Barcode scanning was introduced by the supermarket chains in the early 1980s, but until the late 2000s, all scanning was performed by checkout operators.  Woolworths began trialling a self-scanning system at Big W stores in 2004, testing the technology in a limited number of supermarkets in 2007. In 2008, the company announced the roll-out of the system, beginning with 70 stores, including several Safeway supermarkets in Victoria. Coles was not far behind.

The system that allowed customers to scan their own groceries was, according to Woolworths, readily accepted by customers, with around 25 per cent of shoppers in the trial stores using the self-scanning checkouts. The checkouts had features to prevent shoplifting. Shoppers needed to place their purchases in a bagging area, where the technology calculated their weight and matched it to the known weight of the barcoded products. Roving staff members supervised the self-scanning checkouts to assist customers and, presumably, help detect attempts to enter expensive vegetables as “carrots”.

Not everyone was in favour of self-scanning. Some people missed the human interaction, while many expressed concern about job losses. Nonetheless, by the mid-2020s, Coles reported that more than two-thirds of customers used the self-checkouts. According to Woolies, for those with 20 items or fewer, the numbers rose to 83 per cent.

Over the years, the security features accompanying self-scanning became more sophisticated. Automatic gates in checkout areas stopped shoppers from leaving without paying.  Overhead surveillance cameras tracked transactions, while cameras in the checkouts themselves recognised the colours, shapes and sizes of fruits and vegetables and suggested options on the screen. On its website, Woolworths assured customers with privacy concerns that the cameras did not capture faces and that security cameras throughout the store did not have facial recognition features.

In 2018, Woolworths began rolling out new technology called Scan&Go. It allowed customers to scan items with their smartphone as they shopped and pay in the app, before tapping off at a dedicated kiosk. In 2025, an extension of this program was introduced using a tablet-style device attached to the trolley. Using their Everyday Rewards card, customers unlocked the device from the charging wall at the front of the store and attached it to their trolley before shopping.

It seems we’re still (as of 2025) some way from a system being trialled in Europe that eliminates the need to scan products at the checkout. You tap your credit card as you enter, then hundreds of cameras around the store record which items go into your trolley. As you leave, the cost is debited to your card.

Are the days of the checkout chick numbered? That remains to be seen.