Wegmans shuts down SCAN App, community members disappointed

Rochester, New York — Wegmans SCAN app will no longer be available starting this coming Sunday. As voiced on social media, many folks in the community are not looking forward to it. The app allows customers to scan their own groceries as they shop, avoiding long check-out lines.

According to Tracey Taylor from Pittsford, the app became a necessity for her grocery trips.

“I go in, I know where everything is, I have my bags all sorted and I’m in and out and it’s a breeze,” Taylor said.

Before it launched in 2020, Taylor was a beta-tester for the app and said using the app is her way of saving time at the store so she can maximize time at home. “Now that I’ve been using it for three consistent years, I’m like a machine. It is such a time saver. I think it has literally cut my shopping time by three-quarters,” Taylor said.

The application was initially created during the COVID pandemic to offer customers an option to shop in-store in a contactless fashion. “When the pandemic hit, it was like the best thing we could have possibly asked for because nobody else touches your food except for you and it was one less thing I had to worry about,” Taylor said.

The grocery chain is pulling the plug due to shoplifting losses experienced during the app’s period of use, something Taylor said she understands as a former Wegmans employee but wishes there was alternative technology, according to store officials. “I think that in the real world, we know that people do dishonest things. And unfortunately, I think that’s what happened in this instance. I think that it is probably a lot more than we think it actually is in terms of what the losses are. My hope is that they will come up with another type of technology,” Taylor said. “It’s just so much easier to be able to cut down my shopping time and then be able to dedicate my time to my family so yeah, I’m going to have less of that now.”

Wegmans did suggest the technology may return to the customer’s hands at a later point. “We’ve learned a lot and we will continue to introduce new digital solutions to streamline your shopping experience for the future. The losses experienced from this program prevent us from continuing to make in its current state” signed Colleen Wegman in customer emails sent Monday.

A number of SCAN App users received a $20 voucher for purchases upon the announcement.