After Blablacar, here are the “blabla-caisses”. The principle is about the same as that of carpooling, namely to promote sociability. With the difference that it is not a matter of talking during car journeys, but while shopping in the supermarket. This concept, originating from the Netherlands, is beginning to establish itself in France.
If you’ve never smoked in front of a long line in a supermarket, raise your hand! But sometimes it’s nice to take a moment, even for a chat. Some people really enjoy chatting with the staff at checkout.
So much so that in the Netherlands, the Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo came up with the idea of creating “kletskassa”, which can be translated into French with the term “caisses de discussion”. The first was inaugurated in 2019 in Vlijmen, a village in the province of Brabant in the center of the country. A clear success, as the supermarket chain plans to open ‘tick-taker’ in 200 other stores.
In France, this concept also inspires certain supermarket chains. This is particularly the case at Carrefour, which is testing this system in some of its stores. These “chat boxes” are primarily aimed at the elderly or socially isolated, whose numbers have increased since the pandemic. But they are also designed for cashiers and hostesses, who will certainly appreciate this extra human contact in the workplace.
Rest assured for the hasty among us: these cash registers are not intended to replace automatic or fast payment points. So you can still do your shopping between noon and 2am, without sacrificing your entire lunch break!
ETX Daily Up