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Revolution in retail: Muldestausee's smart 24/7 store inspires!
A fully automated store called “ Unser Schopp ” is opening in Muldestausee, Anhalt-Bitterfeld – accessible around the clock.
Revolution in retail: Muldestausee's smart 24/7 store inspires!
In recent years, the trend towards fully automated supermarkets has increased in Germany. The example is particularly striking in the community of Muldestausee in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district, where the “ Unser Schopp ” store has opened. This container, which has large windows, offers around 1,600 products in a compact 80 square meters. What makes this store so special? It is open 24 hours a day and customers can serve themselves without any staff. To ensure that only honest customers gain access, they need a valid ID card to enter the store, as t-online.de reports.
Payment in “Our Schopp” is cashless – here customers scan their products themselves and thus enjoy the convenience of a shopping experience without waiting times. Support comes three days a week from a pensioner who is on site for two hours. Interestingly, Sunday is the busiest day for sales, but there are no staff present. This concept definitely has its advantages, as the purchase is monitored by cameras and so far there has been no intentional theft.
A pioneer in rural regions
Fully automated supermarkets could significantly improve local supplies in rural areas. These so-called “smart stores” or “vending kiosks” make it possible to shop on Sundays, which has met with mixed reactions. Churches and trade unions strongly criticize Sunday sales because they see it as an attack on the free Sunday. For example, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was the first federal state to legally allow such markets to open on Sundays, while in Hesse, legal disputes meant that many existing markets had to remain closed on these days, with some exceptions, as reported by the Evangelische Zeitung. becomes.
In Bavaria, a slight relaxation of shop closing times was recently decided, which allows small digital supermarkets to also open on Sundays. This point shows how much demand for such concepts is growing. For example, Tegut is planning to expand its 39 Teo stores, which offer around 950 products. REWE is also testing a similar system with its “Jakobs nahkauf Box” and offers around 800 items.
Future outlook in the Harz
The community of Muldestausee sees the positive feedback from the population as encouraging in its decision to open further locations, especially in the Harz Mountains. Mayor Ferid Giebler is already planning another location in the Rösa district. It is important that a dialogue with local residents takes place when selecting new locations so as not to endanger the existence of existing retailers. The expansion of Aunt Enso, which already has several branches in Saxony-Anhalt, further underlines this trend, as reported by the Süddeutsche Zeitung, among others.
In conclusion, these fully automated stores not only offer a modern shopping solution, but also open up potential for basic supplies and social contacts, especially for seniors and people in rural regions. But the critical voices should not be underestimated. The discussion about the impact on the labor market and the observance of Sundays off work continues. In this area of tension, the development of local supply will certainly remain exciting in the coming years.