone and the scanners available in the store, 30% use self-service checkouts, while 55% of customers shop at regular checkouts, while in Latvia, about 60% of customers shop at regular checkouts.

As customers’ interest in various self-service solutions grew, in September of this year “Rimi” completed an important stage in the development of stores – all more than 130 “Rimi” stores in Latvia have self-service checkouts. The range of stores where the “Scan with phone” function is available is also being expanded, and it is currently available in 44 stores.