GetGo in The Waterworks first in area to offer checkout-free shopping

Visitors to GetGo at The Waterworks can grab an ice coffee, packaged sandwich and a candy bar, all while skipping the lines and bypassing extra contact at payment counters.

Checkout-free shopping is now available at the convenience store at the corner of Freeport and Fox Chapel roads. It’s the first GetGo in the Pittsburgh area to offer the service.

The experience is available through an app called Grabango.

Dick Roberts, GetGo spokesman, said the technology-driven move allows shoppers to browse the shelves, scan a code into the app and skip the checkout line. Users will receive a digital receipt.

The app is free and protects guest privacy, as it does not use facial recognition.

No lines in Pittsburgh! @GetGo in Fox Chapel is the first @GiantEagle location to offer checkout-free shopping. Shoppers can now skip the line and scan the code in the @Grabango app to pay. Get the app in the AppStore and Google Play. #pgh #pghtech #checkoutfree #cstore #cstores pic.twitter.com/mhEWTx5Uz0

— Grabango (@grabango) September 1, 2020

Grabango was founded in 2016 by Will Glaser. According to the company’s website, adults spend 32.89 days of their lives waiting in grocery store lines.

“Together, Giant Eagle and Grabango are offering new levels of convenience by solving everyone’s No.1 frustration — waiting in checkout lines,” Glaser said in a release.

Laura Karet, president and CEO of Giant Eagle, said company officials plan to introduce the technology at additional stores in the near future.

“With Grabango, our GetGo guests are able to get in, get out and get going even faster with a more convenient, contactless shopping experience,” she said.

The app is available through the Apple Store or Google Play. Shoppers will be required to create an account and enter their Advantage Card information along with a payment form.

GetGo operates 263 sites in western Pennsylvania and four other states.