So I Tried Out an AI-Generated Shopping Cart.

The first supermarket, Piggly Wiggly in Memphis , opened in 1916. It was the first time people could freely wander around a store and select items from the shelves, rather than handing a list to a clerk who would assemble everything for them—usually without selecting a brand or style. Grocery shopping remains a daily or weekly ritual for most people, and it can be a real chore, especially if you’re shopping for a large family. My own shopping lists aren’t very long, but I still find myself juggling my phone and a scrap of paper as I wander the store, checking for digital coupons and trying to quickly do checkout. So when I read that one local grocery store (ShopRite) was introducing smart shopping carts powered by artificial intelligence (AI), I was intrigued.

I’m naturally skeptical of many AI tools, but a trip to the grocery store struck me as a place where a little digital assistance could be helpful. So I went to see if these new, cutting-edge shopping carts would actually be helpful or just a gimmick.

What are caper carts?

We’re talking about Instacart ‘s Caper Carts . They’re quite large, tank-like, and quite heavy to push.

To use these carts, you’ll need a ShopRite account, as they use your phone number to track your purchases. For convenience, you can save your credit card or other payment method, but this is optional. When you enter the store, Caper Carts are located right at the entrance. When you pull one out, a screen prompts you to enter your phone number, followed by (thankfully brief) instructions.

The carts have barcode scanners on both sides of the back, and the cart itself serves as a scale that allows you to check all the items in the cart and calculate the cost of bulk items. If you’ve ever used a self-checkout at a grocery store, it’s similar: you hold items up to the scanners and then place them in the cart. For fruits and vegetables, you find the item you need and place it in the cart, where it is weighed and added to the total. The cart will also scan for potential coupons or discounts that might interest you. Optionally, the carts can import your shopping lists from the store’s app and track your loyalty points and rewards.

How to Use a Caper Cart

The first Caper Cart I selected didn’t work; nothing would scan, no matter how I held the items up to the scanners. It wasn’t a big deal—I informed the store staff, logged out, and picked up another cart. The second one worked perfectly.

These carts are quite heavy, and the second one I used had a loose wheel, making it rattle loudly as I walked down the aisles—you wouldn’t race them or jump on them for a quick ride. When I added an item to the cart without scanning it, the cart politely showed me a video of me adding the item (kind of creepy) and asked if I wanted to admit I’d added something to the cart. It did, however, give me the option to mark it as a “personal item,” which is a nice feature.

I forgot to put the shopping bags in the cart because I’m often stupid. You’re supposed to pack your groceries as you go, which saves time; I had to pack them after the checkout, which didn’t save me any time. On the other hand, I don’t always shop in order, so packing as I go can lead to some of my items getting dented under the weight of the groceries, or I have to rearrange everything mid-shop. I prefer packing at the end, when I can decide for myself how to organize everything.

If you change your mind about an item, simply remove it from your cart. The Caper system will detect this and remove the item from your receipt.

When you’re done, simply click “Checkout” and proceed to the checkout area.

The situation varies from store to store—some don’t have Caper Cart checkouts, but this ShopRite did. There was only one Caper Cart checkout, and I had to wait behind someone while they paid. Then I scanned the barcode on the screen with a gun and tapped the card to the terminal while a security guard hovered nearby, presumably to discourage customers.

The Pros and Cons of AI-Powered Shopping Carts.

Overall, using an AI-powered shopping cart was a slight improvement over a typical grocery shopping experience. It’s easy to repack as needed, and checkout is a bit easier since you scan one barcode instead of two dozen. I didn’t receive many personalized coupons or recipe suggestions since I was new to the system, but I can see how useful it could be if the cart could find coupons or deals I missed.

Some important notes:

• If you get too close to a shelf, the cart may accidentally scan the barcode, which can cause confusion, although it will quickly remove it if the weight doesn’t change.

• As noted above, shopping carts are quite heavy. If you’re planning to buy a lot of groceries at once, it can turn into a real workout.

• Adding products can be a bit of a complicated process: you need to find the price-lookup unit (PLU) code for the specific product you want to add, then scan or enter it on the screen before adding it to your cart. This sometimes means searching for those little stickers and re-entering a bunch of numbers into your cart.

• Tracking your total spend in real time is very useful, especially if you’re keeping track of your expenses. If an item is more expensive than expected, you’ll see it immediately, and if the total cost exceeds your estimate, you’ll have time to adjust your purchase before placing your order.

• Since you still have to go through a checkout line (and there was only one dedicated checkout line for Caper Carts), you might have to wait a long time to exit the store during peak hours, which somewhat negates the convenience factor. Of course, as more people use these carts, ShopRite may add more dedicated checkout lines for Caper Carts.

Depending on how you shop for groceries, these AI-powered shopping carts may be helpful, but don’t expect revolutionary changes.

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