Circle K introducing frictionless checkout at Tempe store, other Arizona locations

PHOENIX — Circle K has introduced frictionless checkout at a Tempe store with plans to expand the technology to several Arizona locations in the coming weeks.

The convenience store chain’s first dive into fully autonomous technology in Arizona is at the retrofitted Circle K located at 2196 E. Apache Boulevard, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.

Customers can have their purchases recorded on the Circle K app as a network of strategically placed cameras capture items taken off shelves.

The technology, developed by Standard AI, utilizes the layout, fixtures, lighting, inventory management systems and visual merchandising plans of a store to accurately track items customers purchase.

“In Arizona, we are going the next step by retrofitting existing stores with autonomous self-checkout systems to gain further insights into how frictionless technology can both make it easy and save time for our customers and allow our team members to focus on delivering a great experience,” Deborah Hall Lefevre, Alimentation Couche-Tard’s chief technology officer, said in a press release.

Hall Lefevre added that customers’ privacy would remain intact with the new technology.

Couche-Tard, Circle K’s parent company, opened its first frictionless store in Montreal, Québec, earlier this year.

More frictionless locations are expected to be retrofitted soon in Tempe and Tucson, according to the release.

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