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 Cash, card or fingerprint? Scanner recognizes store customers By Bruce Smith Posted on Fri, Jul. 23, 2004 The Associated Press CHARLESTON - First, there was cash. Then came checks, credit and debit cards. But today, you can pay for your purchases with the simple touch of a finger. A new system in which you place your finger on a scanning device and the bill is debited from your bank account was unveiled Thursday at four Piggly Wiggly stores in South Carolina. It's already in use on the West Coast and in several other areas. Within two years, it should be available at all 120 Piggly Wiggly Carolina Inc.'s stores across the state and in coastal Georgia, said Rita Postell, the company's manager of community and employee relations. As of Thursday, it was available at two stores in the Charleston area and two in Columbia. "Speed, convenience and security are the three reasons we are offering this," Postell said. The system will speed checkout lines, making it easier for customers to pay with no need to fumble with checks or plastic. Indeed, if you forget your wallet or purse, you can still walk into the store and make a purchase. People also won't have to worry about their credit cards or identities being stolen. The scanner reads about 40 data points on a customer's finger to identify them but does not take a complete fingerprint, said Carolina McNally with Pay By Touch, the San Francisco company that provides the technology. A supermarket in Seattle has used it for two years, and a national video rental chain has been using the system in Texas and New York, she said. "Basically, this is a new way to pay, and it's not replacing any of the existing mechanisms. It makes it easier and more secure," she said, adding that the scans remain private and are not sold. It takes a few minutes to register. Customers get a finger scanned and then link the scan to one or multiple accounts. If they use more than one, they can select which to debit when they check out. The scan also will link to customer loyalty cards - in this case the Pig's Favorite Customer, or PFC card - and credit the card for the amount of the purchase. Customers who register still can use other methods to pay. The scan won't work, of course, if a customer has a cut or a bandage on the scan finger, so they are encouraged to have a second finger scanned as a backup. Eventually, Piggly Wiggly Carolina, the largest Piggly Wiggly franchisee in the nation, expects 60 percent of its customers will use the system, Postell said. It may take time for people to get comfortable with it, McNally said. Eventually, such scanners could be in all sorts of stores with people using them the same way they now use credit or debit cards. "The key is to get some type of critical mass," McNally said. | Mark of the Beast Technology | Mark Technology Update | | UN's Law of the Sea Treaty | UN's International Criminal Court | UN Planning Internet Control | New UN Terrorism Czar | The Mark of the Beast | World Court Orders Washington to Retry 51 | NWO Integration | China Calls For Stronger UN | The Eighth Beast | US Rejoins UNESCO | DAVOS 2008 | UN Biosphere Reserve | UN Panel To Recommend Expanded Council | Expanded UN Security Council | UN Agreement With World Court | Verachip Approved By FDA | National ID Card Ahead | Annan Announces Reforms for September, 2005 | G-7, Seven Heads | Digital Angel Tracks Animals Nationwide | Calling for a Global Currency | Five New Security Council Members Being Formed? | | Return Home | Tithing and Giving | Prayer and Fasting | Bible Study and Bible Study Helps | Mystery Babylon | Antichrist Revealed | The New World Order | Israel in Bible Prophecy | Home Schooling | BLOG | Email | |
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