Pak'nSave, New World supermarkets trial queue in your car system
Standing for ages in a queue to get into a supermarket could be a thing of the past if a Foodstuffs trial goes to plan. The company, which owns New World, Pak'n Save, Four Square and Raeward Fresh supermarkets, is trialling a virtual check-in for shoppers where they text the supermarket they want to shop in, and get alerted when it's their turn. The possible solution to shoppers' queuing woes is currently being trialled at New World Kumeu and Pak'nSave Royal Oak to "overwhelmingly positive customer feedback",
Simon Kennedy, Foodstuffs North Island Chief Digital Officer, says.
Customers are given two options to "check-in" at participating stores – virtually or physically. However, regardless of their choice, all customers check in at entry. Customers who virtually check in on their phones will receive a text when it's their turn to enter. Customers who physically check in with a team member at a desk will have their names put on a list, and their name will be called when it's their turn to enter. The solution is easy, free and all customers need is a mobile phone. The four step process will see a customer texting to "check in" to secure a place in line. They will then get a text reply confirming their place in the line, allowing them to wait somewhere else more comfortable, including their car. The customer will then receive another text when it's their turn to enter the store and shop. To get inside, the customer will show their text confirmation to the store check-in team to enter. Customers who don't have a mobile phone can check-in directly with store staff and still wait elsewhere, but will need to stay within earshot to hear their name called by store staff when it's their turn to enter. He likened the system to other virtual queues including requesting a call back when on hold with airline customer service, or putting your name in for a reservation at a restaurant and receiving a text when your table was ready. Kennedy said the initiative, if adopted, would save customers, especially the vulnerable or elderly, time by having to wait in line. "New Zealanders are settling into a new normal and consolidating their shops into one big shop so they can stay home and stay safe.
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Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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79.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
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