Hudson Valley Reacts to New High-Tech Shopping Carts

New high-tech carts that promise a streamlined shopping experience have started making their appearance at local supermarkets across the Hudson Valley.

The carts, called Caper Carts, are produced by Instacart, and are supplied to to several grocery chains across the country. Locally, select ShopRite stores in several Hudson Valley counties have been the first to try the newest way to shop.

What Are the New Caper Carts in Hudson Valley Supermarkets?

Caper Carts are similar to a self-checkout kiosk on wheels. Customers "log in" to the cart's tablet with their customer loyalty card, and scan selected items with attached sensors as they travel through the store (a built-in scale helps weigh produce). The cart's advertisement (below) is impressive, but how well do they work in real-life scenarios?

Positive Reactions to Caper Carts in the Hudson Valley

"My go-to at our local Warwick ShopRite! Love using this cart. Lots of shoppers like them here", said one local shopper. "I have used them four times and didn’t have any issues with them... made my shopping easier and [scanned] everything in my cart no problem", added another. Not everyone, however, was impressed.

Negative Reactions to Caper Carts in the Hudson Valley

"I found them smaller than the older shopping carts. If you buy 3 cases of waters, it is filled. Also, very heavy and hard to maneuver", warned a wary commenter. "[I] don’t like them the scanner is very sensitive. When we were holding cans next to the cart it scanned them. I don’t like how it’s replacing cashiers either / jobs. It was suppose to be easier at check out it was not... and they had to review the scanned items", shared another.

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Where to Find Caper Carts in the Hudson Valley

Currently Caper Carts can be found at ShopRite stores in Warwick, Montgomery, Vails Gate, Hudson, New Rochelle, and more. Study up on more recent grocery store changes below.