Christoken Johnson, an H-E-B shopper, first shared a photo of the check-out option at an H-E-B plus! in Schertz on July 16.
“All you have to do is run your basket through and the machine (is) going to scan everything inside the basket and pay the amount on the receipt,” he said online in explaining what he saw.
H-E-B confirms to MySA that the Fast Scan technology is currently in a pilot phase exclusively with the store’s partners, or employees.
“At H-E-B, we continue to evaluate and utilize innovative technologies in all parts of our business,” H-E-B’s statement says. “This checkout option is part of a limited pilot program we’re currently testing internally with our Partners.”
This isn’t the first time the company introduced new self check-out options. In 2013, H-E-B auditioned another “Fast Scan” model which allowed customers to place their products on a conveyer belt. At that point, the technology had been in development for three years, San Antonio Express-News archives say.
A San Antonio store on the Southeast Side, near McCreless, was one of the first to try out the option. In 2018, stores also started using H-E-B Go, which allows customers to scan their items throughout their shopping trip then pay via an app.
It’s unclear if any H-E-B stores in San Antonio proper are testing the Fast Scan option.