Scan As You Shop – Smart shopping at Tesco

I am a mom. A mom gone wild whenever I go shopping. Either in big malls, or on the high street, time escapes me wandering around aisles, racks of clothes or grocery stores. The most anxious person is my husband, who has to wait (sometimes carry my bag and baby) for me to decide. And this process can take a long time, away from what’s truly important. Ok, I am a shopaholic mom, but this doesn’t mean you can’t do a bit of smart shopping. I’ve been loving to cook for many years now, and people close to me say I am pretty good in the kitchen, and not just because I can wash dishes decently, but because my food has flavour. To achieve that, I spend a lot of time thinking about weekly menus, write long shopping lists and go on an adventure to find all my ingredients.

We shop at Tesco because it is a large supermarket where we can find everything useful to a household. We take the kid, a huge shopping cart and armed with the list in one hand, we make our way into the busy aisles. At least one hour later, my husband’s patience is running out, and the queue at the till is making things worse. We have to place everything on the cashier belt, wait for the products to be scanned, put everything in bags and then off we go exhausted. Because of all the hassle, I prefer to order online from Tesco, but due to me being so picky, I have to choose the products myself, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Yes, you got me, I actually love spending time at the supermarket around all the options.With a busy family though, shopping for food takes time away from my dear ones, from my work and with so many items to find, scan and pack, the more convenient the experience the better. This is why we tried the Tesco Scan As You Shop service and we had a pure revelation. I can’t believe we didn’t use it earlier, it would’ve saved us so much time, effort and money! With the help of a scanner tracking your spend as you shop, you scan your shopping on the go, then pack it straight into your bags.

How does Scan as you Shop work?

First of all, you have to be a Clubcard member to shop using this system. It’s really easy to apply for a card if you go online or ask a member of the staff. You start by swiping your Clubcard at the scanner wall to release your handset. With this you scan each product’s barcode as you go, so you can track your purchases and keep an eye on your spending. I found this process really easily and fun at the same time. If you want to delete an item from your cart, it is just a matter of seconds, while the handset is pretty straightforward.

A few items like fruit, vegetable and loose bakery that aren’t individually barcoded can still be scanned. There is a small, red label on the shelf edge which you can scan, or for things that you need to weigh, you can scan the barcode on the sticker printout. This way you have scanned all products with no fuss. Make sure to scan all the products. When I have started using the system, the first few minutes were a bit tricky, as I was so used to put items in my cart without a second thought. After a few adjustments, I was finally able to “remember” the drill and everything turned out to be so easy and fun at the same time. You have to scan even the “buy one, get one free” items and multibuys, to make sure discounts are applied and you pay the right price.

One tip is to pack your shopping directly into your own bags, so you won’t be needing to unload it all again at the checkout.

What I love about Tesco Scan As You Shop is that you can check the total price whenever you want during the process, so it won’t catch you off-guard. I can’t tell you how many times I got distracted and bought things I didn’t really need just to be surprised by the receipt at the till. You can always delete items from your handset if you no longer want them, or you found a better option in store. Just make sure to put it back on the shelve.  After finishing shopping, head straight to the Scan As You Shop payment area. Scan the barcode a the top of the till. The first time you use this system, a member of the staff will do a service check, by scanning a few items at random in the trolley to make sure everything’s working at is should be and that you’re being charged the right amount. After that, service checks are occasional.

All that’s left is to pay and go. Honestly, the Tesco Scan As You Shop system is one of the best services invented, especially for busy families. It helps save you money as well as providing a time-saving and convenient way to complete your weekly shop. Nothing went wrong, it was really simple to use, and you get this feeling of accomplishment. Kids would love this system, so you can get them involved in finding the barcode and scan the products. This way they won’t get bored as they usually do. Just make sure they won’t scan items when you’re looking away, otherwise you’ll end up with too many sweets and toys.

I left Tesco feeling like a winner, with a large grin on my face, knowing I’d be using this service all the time from now on.

• Scan as you Shop
• Tesco