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Woolworths’ Scan&Go Trolley drew criticism in August 2024 from shoppers who said it made customers do work once handled at checkout. The trial did ask customers to scan and pack their own groceries, but Woolworths described the trolley as an optional shopping method and said it would not affect store-team rosters or roles. The system still required customers to pay at checkout; it was not fully checkout-free.
What the Scan&Go Trolley asked shoppers to do
Woolworths launched the trial at its Windsor store in Sydney on 15 August 2024, with plans for nine more Sydney supermarkets. The customer process was:
- Scan an Everyday Rewards card to unlock a tablet-style device.
- Attach the device to the trolley.
- Scan products as they are selected.
- Pack groceries into bags or the trolley while shopping.
- Go to a checkout to pay.
Woolworths later confirmed that customers still paid at a self-service checkout. The trolley shifted scanning and packing earlier in the shop; it did not eliminate the payment step. Woolworths’ launch announcement and its 2025 rollout notice describe the process.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhy some shoppers called it “making customers employees”
The criticism focused on how the work is divided. A shopper using the trolley scans each item, packs it, monitors the running total and remains responsible for getting the scan right. Since payment still happens at a checkout, critics saw the system as asking customers to take on more of the checkout task without a clear benefit beyond convenience.
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That phrase was a social-media criticism, not a finding that customers had become Woolworths employees. The contemporaneous PerthNow report documented the backlash; it did not establish that the trial removed particular jobs, reduced staffing or compelled customers to use the trolley.
Woolworths’ case for the trolley
Woolworths presented Scan&Go as an additional option. Its stated advantages included spending less time scanning at checkout, packing items as preferred and seeing a running total that could help shoppers monitor a grocery budget. The company said staffed checkouts, self-service, pickup and delivery would remain available, and said the trial would not affect store-team rosters or roles. Those staffing assurances and benefits were Woolworths’ claims, not independent findings.
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The budget feature could be useful to shoppers trying to track a planned spend, but it does not make the work disappear: the customer still scans and packs. The practical trade-off is whether doing those tasks during the shop is more convenient than handling them at checkout.
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Is Scan&Go Trolley faster?
One customer told 9News that a shop that had taken more than an hour took about half an hour with the trolley. That is an individual account, not a controlled comparison. The available sources do not provide comparable transaction-time or queue-time data establishing that the trolley is faster for shoppers generally. 9News reported the customer’s account.
What the Rewards card and cameras mean for privacy
Unlocking the device requires an Everyday Rewards card, linking use of the trolley to a loyalty account. Woolworths says smart-camera technology helps check whether scanned items match items in the trolley. Its in-store technology privacy explanation says a customer’s hand may rarely be captured and that information may be retained longer for legal reasons, incident investigations or training.
Woolworths developed the trolley with its digital teams and supermarket operations; ABC reported that the retailer partnered with Chinese retail-technology company Hanshow to co-create the devices. The distinction between a supplier’s capabilities and Woolworths’ actual use matters: ABC reported in November 2024 that Woolworths’ trolleys did not then store location information or display product advertising, while Hanshow’s wider technology could support location-based promotions. That broader capability is not proof that Woolworths used aisle-by-aisle personalised advertising in its Australian trolley trial. ABC’s reporting covers the partnership and this distinction.
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How the trial changed after the Sydney launch
The August 2024 launch began at Windsor and was planned for nine additional Sydney stores. In July 2025, Woolworths announced a further 25 stores in New South Wales and initial locations in Victoria and Queensland. It said more than 70% of trolley users were repeat customers; that is a company-reported trial metric, not independently audited evidence. The 2025 announcement sets out the expansion.
Woolworths’ service notice now says Scan&Go Mobile is being discontinued because of low customer uptake, while Scan&Go Trolleys are being introduced or continued in selected stores. The mobile service used a customer’s own smartphone to scan products through the Woolworths app; the trolley puts scanning hardware on a store-provided device. The current service notice lists rollout locations and dates, including Crows Nest on 6 July, but does not establish that every earlier trial store still has trolley service. Check the specific store’s current listing before making a trip.
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Who may find it useful—and what remains unclear
The trolley may suit repeat shoppers who want a running total, prefer packing groceries as they go, or would rather use a store device than scan each item on a personal phone. It may be less appealing to people who prefer a staffed checkout, do not want to use a Rewards account, or find trolley-mounted screens difficult to use.
The published information cited here does not settle several practical questions: how shoppers handle an item that will not scan, weighed or unbarcoded goods, removing a scanned item, a device failure, a price discrepancy, or a change of checkout method midway through a shop. Nor does it establish how reliably staffed alternatives are available at every participating store and trading time. These are sensible questions to ask staff or Woolworths rather than details to assume.
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