Aldi Testing Checkout-Free System At Chicago-Area Location

Aldi is testing checkout-free shopping at one Chicago-area location that is said to allow shoppers to skip the line when purchasing their groceries.

Working with technology company Grabango, the ALDIgo system was added to the grocer’s existing location at 2275 West Galena Blvd., in Aurora, Ill., without the need to make any changes to the store’s planogram or product displays. The technology uses computer vision to identify and keep track of every item in the store and allows shoppers to exit the store without waiting in line or scanning items.

“It’s exciting to see a checkout-free capability live in one of our stores,” said Eric Traxler, vice president of IT at Aldi. “Aldi is continuously looking for new ways to be innovative and provide a best-in-class experience for our shoppers, and ALDIgo is a great example of that in action.”

“The launch of ALDIgo is a pivotal moment for the grocery industry,” said Will Glaser, CEO of Grabango. “Although more challenging, it was important to us to launch this technology in a typical store and not one purpose-built for us. Aldi is one of the most innovative retailers in the world, and we are honored to partner with them to give their shoppers an exciting new way to shop the store.”

To use ALDIgo, customers do not have to change their normal in-store shopping habits. When done, shoppers can pay with either their credit or debit card, or with the Grabango app, at the Grabango pay station near the exit. Alternatively, shoppers still have the option to check out with a traditional cashier.

Grabango provides checkout-free technology for large-scale chains, offering a checkout-free solution suitable for operation in existing stores. The platform is a fault-tolerant, edge-computing, AI network that accurately processes millions of simultaneous transactions. The system places no limits on who can enter the store, what can be sold there, or how the shelving is configured.