The supermarket of the past is racing toward a high tech future. And clever marketers are starting with their youngest customers. Publix Supermarkets in the prefix = st1 /U.S.city of Atlanta,Georgiahave begun testing TV Karts for little kids. Moms can shop in peace while their kids ride along watching their favorite TV shows. Marketers say the TV Karts bring about income by keeping children entertained so parents can shop longer. If the TV screen is not enough to hold a child's attention, parents can drop them off at a play center at Wegman' s supermarket in Virginia. There is adult care so parents can scan the grocery aisles without having to rush. And there are high tech toys for grown - ups, too. This computerized tablet is called the "Shopping Buddy". The small computer keeps a running tab of every item in the shopping cart. Customers can e - mail their grocery list and the device will let them know if any of the items are on sale. It also shows the location of the products. Stop and shop marketing manager Mike Grimes says the device can even take a deli order from customers on the other side of the store and let them know when it's ready for pick up. "The shopping buddy has two primary benefits to shoppers. The first - saving money, extra savings. The other thing it saves is time." If you really want to save time, "Veggie Vision", a computerized scale and camera, identifies various fruits and vegetables and automatically prices them for you. And when it's time to pay, a finger may be all you need. It takes just a few seconds for a machine to identify your unique fingerprint and debit your account. Two thousand stores in the U.S. now have the "Pay by Touch" biometric technology. Customers sign up by providing a bank account number and a fingerprint. Some European stores are testing tiny radio transmitters on their goods. The wireless devices can tell if a product is nearing its expiration date or needs to be restocked. And someday, as an I. B. M. commercial shows us, those transmitters will mean you may not even need your fingerprint to make a purchase. What is the main purpose of using the TV Karts?
To attract customers. To keep kids entertained. To advertise products. To make more money.