By Mark Kelly
FOREST, Va. (WSET) – Standing in a long line at any store can get downright frustrating. Kroger, however, has come up with an idea to eat away at the long lines, and numbers show their new gadget is working.
They’re calling the computer “QueVision”.
Basically, a computer tells Kroger staff the number of check-out lanes they should have open. If the store’s crowded, more lanes are opened. If there are fewer people, there are fewer lanes.
When a customer walks in to any Kroger in the Mid-Atlantic region, a screen knows they are there. The device is an infrared sensor giving Kroger staff about a 30 minute heads-up how busy their check-out lane will be.
Kroger put the device in there stores three years ago. Staff say it’s chopped the time customers wait in line from a four-minute average just a few years ago to only 27 seconds today.
“I don’t want to stand in line and wait, and wait, and wait and wait. Because I feel like they care about that this person has a life, they’re trying to do other things also, so we’re trying to make sure they get the fastest time possible. We don’t want them to wait in line,” said Amanda Hendricks, part of the Kroger staff.
If you’re concerned about your privacy with QueVision, Kroger says don’t be. The device is not a camera, it’s simply an infrared machine measuring body heat when customers enter the store.
