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Coop, fidelity card, grocery stores, how to, Migros, scan as you shop, self-scanning, shopping in Geneva, supermarkets in Geneva
One of the great qualities of Switzerland that still exists amongst the Swiss is trust. Self-scanning has come and gone in many countries but my local Migros and Coop are still using it after introducing the service nearly a year ago. No more packing and unpacking food three times before you leave the store and no more standing in line. If your grocery store has this feature, use it. The service is simple and saves you time.
If you are new to Geneva, you will realized that you become either a Coop family or a Migros family. I am the later which is why this blog is based on Migros’ system with side-notes regarding Coop. However, I don’t endorse one store over the other because your choice will depend on the quality of food and service in your part of town. So let’s get started:
Prerequisites: You must have a Customer Fidelity Card and sign up for the service which means agreeing to the terms and conditions. At Migros you also need an electronic payment card (debit, credit or gift card).
Step One: Start at the wall of scanners. At my store you can chose your language (FR, EN, DE, ES). Swipe your fidelity card and the scanner that lights up is yours to take.
When you begin shopping scan the bars on your products (kids love doing this) and place them directly into your shopping bag. If your vegetable is priced per item, you will find the bar code next to the vegetable. If you buy more than one item, push the + sign, if you need to remove an item you press the – sign. You can press list at any time to view the items you have scanned and from here you can delete items from your scanned list.
Step Two and Three: At Migros, you will see a wall where you scan a code to indicate you are done shopping. Your scanner will ask if you have scanned every article. Yes or no. Most of the time it tells you to replace your scanner and proceed to the payment center but every now and then it asks you to see the cashier who does a spot check. At the payment center, you scan your fidelity card again then follow the steps to apply coupons and payment method.
At Coop, what I see in my local store is different than what they show on the internet. At my store you have to go to a cashier like everyone else; which seems to defeat the purpose of avoiding being behind people unloading and reloading their groceries. However, on the webpage it looks like some stores have a special checkout where you scan a code to complete your shopping, pay and then replace your machine.
In the past year, I have had to wait for a machine only once. I zip into the store and out. I urge you to take the time to set up your fidelity card and agree to the self-scanning service.
If you are new to Geneva and would like to know about Geneva’s other grocery stores, check out Cortney’s blog titled Discovering Geneva’s Grocery Stores. It was written a couple of years ago but is still up-to-date.
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Living In Geneva 
I live on the French side so only occasionally get my groceries at Migros or Coop. I’ve seen the walls of scanners but never understood how the system works. Thanks!
MELewis, I think a lot of people have the same thoughts. Not many people use the service. I have to admit the kid in me still has a lot of fun scanning the articles.
I always like reading about interesting activities on this site, but today’s blog did not appeal to me so much. I don’t think we should embrace this new development of self-scanning, which has already started in my original country as well. Two of my main reasons not to take part in self-scanning are:
1. You will be making the cashier-employee superfluous increasing unemployment
2. They will register everything you buy to be able to improve their personal marketing to make you buy things you never intended to buy.
On another note, I think standing in queues is a good way to practice some ‘zen’. People get bored too little these days!
Marlieke, I understand your thoughts about the cashiers. I have known these ladies for over a decade so I asked them their thoughts. They actually like the self scanning because a) there is less pressure to be quick with the people queuing and b) when they are regulating the self check out area they actually have time to talk with clients.
Regarding tracking purchases, personally I gave up my privacy when I signed up for the fidelity card. I don’t like it either but Migros does give me little things in return, like a small rebate as well as allowing me to look at my own purchase behavior at a macro level (like % of items purchased which are produced locally, sustainably and bio).
Thanks for reading our blog. I like hearing your opinion.