Apple Stores to offer self-checkout with iOS app

Apple Stores will soon offer customers the ability to buy in-store items right from their iOS devices, MacRumors reports. Apple would release an update to the current Apple Store app with a new self-checkout option. Users currently in a store can make a purchase and charge it to their iTunes Store account with the help of an Apple Store employee.

Apple’s main product lines — the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad — will not be supported by the app’s self-checkout feature because these products are usually kept in the back room, so actual interaction with another human is necessary to buy these. Even for low-cost items like accessories, I’m not sure how the self-checkout process would work without some sort of in-store security. Anyone could just walk in, take something and leave while claiming they checked out on their iPhone. Apple’s smarter than that though.

The self-checkout iOS app is a win-win situation for both customers and Apple Store employees. Customers can purchase items a lot quicker without having to wait in lines, and less stress is put on employees to deal with the high levels of foot traffic in any given Apple Store at any given time. A feature also said to be coming soon is the allowance of multiple products under a single order to be sent to different addresses. This is another move sure to cut down on time wasted.

If the report for self-checkout proves correct, expect the Apple Store app update to roll out on November 3rd.

[via MacRumors]